---
type: "Bill"
title: "Revise laws related to tampering with evidence connected to a homicide"
description: "Revise laws related to tampering with evidence connected to a homicide"
jurisdiction: "us/states/mt"
legislature: "Montana Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 44"
citation: "Montana HB 44 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Crimes", "Criminal Procedure"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Denise Baum"]
version_count: 43
action_count: 40
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2024-09-24T18:50:38+00:00"
last_action: "2025-03-27T21:07:27+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/629ee5ae-9436-4ef0-8b89-d9428e46d730"
source_url: "https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC0320?open_tab=sum"
source_hash: "f81b1567d7ab4c202448b0da462e285778b263554314154188749297c0eb7f12"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-mt"]
---

# Montana HB 44 (2025) — Revise laws related to tampering with evidence connected to a homicide

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **HB0044.001.001_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=270294)
2. **HB0044_1(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=267412)
3. **HB0044_1(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=271080)
4. **HB0044_1(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=271081)
5. **HB0044_1(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=271082)
6. **HB0044_1(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=271083)
7. **HB0044_1(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=275191)
8. **HB0044_1(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=276255)
9. **HB0044_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=267247)
10. **HB0044_2(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=271085)
11. **HB0044_2(10).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=287583)
12. **HB0044_2(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=271087)
13. **HB0044_2(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=271090)
14. **HB0044_2(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=271112)
15. **HB0044_2(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=271235)
16. **HB0044_2(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=275220)
17. **HB0044_2(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=276281)
18. **HB0044_2(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=276927)
19. **HB0044_2(9).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=279553)
20. **HB0044_2.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=271084)
21. **HB0044_3(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=287584)
22. **HB0044_3(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=287590)
23. **HB0044_3(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=287591)
24. **HB0044_3(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288078)
25. **HB0044_3(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288079)
26. **HB0044_3.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=287582)
27. **HB0044_X(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=296042)
28. **HB0044_X(10).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=319647)
29. **HB0044_X(11).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=319649)
30. **HB0044_X(12).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=321059)
31. **HB0044_X(13).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=324476)
32. **HB0044_X(14).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=325748)
33. **HB0044_X(15).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=327310)
34. **HB0044_X(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=296043)
35. **HB0044_X(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=296044)
36. **HB0044_X(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=300436)
37. **HB0044_X(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=300437)
38. **HB0044_X(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=300438)
39. **HB0044_X(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310616)
40. **HB0044_X(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=316571)
41. **HB0044_X(9).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=319636)
42. **HB0044_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=295346)
43. **LC0320.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=265659)

## Votes

- do_pass_as_amended — **18–2** (pass) · lower
- Do Pass — **94–4** (pass) · lower
- be_concurred_in — **8–1** (pass) · upper
- Do Concur — **45–4** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **96–4** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **44–6** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Denise Baum — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-09-24T18:50:38+00:00** (LC) Drafter Assigned
- **2024-09-27T14:41:37+00:00** (LC) Draft in Legal Review
- **2024-10-07T18:38:58+00:00** (LC) Draft in Edit
- **2024-10-10T16:27:07+00:00** (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
- **2024-11-11T17:56:51+00:00** (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
- **2024-11-17T18:56:38+00:00** (LC) Draft in Assembly
- **2024-11-19T00:15:22+00:00** (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
- **2024-12-09T16:09:26+00:00** (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
- **2024-12-09T17:59:00+00:00** (H) Introduced
- **2024-12-18T20:47:55+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Requested
- **2024-12-20T22:11:52+00:00** (H) Referred to Committee - (H) Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-06T17:47:00+00:00** (H) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2025-01-07T00:46:00+00:00** (H) Hearing - (H) Judiciary
- **2025-01-07T15:10:09+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Received `receipt`
- **2025-01-07T19:58:21+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Signed
- **2025-01-07T23:47:07+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Printed
- **2025-01-13T17:44:29+00:00** (H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed as Amended - (H) Judiciary `committee-passage`
- **2025-01-13T20:05:37+00:00** (H) Committee Report--Bill Passed as Amended - (H) Judiciary `committee-passage`
- **2025-01-16T20:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-01-16T21:24:00+00:00** (H) 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-01-17T20:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-01-17T20:48:00+00:00** (H) 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-01-17T21:04:00+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Senate
- **2025-01-20T20:43:11+00:00** (S) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2025-01-20T21:11:00+00:00** (S) Referred to Committee - (S) Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-05T20:34:20+00:00** (S) Hearing - (S) Judiciary
- **2025-02-10T19:36:00+00:00** (S) Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred - (S) Judiciary
- **2025-02-10T20:11:00+00:00** (S) Committee Report--Bill Concurred - (S) Judiciary
- **2025-02-20T23:29:40+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Pass Consideration `reading-2`
- **2025-02-21T20:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-02-21T21:13:00+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-02-24T20:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-02-24T22:09:00+00:00** (S) 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-02-24T22:10:00+00:00** (H) Sent to Enrolling
- **2025-02-26T17:14:00+00:00** (H) Returned from Enrolling
- **2025-03-07T17:00:56+00:00** (H) Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2025-03-18T13:15:18+00:00** (S) Signed by President `passage`
- **2025-03-18T16:15:15+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2025-03-27T19:57:46+00:00** (H) Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2025-03-27T21:07:27+00:00** Chapter Number Assigned `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/629ee5ae-9436-4ef0-8b89-d9428e46d730`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).