MontanaAgencies would keep departing employees’ work emails for at least a year
When a public employee leaves, the agency would keep covered work emails for at least a year, with exceptions for some public officers.
What it does
When a public employee leaves, the agency would keep messages in the employee’s work email account for at least a year, or longer if the records committee sets a longer period.
A local government panel would review requests to destroy or dispose of records that are not listed on an approved schedule.
Argument forKeeping former employees’ work emails for at least a year could help agencies preserve messages that people may later need to review.
Argument againstAgencies might have less flexibility to delete former employees’ work emails quickly because covered messages must be kept for at least a year.
More detail
Public agencies would keep covered work email messages after an employee leaves. This covers messages in an email account that a public agency provides and maintains for a public employee. The state and local records committees may allow these messages to be disposed of without a separate request if they are kept for the designated period. The state provision excludes accounts assigned to or associated with a constitutional officer or public officer. The local provision excludes accounts assigned to or associated with a public officer. The retention period starts on the employee’s last date of employment and lasts at least one year.
The local government records committee would have a subcommittee review requests to dispose of unscheduled records. It would handle local government records that are not listed on an approved retention schedule. The subcommittee would include the state archivist, a local government records manager, and the Department of Administration representative on the local government records committee. Unless a statute or retention schedule allows disposal, all members must approve unanimously. If they do not, the local government records committee decides. The review applies when a local government seeks to dispose of an unscheduled record.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Died
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2025
- Jun 9(S) Died in CommitteeDied
- Apr 14(S) Tabled in Committee - (S) State AdministrationMinor
- Vote recorded to_take_from_the_table. Result: fail.Upper
- Apr 14(S) Taken from Table in Committee - (S) State Administration
- Apr 11(S) Tabled in Committee - (S) State AdministrationMinor
- Vote recorded to_table. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 14(S) Referred to Committee - (S) State AdministrationMinor
- Mar 14(S) 1st Reading
- Mar 12(S) Hearing - (S) State Administration
- Mar 6(H) Transmitted to Senate
- Vote recorded Do Pass. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 6(H) 3rd Reading
- Mar 6(H) Scheduled for 3rd ReadingMinor
- Mar 5(H) 2nd ReadingMinor
- Vote recorded Do Pass. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 4(H) Scheduled for 2nd ReadingMinor
- Mar 4(H) Fiscal Note Printed
- Mar 3(H) Fiscal Note Signed
- Mar 3(H) Fiscal Note ReceivedMinor
- Feb 27(H) Committee Report - (H) State Administration
- Vote recorded do_pass. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 27(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) State Administration
- Feb 26(H) Hearing - (H) State Administration
- Feb 26(H) Fiscal Note Requested
- Feb 25(H) 1st Reading
- Feb 25(H) Referred to Committee - (H) State AdministrationMinor
- Feb 25(H) Introduced
- Feb 24(LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
- Feb 23(LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
- Feb 23(LC) Draft in Assembly
- Feb 22(LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
- Feb 22(LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
- Feb 18(LC) Draft in Edit
- Feb 18(LC) Draft in Legal Review
- 2024
- Dec 14(LC) Drafter AssignedIntroduced
Government & Ethics