Montana legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Montana SB25: Revise election laws regarding disclosure requirements for the use of AI in elections
Status: Signed into law, May 13, 2025
What the bill says
An act regulating the use of deepfakes in election communications and electioneering communications; providing definitions; providing exceptions; providing for injunctive relief, actual damages, and punitive damages; providing for the filing of a complaint with the commissioner of political practices; and providing penalties.
From the engrossed text:
AN ACT REGULATING THE USE OF DEEPFAKES IN ELECTION COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTIONEERING COMMUNICATIONS; PROVIDING DEFINITIONS; PROVIDING EXCEPTIONS; PROVIDING FOR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF, ACTUAL DAMAGES, AND PUNITIVE DAMAGES; PROVIDING FOR THE FILING OF A COMPLAINT WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF POLITICAL PRACTICES; AND PROVIDING PENALTIES. WHEREAS, the revolutionary innovations in generative artificial intelligence systems capable of producing image, audio, video, text, and multimedia content pose a threat to free and fair elections in the State of Montana; and WHEREAS, AI-generated content may be used to create deepfakes that falsely depict a candidate's speech or action in order to spread misinformation and disinformation at scale and with unprecedented speed; and WHEREAS, a deepfake is comparable to forcing a person to say or do something in a video recorded under threat, in which the person appears to say or do something the person would not normally say or do; and WHEREAS, a voter's opinion of a candidate may be irreparably tainted by a fabricated representation of an officeholder, incumbent, or candidate saying or doing something the person did not say or do; and WHEREAS, these false, negative portrayals may exist indefinitely once posted on the Internet and permanently damage an officeholder, incumbent, or candidate's reputation and even put the person's safety at risk. Section 1. Definitions. As used in [sections 1 through 4], unless the …
Sponsors
- Ellis, Janet (D, 41) · primary sponsor
Latest actions
- : Chapter Number Assigned
- : (S) Signed by Governor
- : (S) Transmitted to Governor
- : (H) Signed by Speaker
- : (S) Signed by President
- : (S) Returned from Enrolling
- : (S) Sent to Enrolling
- : (S) 3rd Reading House Amendments
- : (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
- : (S) 2nd Reading House Amendments
Votes
- Do Pass (April 14, 2025): 45 yea, 3 nay, passed
- Do Pass (April 12, 2025): 50 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Do Concur (April 9, 2025): 80 yea, 17 nay, passed
- Do Concur (April 8, 2025): 78 yea, 19 nay, passed
- AMD-SB0025.003.002 Schubert DO PASS (April 8, 2025): 46 yea, 51 nay, failed
- Do Pass (March 6, 2025): 38 yea, 11 nay, passed
Subjects: Liability, Crimes, Information Technology, Elections, Communications
Common questions
- What is SB25?
- SB25 is a bill in the Montana Legislature (2025 Regular Session): Revise election laws regarding disclosure requirements for the use of AI in elections.
- What does SB25 do?
- In its own words: An act regulating the use of deepfakes in election communications and electioneering communications; providing definitions; providing exceptions; providing for injunctive relief, actual damages, and punitive damages; providing for the filing of a complaint with the commissioner of political practices; and providing penalties.
- What is the status of SB25?
- Signed into law as of May 13, 2025. Latest action: Chapter Number Assigned (May 13, 2025).
- Who sponsored SB25?
- Ellis, Janet (D, 41).
- Where is the official record for SB25?
- On the Montana Legislature website: https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC0229
Source: official Montana record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.