Montana legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Montana HB532: Generally revise laws related to abuse, neglect, and exploitation of incapacitated persons and vulnerable adults
Status: Signed into law, May 13, 2025
What the bill says
An act generally revising laws related to the abuse, neglect, or exploitation of incapacitated persons and vulnerable adults; providing for a crime of abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect; providing for a crime of failure to report or false reporting; providing for a crime of exploitation; revising crimes related to theft of identity; providing definitions; amending sections 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, and 52-3-803, mca; and repealing sections 45-6-333 and 523-825, mca.
From the engrossed text:
AN ACT GENERALLY REVISING LAWS RELATED TO THE ABUSE, NEGLECT, OR EXPLOITATION OF INCAPACITATED PERSONS AND VULNERABLE ADULTS; PROVIDING FOR A CRIME OF ABUSE, SEXUAL ABUSE, OR NEGLECT; PROVIDING FOR A CRIME OF FAILURE TO REPORT OR FALSE REPORTING; PROVIDING FOR A CRIME OF EXPLOITATION; REVISING CRIMES RELATED TO THEFT OF IDENTITY; PROVIDING DEFINITIONS; AMENDING SECTIONS 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, AND 52-3-803, MCA; AND REPEALING SECTIONS 45-6-333 AND 523-825, MCA. Section 1. Definitions. As used in [sections 1 through 4], unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the following definitions apply: (1) (a) "Abuse" (ii) the deprivation of food, shelter, clothing, or services necessary to maintain the physical or mental health of a vulnerable adult without lawful authority; or (iii) the causing of personal degradation of a vulnerable adult in a place where the vulnerable adult has a reasonable expectation of privacy. (b) For the purposes of subsection (1)(a)(ii), a declaration made pursuant to 50-9-103 constitutes lawful authority. (2) "Incapacitated person" has the same meaning as provided in 72-5-101. (3) "Neglect" means the failure of a person who has assumed legal responsibility or a contractual obligation for caring for a vulnerable adult or who has voluntarily assumed responsibility for the vulnerable adult's care, including an employee of a public or private residential institution, facility, home, or agency, to …