Governor signs bill to protect freedom of the press

A bill that updates Montana’s shield law to protect freedom of the press was signed by Gov. Steve Bullock on April 9.

House Bill 207, sponsored by Rep. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, seeks to close a loophole in the state’s existing shield law that allowed state and local governments to request a reporter’s confidential information from e-mail providers, social networking sites and other electronic communication services.

“Montana just became the first state in the nation to specifically protect reporters’ privileged electronic communications from government intrusion,” Zolnikov said. “This bill is a perfect example of how we can maintain our constitutional rights as technology advances.”

HB 207 passed the House by 90-7 on Jan. 31 and the Senate by 47-1 on March 21. It unanimously cleared the House Judiciary Committee by 21-0 on Jan. 28 and the Senate Judiciary Committee by 12-0 on March 17.

The bill prohibits “governmental bodies from requesting or requiring the disclosure of privileged news media information from services that transmit electronic communications” and prohibits “an electronic communication service from being adjudged in contempt if the electronic communication service refuses to disclose certain information.”