MT HB722

Public agencies must retain all electronic communications from a public employee's email account for at least 1 year after their employment ends, or for the retention period approved by the relevant records subcommittee.

The State Records Retention and Disposition Subcommittee and Local Government Records Committee must designate retention periods of not less than 1 year for former employees' electronic communications.

Email retention requirements do not apply to accounts assigned to constitutional officers or public officers.

Creates a new Local Government Records Destruction Subcommittee (consisting of the state archivist, a local government records manager, and a Department of Administration representative) to handle disposal requests for records not on approved retention schedules.

Amends multiple sections of Montana Code including statutes governing county, municipal, and school district records destruction to reference the new subcommittee structure.