House Bill 532 aims to strengthen the legal framework surrounding the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of incapacitated persons and vulnerable adults in Montana. The bill introduces new definitions for key terms such as "abuse," "neglect," and "sexual abuse," and establishes penalties for various offenses, including felony charges for knowingly abusing or neglecting a vulnerable adult, with potential imprisonment of up to 10 years and fines up to $10,000. It also defines exploitation as the unlawful use of a vulnerable adult's assets and outlines penalties for failing to report abuse or for making false reports. Notably, the bill includes specific penalties for personal degradation of vulnerable adults and revises existing laws related to identity theft, increasing penalties when the victim is a minor, incapacitated person, or vulnerable adult.

Additionally, the bill amends the admissibility of hearsay testimony in court, requiring detailed notices about the hearsay statement and mandating courts to issue findings regarding its admissibility. It also modifies definitions related to violent crimes and sexual offenses, introduces requirements for presentence investigations and psychosexual evaluations for sexual offenders, and allows for risk level designations based on these evaluations. Significant changes include replacing "the infliction of physical or mental injury" with "the commission of assault" in the definition of "abuse" and broadening "sexual abuse" to encompass a general "sexual offense." Overall, House Bill 532 seeks to enhance protections for vulnerable individuals while ensuring accountability for offenders.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_1(1): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_1(2): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_1(3): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_1(4): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_1(5): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_1: 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2(1): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2(10): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2(11): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2(12): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2(13): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2(14): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2(15): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2(2): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2(3): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2(4): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2(5): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2(6): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2(7): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2(8): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2(9): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_2: 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_X(1): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_X(2): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_X(3): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_X(4): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_X(5): 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803
HB0532_X: 44-15-103, 45-6-332, 46-16-222, 46-18-104, 46-18-111, 46-23-502, 46-23-509, 52-3-803