House Bill No. [insert bill number] introduces new requirements for the retention of electronic communications in the e-mail accounts of public employees. Specifically, it mandates that public agencies retain all electronic communications associated with an employee's e-mail account for a minimum of one year following the employee's last date of employment. This retention period is to be established by the retention and disposition subcommittee, which is part of the state records committee. The bill also outlines the responsibilities of various public officers and agencies in managing public records, including the establishment of records management plans and the proper disposal of records once their retention period has expired.

Additionally, the bill amends several sections of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to reflect these changes, including provisions for local government records committees and the creation of a local government records destruction subcommittee. This subcommittee will handle requests for the disposal of records not listed on approved retention schedules. The bill emphasizes that electronic communications related to public employees' e-mail accounts must be managed and retained according to the new guidelines, ensuring that public records are preserved and disposed of in compliance with established retention periods.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 2-6-1012, 2-6-1109, 2-6-1202, 7-5-2132, 7-5-4124, 20-1-212, 71-3-705, 71-3-810
HB0722_1(1): 2-6-1012, 2-6-1109, 2-6-1202, 7-5-2132, 7-5-4124, 20-1-212, 71-3-705, 71-3-810
HB0722_1(2): 2-6-1012, 2-6-1109, 2-6-1202, 7-5-2132, 7-5-4124, 20-1-212, 71-3-705, 71-3-810
HB0722_1: 2-6-1012, 2-6-1109, 2-6-1202, 7-5-2132, 7-5-4124, 20-1-212, 71-3-705, 71-3-810