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Bill to extend retention of former employees' emails draws opposition from local records managers
Summary
House Bill 722 would require local governments to retain departing employees' emails for one year; local records officials and the Department of Administration raised concerns about unfunded mandates and potential conflicts with existing retention schedules.
Representative Brad Barker introduced House Bill 722 to extend the retention period for electronic records—specifically emails—from 30 days to one year after an employee leaves state or local government service.
Rob Cook testified for the Montana Newspapers Association and Montana Broadcasters Association in support, arguing the change would aid transparency and public records requests. Mike Maas, Bozeman city clerk and a member of the state's local government records committee, testified in opposition, saying the bill would…
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