Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB690 excluding non-affirmation of a child's gender identity from child abuse and neglect definitions

On May 13, 2025, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 690, sponsored by Rep. Bill Mercer, R-Billings, revising the state's child abuse and neglect statutes. The law excludes "referring to or raising a child in a manner consistent with the child's biological sex, including in the making of related mental health or medical decisions" from the legal definitions of "abused or neglected," "child abuse or neglect," "physical neglect," "physical or psychological harm," and "psychological abuse or neglect." It passed the Montana House 57-42 on March 7, 2025 and the Senate 34-16 on April 18, 2025, before Gianforte signed it.

The bill's official short title describes it as a measure to "generally revise laws related to child protection." Gianforte signed it the same day as a companion measure, House Bill 682, imposing liability on providers of gender-affirming care. By excluding a category of conduct toward transgender and nonbinary children from Montana's child-welfare statute, the law removes a route by which a parent's or guardian's refusal to affirm a child's gender identity could otherwise be found to constitute abuse or neglect under state law.