Provide for the regulation of secure youth transportation companies
SB 566 would create a new regulatory framework for private or nonprofit companies that specialize in transporting children, referred to in the bill as “secure youth transportation companies.” These companies would have to register annually with the Department of Public Health and Human Services, pay a fee, and provide detailed identifying information about the business, its owners, vehicles, and other data the department deems necessary to protect child welfare and prevent human trafficking. The department would also be required to publish and regularly update a public list of registered providers.
The bill would require advance notice to the department at least 48 hours before a company transports a child into, within, or through Montana. That notice would include the child’s identifying information, parent or guardian contact information, the company involved, employees participating in the transport, and pickup and drop-off locations. The department would keep these records for at least 10 years, provide access to the Department of Justice for human trafficking investigations and prosecutions, and allow the transported person to obtain their own record. The bill also prohibits these companies from using chemical restraints, physical restraints, or visually impairing devices, and bars pickups between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
SB 566 would add new compliance, reporting, and recordkeeping duties for private youth transport businesses and nonprofit transport providers operating in Montana. It would place oversight authority with the Department of Public Health and Human Services, create a public registry of providers, and establish a records-sharing mechanism with the Department of Justice for human trafficking enforcement. The bill would also effectively regulate transport practices by banning certain restraints, blindfolding or hooding, and overnight pickups, and it would be codified into Title 52, chapter 2 of Montana law.
The available voting history suggests the bill had support in committee, as the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee voted 11-0 to table it, indicating unanimous agreement on that procedural action. However, the bill ultimately died in process, so it did not advance to enactment. With no committee transcript provided, the overall sentiment can only be inferred from the bill’s subject matter and vote history: the proposal appears to have been treated seriously as a child-safety and anti-trafficking measure, but it did not move forward in the legislative process.
The main policy tension in SB 566 is between child protection and the burdens placed on private transport providers. Supporters would likely view the bill as a safeguard against trafficking, coercive transport practices, and unsafe overnight movement of children, while critics could object to the advance-notice requirement, extensive personal data collection, public listing of providers, and the potential privacy implications for children and families. Another possible point of contention is the scope of state oversight over private or nonprofit transport services, especially the requirement to share records with law enforcement and the prohibition on late-night pickups.