Signed by Governor Steve Bullock

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires firefighters hired on or after July 1, 2019 be tobacco-free.

Highlights:

• Defines “paid firefighter” as a firefighter who receives full or partial pay (Sec. 1).

• Requires a paid firefighter hired on or after January 1, 2020, to be tobacco-free (Sec. 2).

• Specifies that the tobacco-free requirement shall be verified through a physical exam  (Sec. 2).

• Requires a paid firefighter hired prior to January 1, 2020, who uses tobacco, to take a tobacco cessation course once every 4 years and provide proof of the course completion to the firefighter’s department (Sec. 2).

• Establishes that the cessation course must be provided through programs for disease prevention (Sec. 2).

• Prohibits a municipal or rural fire department, district, or service from displaying, advertising, or depicting tobacco products or the use of tobacco products on any state, county, or municipal property (Sec. 3).

• Prohibits a paid firefighter from wearing any form of clothing depicting tobacco products or tobacco use while engaged in firefighting duties (Sec. 3).

• Prohibits a paid or volunteer firefighter from using tobacco products while engaged in firefighting work, on firefighting equipment, while attending any firefighting training, or on any worksite while engaged in firefighting duties (Sec. 3).

• Prohibits a collective bargaining agreement between an employer and paid firefighters from including provisions allowing tobacco use (Sec. 4).

• Requires an individual to meet the following qualifications in order to become a firefighter in the state of Montana, including, but not limited to (Sec. 5):

• Be a citizen of the United States and at least 18 years of age;

• Be a high school graduate or have a high school equivalency diploma by the superintendent of public instruction or an appropriate agency of another state or federal government;

• Be eligible or possess a valid Montana driver’s license;

• Pass a physical examination by a qualified physician, physician assistant, or qualified nurse;

• Be fingerprinted and searched in the national fingerprint files; and

• Not have been convicted of a crime for which the individual could have been imprisoned in a federal or state penitentiary.

• Specifies that the secretary of state shall send a copy of this act to each tribal government located on the 7 Montana reservations and to the Little Shell Chippewa tribe (Sec. 6).

Full Bill Text