§ 20-25-452 — Student Organizations Functioning As Political Committees -- Funding

20-25-452 . Student organizations functioning as political committees -- funding. (1) A student organization that is required to register as a political committee and is regularly active may be funded in the same manner as other student organizations, except that if the organization is funded by an additional optional student fee, the fee must be an opt-in fee.
(2) The opt-in fee may only be delivered to the student organization by means of a written instrument signed by the student or through an electronic payment system that operates independently of any systems, electronic or otherwise, used by a public postsecondary institution for the purpose of collecting, receiving, or disbursing any tuition or fees.
(3) As used in this section, the following definitions apply:
(a) "Benefit" means any type of advantage, including but not limited to:
(i) recognition;
(ii) registration;
(iii) the use of facilities of the public postsecondary institution for meetings or speaking purposes;
(iv) the use of channels of communication; and
(v) funding sources that are otherwise available to other student organizations at the public postsecondary institution.
(b) "Political committee" has the meaning provided in 13-1-101 .
(c) "Public postsecondary institution" means:
(i) a unit of the Montana university system as described in 20-25-201 ; or
(ii) a Montana community college defined and organized as provided in 20-15-101 .
(d) "Regularly active" means having expended more than $10,000 in each of two or more statewide elections in the preceding 10 years.
(e) "Student organization" means an officially recognized group or a group seeking official recognition at a public postsecondary institution that is composed of students who receive or are seeking to receive a benefit through the public postsecondary institution.

Legislative History

En. Sec. 2, Ch. 494, L. 2021.