House Bill 364 passed the House on second reading after Representative Cunningham described the measure as restoring the flow of de‑identified, aggregate immunization and exemption data from schools to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS).

Cunningham said schools are already required under Montana Code Annotated 20‑5‑403 to collect vaccine and exemption information, and that passing this bill would allow DPHHS to again receive the de‑identified, aggregate counts needed for population‑level trend monitoring. He said the measure would require reporting only of counts — enrollment, number of students with vaccine exemptions (medical and religious categories merged in the bill), number fully vaccinated, and number with conditional enrollment — and that the bill directs that the reports be de‑identified.

Floor questioners asked whether the bill duplicated an existing immunization registry maintained by providers; Representative Cunningham and supporters said the registry differs from school enrollment lists and that school reporting provides real‑time population counts. Representative Nave asked whether the bill would apply to private schools; Cunningham and Representative Eckhart (who noted counties already collect this information) responded that private schools are already providing counts to county public health nurses under current practice. Representative Zephyr emphasized that other states collect these data and that Montana’s lack of school‑level reporting creates a “blind spot.”

The clerk recorded 78 yes and 22 no votes on second reading; House Bill 364 passed the House.