2017 Montana Legislature

The 2017 Legislature was back at it after the transmittal break, and lawmakers in the House got to work to pass Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks budget and send it to the Senate.

The operating budget, HB 2, contains the funding for the operations at FWP. The bill was heard before the House Appropriations committee, and passed with a few amendments. One of those is problematic because it uses federal Pittman Robertson firearm and ammunition excise tax dollars for law enforcement, which puts restrictions on what game wardens can use their time working on. We will be working to get that amended out when HB 2 is heard in the Senate Finance and Claims committee.

The budget also does one-time-only funding for the Parks and Communications and Education departments within FWP. While that’s not ideal for planning, it will give those departments a chance to review their budgets coming into the 2019 Legislature.

Next week, the House Appropriations committee will hear HB 5, the capitol improvements bill for the state that includes the Habitat Montana program. MWF has worked with 11 other sportsmen and conservation organizations to build a coalition to get Habitat Montana spending authority fully restored. We will be organizing to ensure that the committee hears the voices of hunters and anglers about the importance of our best habitat and access program.

Livestock Loss Prevention

SB 73 to renew the state Livestock Loss program was heard this week in the House Agriculture committee. This bill brings together conservation and agriculture groups to seek solutions to the difficult issues of living with wolves and grizzly bears. The bill renews the program that would sunset this year, and it includes funding for prevention work that includes carcass management, fencing and range riders. MWF has worked throughout the past year to build successful programs that benefit people and wildlife.

Hunters Against Hunger, CWD and other bills

SB 183, to lift the sunset on the Hunters Against Hunger program, passed out of House FWP and is sailing toward passage. In addition, this week SJ 9, calling for a study of chronic wasting disease, passed out of the Senate Fish and Game committee 7-4. We strongly support this effort to look into the biggest threat to ungulate herds and how to prepare for its arrival in Montana.

In addition, HB 324 to overhaul how state parks are managed passed out of the House. MWF opposes this bill and will work on the Senate side to kill it. While we understand that the parks have maintenance issues, those are best handled within the department under the leadership of the FWP director.

As always, check the Montana Wildlife Federation bill tracker at montanawildlife.org for the most up-to-date information on bills and where they’re at in the process. For questions, contact MWF Conservation Director Nick Gevock at ngevock@mtwf.org or by calling 458-0227 ext. 108.

Last week was a short one for the Montana Legislature, with only the House in session after the Senate adjourned Feb. 24. The House had very few committee hearings, but the floor sessions contained several wildlife and habitat related measures.

Roadblocked bill

The Montana Wildlife Federation crafted and pushed for HB 295, which would have increased the fine for gating an established county road from the current $10 per day to up to $500 per day. The bill was tabled earlier in the session in the House Judiciary committee in a 10-9 vote. But sponsor Rep. Tom Jacobson worked to blast it Monday onto the House floor, which would have triggered a debate the next day. The motion failed in a 48-51 vote.

Wilderness Study Area Releases

MWF and our conservation partners also worked to defeat HJ 9, which would have released hundreds of thousands of acres of National Forest lands in Montana for future wilderness designation consideration. More than 70 people attended the hearing to oppose the measure, but it passed out of committee and went to the floor. It passed 56-44 and goes on to the Senate.

Grizzly Delisting

Another resolution calling for Congress to go around the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and take grizzly bears throughout Montana off the Endangered Species Act passed last week. HJ 15 passed the House 63-37 in a bipartisan vote. MWF testified against the bill and will continue to oppose it. Although we supported delisting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly population, we believe it should go through the correct process and be limited to that population.

Public Lands Day

On a positive note, the House passed HB 491 to designate March 1 as Public Lands Day in a 52-48 vote. The measure is one that brings Montanans together to honor our public lands and everything they contribute to our state.

Looking ahead

Following the four day transmittal break, MWF will be busy again working on FWP’s budget. We will also have several hearings next week as bills that have passed one chamber move forward in the other chamber of the Legislature.

As always, check the Montana Wildlife Federation bill tracker at montanawildlife.org for the most up-to-date information on bills and where they’re at in the process. For questions, contact MWF Conservation Director Nick Gevock at ngevock@mtwf.org or by calling 458-0227 ext. 108.

The Legislature is nearly at the halfway point and that means transmittal, when most bills must have passed one chamber in order to stay alive. That caused a rush of bills to be passed – or die – last week, as committees took up executive action on numerous measures. Here’s the rundown:

Wilderness Releases

The Montana Wildlife Federation and our conservation partners worked to turn out volunteers to opposed HJ 9, a resolution that calls on Congress to release hundreds of thousands of acres of Wilderness Study Areas from consideration for wilderness designation. The hearing drew more than 70 opponents, but the bill passed out on Friday. MWF and our partners will continue to fight this misguided proposal on the House floor.

Public Lands Resolutions

Two good resolutions to put Montana on record against the sale or transfer of federal public lands where heard this week, with one in each chamber (SJ 17 and HJ 11). MWF and our volunteers were there to testify, but both were killed in committee. Attempts to blast them onto the floor of their respective chambers were also defeated.

Public Lands Day

On a positive note, HB 491 to designate March 1 as Public Lands Day to honor our public lands was heard and drew wide support. The bill passed out of the House FWP Committee and is going to the House floor this week.

State Parks Changes

This week was a busy one for the state parks division of FWP. The House FWP Committee passed out HB 324, which would make changes to how the parks are administered, including letting the State Parks Board select the director of the division. In addition, the committee heard HB 454, which would have moved the parks department to the Department of Commerce. Both bills would be bad for FWP and could have jeopardized millions of federal hunting and fishing equipment excise taxes. MWF continues to oppose these bills.

Grizzly Delisting Resolution

MWF testified against HJ 15, a resolution that calls on Congress to delist grizzly bears from the federal Endangered Species List for the entire state. Although MWF supports the delisting of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly population, we do not support a statewide delisting, nor do we support Congress doing an end run around the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service process to use science to make a decision.

Hunter Pink, Lighted Nocks Go Down

The Senate Fish and Game committee tabled SB 237, which would have allowed blaze pink as an option for meeting the hunting safety requirement. It also tabled SB 225, which would have made legal lighted nocks for archery hunting equipment. MWF opposed the equipment change because lighted nocks were just approved by the Fish and Wildlife Commission, which is where such decisions should be made.

As always, check the Montana Wildlife Federation bill tracker at montanawildlife.org for the most up-to-date information on bills and where they’re at in the process. For questions, contact MWF Conservation Director Nick Gevock at ngevock@mtwf.org or by calling 458-0227 ext. 108.

Ranching for Wildlife comes to Montana

HB 96 was intended to expand a little-used program that provides an elk license or permit to a landowner for allowing public hunters on their land. The bill was crafted over months by the landowners, hunters and outfitters on Private Land/Public Wildlife Council. But that process wasn’t honored by the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks committee, which radically altered the bill to create a “Ranching for Wildlife” program. Chairman Kelly Flynn, R-Townsend, brought an amendment that would allow the landowner to give the licenses to anyone, rather than only immediate family or full-time employees. It is now ripe for abuse that would lead to privatizing wildlife, and the Montana Wildlife Federation will be leading the fight to oppose the bill.

Habitat Montana

The first hearing on HB 5, the state capital improvements bill, took place last week before the joint subcommittee that oversees FWP. That’s important because Habitat Montana land purchases and fishing access sites are included in HB 5. MWF and several of our conservation partners testified in favor of the program, and we gave the committee an MWF report highlighting successes of the program.

In addition, on Wednesday the Montana Sporting Coalition hosted an event in the rotunda of the capitol and served lunch for legislators. The event included tabling around the rotunda and a short speech from a representative from Ducks Unlimited.

Licensing bills offered

Last session, a sweeping overhaul of our hunting and fishing license structure was enacted. That bill came about after an 18 month process that brought diverse interests together to come up with a solid package to shore up FWP’s budget. Among other changes, the bill standardized the numerous free and reduced priced licenses, and set them all at half the price of a regular license. All of those special licenses were costing FWP $4.9 million a year in funding.

MWF opposed two bills last week that would chip away at that reform. HB 315 would have dropped the fee for non-resident relatives of a resident from one half the regular fee to one quarter. And HB 318 would have created a $120 big game combination licenses for non-resident college students. MWF supports keeping intact the license reforms that took so much work last session and rejecting bills to create more new licenses.

Wolf management

SB 110 would change how FWP wolf biologists report their time, and focus more on broad wolf management. The bill was heard in the Senate Fish and Game Committee on Thursday, and MWF supported it to allow FWP to be more effective and efficient in management. Wolf management has come a long way from a decade ago, thanks in large part to the work of MWF to remove Endangered Species Act protections for them and instill regulated hunting and trapping that has reduced livestock conflicts sharply.

Other bills

Last week we also supported SB 111, which would bar feeding of wild turkeys just as Montana does for other wildlife, and HB 311, giving landowners the ability to give preference to veterans to hunt on block management area properties on Veteran’s Day. MWF came out against HB 305, which would create a county bounty program for predators.

Looking forward

This week a handful of bills are coming up for their first hearing. They include SB 171, to prohibit restriction of certain deer permits; and HB 367, to create a voluntary checkoff for predator management.

As always, check the Montana Wildlife Federation bill tracker at montanawildlife.org/billtracker for the most up-to-date information on bills and where they’re at in the process. For questions, contact MWF Conservation Director Nick Gevock at ngevock@mtwf.org or by calling 458-0227 ext. 108.