HB 677

[MThuntr]

Montana HB677 | 2021 | Regular Session

Summary (2021-04-29) Revise laws to prohibit certain nonprofit organizations to purchase ag land [(H) Died in Process]

legiscan.com

This one definitely got its beginnings over in Philips County and stinks of UPOM. Restricts some non-profits from purchasing 80 acres or more of ag lands BUT suspiciously excludes churches/religious groups (cough, cough LDS church)

It will infringe on private property rights and it seems as written will prevent non-profit groups like RMEF, TNC, and APF from purchasing land

 

[Big Fin]

The "closet commies" come out of the woodwork when they get elected to Helena. What a bunch of BS.

Since when should the government decide which legal entities can/can't buy property or property rights?

More bullshit. No other way to put it.

 

[Sytes]

This is pretty brazen. Then again, par for the course for '21.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

What happened to conservative values and personal freedoms/liberties? Must not apply if you want to run bison on your land.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Montana HB677 | 2021 | Regular Session

Summary (2021-04-29) Revise laws to prohibit certain nonprofit organizations to purchase ag land [(H) Died in Process]

legiscan.com

This one definitely got its beginnings over in Philips County and stinks of UPOM. Restricts some non-profits from purchasing 80 acres or more of ag lands BUT suspiciously excludes churches/religious groups (cough, cough LDS church)

It will infringe on private property rights and it seems as written will prevent non-profit groups like RMEF, TNC, and APF from purchasing land

Yes, it reeks of UPOM ideology. The blatant contradiction is seen in that it ignores a bedrock principle of capitalism and property rights as expressed by the "willing seller - willing buyer" phrase. What an absurdity!

 

[Nameless Range]

There are many, many examples that opponents will be able to point to where, had this bill passed and existed prior to those examples, certain chunks of earth would not have been saved.

I haven’t dug into the bill’s details, but I assume by ag lands, they are referencing the department of revenue classification for that land. Just last year the RMEF purchased two prized sections within 10 miles of me - One in the Elkhorns and one in the Bull Mtns. Both were ag land in terms of grazing properties. The nice thing is cattle will still graze on them along with the elk, and you and I can hike there now.

I referenced both of those purchases in my letter to my representative.

The majority party in the Montana legislature is increasingly anti-DIY Hunter, anti-access, and anti-conservation.

 

[Straight Arrow]

This bill would be more honest if it merely proposed to ban American Prairie Reserve from owning Montana grazing land. It should more aptly read as the "Don't Buffalo Me / Save the Cowboy" house bill

 

[Schaaf]

There are many, many examples that opponents will be able to point to where, had this bill passed and existed prior to those examples, certain chunks of earth would not have been saved.

I haven’t dug into the bill’s details, but I assume by ag lands, they are referencing the department of revenue classification for that land. Just last year the RMEF purchased two prized sections within 10 miles of me - One in the Elkhorns and one in the Bull Mtns. Both were ag land in terms of grazing properties. The nice thing is cattle will still graze on them along with the elk, and you and I can hike there now.

I referenced both of those purchases in my letter to my representative.

The majority party in the Montana legislature is increasingly anti-DIY Hunter, anti-access, and anti-conservation.

Yep. One of my favorite hunting spots wouldn’t have been possible if this had existed 6 years ago.

 

[Dakotakid]

Doesn’t North Dakota have a similar law that requires the State to approve a non-profit purchase?

 

[MThuntr]

This bill would be more honest if it merely proposed to ban American Prairie Reserve from owning Montana grazing land. It should more aptly read as the "Don't Buffalo Me / Save the Cowboy" house bill

View attachment 179082

this is the exact thing that came to mind when I heard this bill...UPOM and Ranch Stewardship Alliance have to have their fingers in the drafts of this one.

Honestly I used to work with the Ranch Stewardship Alliance and several graze their cattle on TNC land not far from the APR...talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth!

 

[OntarioHunter]

What stupidity. Any first year law student could have told the writer of this foolishness it is unconstitutional. Corporations, including nonprofit ones, are under law considered "individuals" and as such cannot be discriminated against re right to own property.

I can't believe the rest of the legislators will have to be bothered with discussing this goofy crap. What a waste of time!

 

[Ben Lamb]

The majority party in the Montana legislature is increasingly anti-DIY Hunter, anti-access, and anti-conservation.

Many of the bills passing today are ones that they have repeatedly pushed since the early 2000's. They've backed off of their war against the DIY hunter, wildlife & access for a few years, but with the Gov Gianforte in place, and a feeling of invincibility since the 2020 election, they don't need to pretend to care anymore.

 

[brocksw]

Doesn’t North Dakota have a similar law that requires the State to approve a non-profit purchase?

Yes. Many of the counties have it written into there rules too.

 

[MThuntr]

Direct from the bill sponsor's mouth!

Bartel "I wish I could say that we can legislate them out of existence..."

How we stop APR from abusing Montana’s tax code

In central Montana the American Prairie Reserve has amassed 420,000 acres of prime ranch land. This is a fraction of their ultimate objective: to control 3.2 million acres.

dailyinterlake.com

 

[brocksw]

Apparently he likes talking out of both sides of his mouth.

"We cannot keep raising taxes and fees on Montanans. We need to remove the regulations that are stopping us from utilizing our natural resources"

Dan Bartel HD 29

Dan Bartel (R)

billingsgazette.com

 

[RobertD]

Direct from the bill sponsor's mouth!

How we stop APR from abusing Montana’s tax code

In central Montana the American Prairie Reserve has amassed 420,000 acres of prime ranch land. This is a fraction of their ultimate objective: to control 3.2 million acres.

dailyinterlake.com

Pretty blatant. We want to sell land, just not to people who do things we don't like with that land. Not cool and I don't think it's constitutional...

 

[JEL]

I thought the MT R's wanted to get government out of our lives??

 

[Gerald Martin]

I support this law. I think more like it need to be passed, just different wording.
Wording like, “no land shall be sold to nonresidents who won’t allow public hunting access. No land shall be sold to producers of agriculture who won’t allow public hunting access. No land at all shall be sold to anyone who has contributed to UPOM or is a member of UPOM.”
In fact, I think a law with wording that says something like “ any land on which elk are currently or have historically existed on shall only be sold to Gerald Martin for whatever he is willing to pay”, would be a great idea. If you guys support that last wording I will let you hunt cows during the shoulder season.

If UPOM was genuinely concerned about APR having an unfair advantage to buy land from willing sellers, why don’t they start their own nonprofit SaveTheCowboy and take tax deductible donations and give interest free loans to ranchers in the area?

Instead, a law like this is going to keep rancher Bob from getting a fair market price for his 1200 acres when his wife gets cancer and he wants to pay for treatment. Or, if he doesn’t have children who want the ranch and he wants to retire in Cabo, or New Jersey, or Ohio.

Is a law like this even going to withstand a legal challenge if it passes?

 

[OntarioHunter]

Is a law like this even going to withstand a legal challenge if it passes?

Not a snowball's chance in hell. The legislature would better use it's time debating a ban on Batman comicbooks.

 

[MTGomer]

I’m sure this is unconstitutional but if passed, what is to stop someone at APR from buying the land personally and then donating it to the organization via a 100 year lease or setting up a trust or something? I’m sure there’s 100 loopholes to avoid this nonsense. And the nonsense probably isn’t legal in the first place.