Season opener - MT Legislative Session

[Ben Lamb]

Today marks the beginning of the Montana Legislative Session. About 200 bills that will directly affect how Montanans hunt, fish, and manage wildlife have been requested. As you can see by the article in the Missoulian, there are some good ideas, but there are some pretty bad ideas out there. We have a full time lobbyist up at the Capitol, and all issues staff are working on legislative issues at some level. Big Fin has kindly allowed us to post some updates and alerts as needs be. We promise not to clutter up the board with too many posts about the session, but remember that this year promises to be a tough year for public lands hunters, scientific management of wildlife, and conservation in general.

Our biggest concern this session is how FWP will be treated in terms of their budget and their ability to manage all species of wildlife. The article gives a great view of some of the more troubling, and some of the more fun, bill drafts that we'll be working on over the next 90 days.

http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_f520579e-16f6-11e0-a8ec-001cc4c03286.html

"Certainly this year, financial concerns are going to be paramount for the state," said Craig Sharpe, executive director of the Montana Wildlife Federation. "We're really concerned about attempts to divert hunter license dollars."
Two bills now in the drafting stage would tap license revenue. One would "provide for reversion of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks funds to the general fund" and is sponsored by Sen. John Brenden, R-Scobey. A similar measure by Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, would "generally revise use of fish and wildlife licensing revenues."
Passage of such a measure could compromise the state's collection of federal funds that come from excise taxes on sporting goods equipment, a portion of which is paid to states, Sharpe said.
He also said that hunters and anglers expect a portion of their license dollars to go back to support fish and wildlife.

To take a look at bills that have been introduced, or requested, follow this link: Fish and Wildlife Bills


To check out live streaming video and audio: Listen Live

We generally put our alerts on our website: www.montanawildlife.org and on our facebook page. If anyone has any questions or would like more infomation, feel free to drop me a pm or send me an email at blamb_at_mtwf.org

 

[----]

Go get em Ben!

 

[Sytes]

This appears to be an important run of bills this year... A bit of tension in a few and some good along with a few nasty proposals... Glad we have some good people fighting for our wildlife and funding issues.

 

[tjones]

Don't see much good.

 

[----]

Oh come on Tony, I know you're hoping you'll be able to drive in on public land to get your downed game out.

 

[Drake4]

Oh come on Tony, I know you're hoping you'll be able to drive in on public land to get your downed game out.

Can you imagine some of the places that guys would have 4-wheelers if this thing passed?

 

[Ben Lamb]

Don't see much good.

More bad than good to be sure.

Kendall Van Dk (D-Billings) is sponsoring a bill that would provide a check-off for hunters to donate to a "hunters for the hungry" program. I think that bill is a good one. Often, if a hunter wants to donate an animal to a food bank, they have to pay for processing. At $100 a deer, it becomes a donation that a lot of folks can't make. Whereas, if hunters provide a voluntary funding stream to pay for it, I think we can go a long ways towards alleviating hunger in our own communities.

We also expect to see legislation that would strengthen MT's "Bucket Biologist" laws and increase fines for illegally introducing fish; a bill that will require those who want a county to abandon a road to prove that it is not a county road (right now, the law favors illegal closures and pits neighbors against neighbors, while excluding people from public lands), and a few others that will be good.

But the biggest concern is the budget. Watch closely as certain folks try and take your license dollars and use them for anything other than fish and wildlife conservation.

The Legislature is holding hearings during the first week to get overviews of agency budgets and legislation. FWP's hearing is on the 6th.

 

[Hunts]

Ben,

Thanks for the updates.

Steve Hunts
Gallatin Wildlife Association

 

[tjones]

The spear chucking season proposal is also coming. I also like the outfitter legislature trying to over ride I161, because the voters didn't know what they are voting for.

Come on Randy, driving off road is the only way to get game out. We need it.

Keep battling Ben.

 

[Drake4]

I would support the spear chucking season in conjection with the G-Bear season....should weed out a few G-Bears as well as spear chuckers.

 

[cowboy]

I think we need a proposal to extend the legislature to meet every 3rd or 4th year rather than every other year - that way they can only do 1/3 to 1/2 the damage.

 

[tjones]

Maybe the same said legislator could introduce a nunchuck season for licensed ninjas.

 

[sweetnectar]

I'm not sure what Van Dyke is smoking but anyone can mow down a critter and give it away for hunger but some one that really cares about feeding the hungy wouldn't mind if it cost them a few bucks to do it. I'd rather have the chioce what I'm going to do with my money is stead of governement telling me what I'm going to do. I just can't stand seeing government getting any larger...makes me sick to my stomac. FWP along with many organizations could use some solid reining in. So I hope they stick it to them.
I also like the idea of being able to use a silencer. I hate when I take a crack at a prarie dog that the varmits start running for cover at the first sound of a gun going off.

 

[Ben Lamb]

It's voluntary, not mandatory.

 

[angels2011]

HB 144 reads like way too much power for 'the commission', what or whoever that is. Maybe I am just paranoid or it's too late for my feeble thought process. Someone with a more legislative (BS) though process help me translate, please.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Angels,

HB 144 would do this:

(5) The commission shall establish hunting season quotas for mountain lions and wolves that will prevent the population of elk, deer, and antelope from decreasing beyond the sustainable levels determined pursuant to 87-1-323. Resident hunting licenses and permits for mountain lions and wolves may not be issued by special drawing."

It takes away the authority of the FWP commission to establish permit areas for lions and bears and legislatively mandates that FWP manage for abundance of big game animals over looking at the resource as a whole.

 

[Ben Lamb]

FYI - our watch list is now online: http://montanawildlife.org/takeaction/actiongrams/montanalegislature.asp

Forgot to mention this: TItle 87 is the code for Fish and Game Laws. Any bill that looks to add to, or amend, title 87 will refer to the Commission. That is the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission. Since the Commission is the governing body for FWP, references in bills are made specific to that body.

 

[sweetnectar]

It's voluntary, not mandatory.

Thank goodness!....not that I'm paranoid or anything...