2011 Montana Legislative Session

[Ben Lamb]

In case some of you are tracking upcoming bills at the MT legislative session:
http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws11/LAW0203W$BSRV.ActionQuery?P_BLTP_BILL_TYP_CD=&P_BILL_NO=&P_BILL_DFT_NO=&P_CHPT_NO=&P_SBJ_DESCR=Fish+and+Wildlife&P_SBJT_SBJ_CD=FISH&P_LST_NM1=&P_ENTY_ID_SEQ=&Z_ACTION2=Find

Looks to be a bad year if you are a public lands hunter.

We're geared up and have been working on strategy, etc for a few weeks, but it's going to be a knock down-drag out when it comes to stopping some very bad ideas.

Also heard from a couple of little birds that a Ranching For Wildlife bill is in the works.

Some highlights:

Take license dollars away from FWP to be used in the general fund
Eliminate any opportunity to establish wild bison herds
Let FWP Commission sell super-tags
Mtn Lions reclassified as predators
Make hunters pay for livestock brucellosis issues
Reinstate Outfitter Sponsored Licenses
Give County Commissions more oversight in Wildlife Management
Use license dollars to pay for wolf loss
Force development on FWP Wildlife Management Areas


"No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session." Mark Twain

 

[----]

Force development on WMA's???

 

[mtmiller]

I link is too complex. Do you have Bill #'s?

 

[Ben Lamb]

There's a bill that would mandate multiple use on FWP lands. it takes away FWP's ability to say "no" to oil and gas, clear cuts, etc.

Apparently, there should be no land that's just for wildlife.

 

[Ben Lamb]

http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws11/LAW0203W$BSRV.ActionQuery?P_BLTP_BILL_TYP_CD=&P_BILL_NO=&P_BILL_DFT_NO=&P_CHPT_NO=&P_SBJ_DESCR=Fish+and+Wildlife&P_SBJT_SBJ_CD=FISH&P_LST_NM1=&P_ENTY_ID_SEQ=&Z_ACTION2=Find

Hopefully that link works.

Multiple Use of FWP Lands:http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws11/LAW0210w$BSIV.ActionQuery?P_BILL_DFT_NO5=LC1454&Z_ACTION=Find

More to come. Bills aren't posted yet, just hte bill draft requests.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Also heard from a couple of little birds that a Ranching For Wildlife bill is in the works.

Some highlights:

Take license dollars away from FWP to be used in the general fund
Eliminate any opportunity to establish wild bison herds
Let FWP Commission sell super-tags
Mtn Lions reclassified as predators
Make hunters pay for livestock brucellosis issues
Reinstate Outfitter Sponsored Licenses
Give County Commissions more oversight in Wildlife Management
Use license dollars to pay for wolf loss
Force development on FWP Wildlife Management Areas

Those are friggin' crazy-a$$ stupid. Hopefully these are dead on arrival, but not a single one of those would help hunters, all would hurt hunting.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Those are friggin' crazy-a$$ stupid. Hopefully these are dead on arrival, but not a single one of those would help hunters, all would hurt hunting.

THose are the ones that we know will be bills, have gone through the Legislative Services Office, and are either in legal review, or are waiting to be introduced.

FWP is in the spotlight this session due to wolves, land purchasing (as approved by the MT Legi), Brucellosis, Breaks archery tags and privatization of wildlife issues.

Funny thing about the reinstatement of OSL's - That legislator is an outfitter.

 

[Danceswithracks]

Who is sponsoring the bills? Make sure they hear from you and are not re-elected. Any bets on which party?

 

[Ben Lamb]

Sponsors are listed on the Legislative page. It's not so much a party issue so much as a lack of experience issue, and a "wildlife as politics" issue. People are advancing their careers and their own agendas on the backs of hunters.

 

[mdunc8]

Yes, there are some bad ones, but there's also plenty of good ones in there too. Read the list of bills for yourself before going and griping about the legislature. Ben, I appreciate you bringing them to our attention, but getting backing for the bills that hunters may benefit from would also be helpful rather than just throwing up a list of bills that may negatively impact hunting in Montana.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Yes, there are some bad ones, but there's also plenty of good ones in there too. Read the list of bills for yourself before going and griping about the legislature. Ben, I appreciate you bringing them to our attention, but getting backing for the bills that hunters may benefit from would also be helpful rather than just throwing up a list of bills that may negatively impact hunting in Montana.

Which of those bat-shit crazy ideas deserves supporting?

 

[mdunc8]

I'm not saying any of the bills he listed are good for hunters. I'm saying there's a looooong list of potential bills many of which we will benefit from.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Yes, there are some bad ones, but there's also plenty of good ones in there too. Read the list of bills for yourself before going and griping about the legislature. Ben, I appreciate you bringing them to our attention, but getting backing for the bills that hunters may benefit from would also be helpful rather than just throwing up a list of bills that may negatively impact hunting in Montana.

We'll have two bills this session. One deals with abandonment of county roads so that the party requesting the county pay for the closure and one that would allow non-profits to sell raffle tickets out of state.

Mike Phillips will reintroduce his Bison bill, and I hope that our Legislative committee endorses it. Other than that, if you look at the list, and the individual sponsors, it's not a pretty picture.

We were considering a number of bills that dealt with access issues, funding issues and overall were positive bills, but given the tenor of the Legislature, we made a calculated decision to not stretch ourselves too thin given the multiple attacks on FWP and land management that favors wildlife.

 

[Sytes]

Funny thing about the reinstatement of OSL's - That legislator is an outfitter.

Nothing like outfitters demanding the gov't "welfare system" provide them with guaranteed clients... So much for private industry... supply and demand...

Make hunters pay for livestock brucellosis issues

This and others seem to be leading towards state welfare setups all around...

Mdunc8 - IMO, (as we all have them... ) Listing all or those that deserve highlighting - the same as news... what is big - gets attention... what is controverial - gets coverage. Feel free to list the ones you find favorable as I agree some are... or many are - though my interest to be honest, is not in what is favorable (though it does hold my interest) my main interest are in those I feel NEED attention... Just my two coppers... nothing stops you from a thread dealing with the great favorable hunter points either...

 

[Ben Lamb]

I love the one that says that anyone who was born in MT will forever be a resident for the purposes of big game licensing.

However, this: http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws11/LAW0210w$BSIV.ActionQuery?P_BILL_DFT_NO5=LC1171&Z_ACTION=Find might certainly have some merit. I've always though that the BMA's that throw the doors wide open to get the most money often times have the worst hunting, while the more strictly managed BMA's offer a better opportunity. Looking at how we pay for BMA's and possibly increasing or restructuring the payment options is a fantastic idea.

 

[tjones]

Its been said 100 times before...The Montana Legislature does more damage to big game in Montana then wolves do.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I know, and we've even limited them to 150. Not sure how many breeding pair are in the legislature though.

 

[drahthaar]

Mtn Lions classified as predators? Well, what the hades are they now, browsers or grazers? LOL, just kidding. What does this mean exactly? Open season?

 

[Drake4]

What does this mean exactly? Open season?

Just like coyotes.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Yes, open season. No regulation at all. They would be treated the same as coyotes. You can poison, trap, shoot, den, etc at will.

That won't give the Footloose crowd the ammo they need for another attempt at banning trapping. Not at all.