Montana Legislative Topics - 2021 Legislative Session

[Big Fin]

We are less than a month away from the bin-annual legislative session in Montana. With almost 3,000 draft bills and a lot of them related to wildlife and conservation, I wanted to start this thread to keep those topics here and not pollute the rest of the forum with what is always a robust flurry of activity.

If your state is going into session or has bills affecting hunting and angling in your state, please use these state-specific forums for posting such.

And with full warning, when we have discussions about these bills and other policy issues, keep you focus and your comments on the topic, not the party.

 

[runningmt]

Should be an interesting session here in MT.

My hope is the newcomers to the outdoors strengthen our support for public lands, hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation.

 

[Irrelevant]

I'd like to know who @Ben Lamb has selected to replace himself in keeping us up to date on the inner workings of the beast.

 

[Ben Long]

Funny thing. I do not recall ANY politicians who ran on an anti-access, anti-outdoors platform. Not one. Yet here in MT we already face draft bills targeting FWP conservation easements and gutting Habitat Montana. So if there was no anti-access platform, why are they advancing anti-access policies? Gotta get out our inner watch-dogs and get ready to growl and bark.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I'd like to know who @Ben Lamb has selected to replace himself in keeping us up to date on the inner workings of the beast.

The MT sportsmen's conservation community has many good folks stepping up to the plate this session. Yes, there's some turnover, but groups like MWF, BHA, MTTU, MSA, etc will all be there to fight. the Montana Sporting Coalition, which is made up of MWF, MTTU, MTBHA, RMEF, WSF, MTWSF, Bowhunters, MSA, MDF, Pheasants Forever, DU, and a few more I'm forgetting off the top of my head will be active again, but without an RMEF lobbyist in the building, it will be tougher.

MWF will have four staffers working the session. Marcus Strange, Nick Gevock, Eric Clewis & Frank Szollosi (new Executive Director) are all eager to jump into the fray and they are the only hunting organization with a full-time lobby presence up there.

They also have a legislative action team that you can sign up for to receive daily reports on committee action, both current & upcoming, as well as action alerts on bills relative to hunting, fishing, public lands, etc. You can sign up for that here. I recommend doing so, or sign up for other organization's alert networks and stay in the loop, in the fight and engaged.

There are a lot of bills in the hopper relative to Habitat Montana, Elk Mgt, Bison, Transfer of Public Land & so many other issues. Being involved this session is super-critical to ensuring good decisions are made. It's going to be a donnybrook, but every session is. Adding to the conflict will be massive budget shortfalls due to COVID & the economic collapse, and eyes on both sides of the aisle eager to steal the money set aside for conservation & recreation with the new Recreational Marijuana ballot initiative.

Ben1 is right. Everybody ran on being pro-public land & pro-access. Seeing this many bill drafts to undo decades of access work tells me some of those folks weren't telling the truth.

Suit up folks. It's go time.

 

[Gevock]

The Montana Wildlife Federation has four staff committed to tracking bills, monitoring their progress, lobbying bills and keeping hunters and anglers informed. First off, please join our Legislative Action Team by going here: https://bit.ly/3mIIH4J

We will have a weekly Zoom call for LAT members at 7 p.m. Mondays to inform the public about the bills moving forward and coming up for a hearing that week. We will also send out regular updates to LAT members. And our homepage has a bill tracker that is updated in real time. We'll also have the action alerts come out as needed when we really need a large engagement on bills.

With Covid, it will be harder to be in the capitol full time, so we need hunters and anglers engaged more than ever. Join our LAT, and tell your friends and family to do the same.

Nick Gevock

 

[Irrelevant]

Thanks Nick, signed up. Being a WA resident I can't do much, but I sure fancy MT and spending time there.

 

[Pucky Freak]

So if there was no anti-access platform, why are they advancing anti-access policies?

A platform is for voters. What a legislator will actually be doing is the business of lobbyists, and the donors of organizations who hire the lobbyists. Once the votes are in it’s all about campaign funding.

 

[bigsky2]

Anybody been following all the hunting and fishing related bills? I see there’s one (LC 1512) that would establish a muzzleloader season.

 

[golfer]

Anybody been following all the hunting and fishing related bills? I see there’s one (LC 1512) that would establish a muzzleloader season.

I just tried finding it under the search with no luck. Who’s introducing or sponsoring it?

 

[bigsky2]

I just tried finding it under the search with no luck. Who’s introducing or sponsoring it?

Caleb Hinkle from Belgrade. It is still in the drafting process so you can’t read the details yet.

Bill Explorer

Explore, track, and stay informed on legislative bills in Montana with the Montana Legislature Bill Explorer application. Access detailed information, monitor bill progress, and engage with the legislative process easily from your desktop or mobile device.

laws.leg.mt.gov

This is the link I’ve been using to find the bills.

 

[bigsky2]

LC0352 Clarify the dissemination of Fish and Wildlife related information
LC0369 Revise who qualifies to accompany nonresident youth combination license hunters*
LC0713 Revising laws re conditional hunting permits for disabled persons
LC0750 Revise trespass laws regarding permission for hunting*
LC0765 Required FW Commission approval of certain landowner elk licenses
LC1196 Revise structure of fish and game commission
LC1198 Revise laws related to damage hunts
LC1257 Revise hunter harassment laws
LC1487 Suffering wildlife protection act
LC1610 Generally revise laws relating to funding for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
LC1747 Eliminate ability for FWP to use hunting access fees to acquire fee title lands
LC0368 Revise come home to hunt license requirements*

Most are in the drafting process so you can't read the bill. The ones listed above with the * after them have the draft of the bill.

 

[Schaaf]

LC0750 Revise trespass laws regarding permission for hunting*

This ones a turd sandwich and a direct attempt to criminalize corner crossing IMO.

 

[d-edward]

This ones a turd sandwich and a direct attempt to criminalize corner crossing IMO.

Even without drafts of some other bills available yet, a few others listed above look ominous too.

 

[bigsky2]

LC2343 from Wylie Galt. Establish a late season “harvest season” for elk. Cant wait to see what that one entails.

 

[Gevock]

We'll be engaged every day to monitor bills and testify on them. We have to see language first, but it does look like there are some pretty bad ones based on the short title. Things will get interesting very quickly.

 

[HSi-ESi]

Signed up for the LAT through MWF - thanks for posting those. It'll help keep me a little more focused at work (not as much searching...)

 

[Jeremyc_1999]

LC0370 - Remove Occupation from hunting/fishing license application requirements

 

[Jeremyc_1999]

LC0766 - Revising laws related to bonus points

 

[golfer]

LC0766 - Revising laws related to bonus points

Wouldnt mind seeing this changed to only those elgible to hunt can have points.