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To the Legislative Committee:
To the Board of the MBA:
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This is an update to the Listing of Bills the MBA is watching as of:
February 20, 2007
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Bills to Oppose:
HB 484 --Ag protection, enhancement & develop comm to address comp for
wildlife damage
in the Ag and Fish and Wildlife Committee--Read in the House Ag
Committee on Feb 8th—This bill is still in committee with no further readings scheduled as of Feb 20
HB 389---Direct FWP and Commission to rewrite state's elk management plan
This bill passed the second reading 97 for to 3 against, on the 17th and the third reading 95 for and 5 against on the 19th, and transmitted to the senate.
This bill will in all likelyhood be passed by the senate considering the voting in the house at the second and third readings. The MBA still opposes this bill on principle, but recognizes when to call the contest lost.
HB 476-- Revise special elk permit law/waiting period/exceptions
in the Fish and Wildlife Committee--Read in the House Fish and Wildlife Committee on Feb 8th and will be read again on the 22nd in the House Fish & Wildlife committee
This bill is so convoluted it is stunning--some good ideas but it gets lost in the all the redtape and legaleze. Should recommend it being tabled--permanently.
HB 440--Direct FWP to revise and update state's wolf management plan
First hearing in the House Fish and Wildlife Committee on Jan 23rd with second reading scheduled for Feb 20th—
New information we have indicates a support stance for this bill contrary to oppose as initially recommended. This bill would have an impact on and possibly delay delisting the gray wolf. The MBA now recommends an oppose position.
HB 500-- Limited hunting season for disabled hunters
in the Fish and Wildlife Committee—First reading on Jan 29th, second reading in to have been read in the House Fish and Wildlife Committee on Feb 14th—Hearing was canceled—no further hearings are scheduled as of Feb 20th
This sets a precedent that we do not want--should be voted down.
HB 497--Advance practice registered nurse authority to endorse disabled hunter permit
In the Fish and Wildlife Committee--was read in the House Fish and Wildlife Committee on Feb 15th, amended in committee on the 16th, passed 81 votes for 1 against out of the committee on the 16th of Feb, second reading passed on the 19th on the house floor, voted 94 for to 5 against, third reading scheduled for the 20th of Feb on the house floor.
This bill is going to be passed, the department as well as the MBA had considerable concern about the amount of abuse that unethical hunters misusing a disability designation that is occurring.
The MBA suggests a clause be inserted into this bill to remove the ability to purchase a hunting license for up to five years for a person found to be abusing the disability certification this bill will provide for.
HB 591--Revise applications for certain big game special licenses
This bill seems OK until you get to: 2.5: A person may apply for only a moose license, mountain goat license, or mountain sheep license during any license year.
THIS IS BAD--first we cannot ever seem to draw a tag for any of these species and now this bill makes you able to only apply for one species per year---THIS IS TERRIBLE!!!!
Read in the House Fish and Wildlife Committee on Feb 8th—The bills fiscal notes were printed on the on the 15th, second reading is not scheduled at report of Feb 20th
ANOTHER AWFUL BILL:
HB 343--A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT APPROPRIATING MONEY FROM THE GENERAL FUND TO THE LEGISLATIVE SERVICES DIVISION TO FUND STATE PARTICIPATION IN A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CHALLENGING THE FAILURE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO REMOVE WOLVES FROM THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE."
WHEREAS, the Budd-Falen law firm of Cheyenne, Wyoming, is counsel for the lawsuit filed by Friends of the Northern Yellowstone Elk Herd in its effort to challenge the failure of the federal government to remove wolves from the endangered species list;
We need to watch out for anything this law firm is pushing....they are the same ultra right firm pushing the sagebrush rebellion, jarbridge road lawsuit, etc....bad.
The MBA opposes this bill to take public money to pay a law firm not even in the state of Montana, to file suit for something the federal government did to western states. Everyone looses here except the lawyers.
Referred out of House Fish and Wildlife committee on Jan 16th and re-referred to the house appropriations committee--First reading was in the House Appropriations committee on Feb 5th--no report on status as of Feb 20th
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Bills to Support:
HB 364--Establish board and fund to compensate livestock owners for wolf predation
in the Fish and Wildlife committee--This bill is passed out of
committee on Feb 12th on second reading on house floor votes 59 for 40 against. Referred to the house appropriations committee on the 12th for hearing on the 19th--
This bill has been substantially amended, and makes the livestock board responsible for managing the funds for compensation. From a sportsmen’s point of view, there is only the impact of general fund money being appropriated, not sportsmen’s money.
HB 398--Restrict access to certain big game licenses
This bill supports already in place FWP regulations
This bill was tabled in the House Fish and Wildlife Committee on Feb 18th—no great impact here.
The next four bills are what is now called the Poaching Package; SB 115, SB205, HB 226 and SB 100—these bills were supported by FWP increase anti-poaching effectiveness---This is supported by the MBA as a charter member of the Montana Sportsmen Legislative Caucus Advisory Council
SB 115--Revise allocation of wildlife crime restitution penalties to FWP
This bill has gone through committee, voted on 39 for and 10 against in the senate and is transmitted to the house--
This is one of FWP supported bills that should go through--we need to support this one
SB 205--Eliminate vacancy saving application to game wardens
This has gone through third reading in the senate with 32 votes for and 16 against on Feb 3rd and is passed out of senate--on to the house for a floor vote
This is a good bill. This puts more wardens in the field by freeing up budget constraints
HB 226—Revise Replacement License Law
Third reading has passed in the house with 62 votes for and 32 against on Jan 23rd, transmitted to the senate on the 23rd, first reading on Jan 24th
SB 100-- Revise outfitter laws/ felony outfitting without license
First hearing in the Senate Fish and Wildlife Committee on Feb 8th—amended and passed out of the senate fish and wildlife committee on the 16th, voted on the by the senate on Feb 19th with a vote of 35 for and 15 against. Third reading in the senate scheduled for third on the 20th.
This bill was substantially changed to reflect more of the aspects the MBA was concerned with--recommend a support stance by the MBA
SB 372--Create wolf licenses and authorize wolf and grizzly bear lottery or auction
Not much needs to be said about this bill
HB671--Identify state lands with unique corner post
In State Lands Committee
First reading was in the House Natural Resources committee on the 10th of February, second hearing scheduled on the 23rd
This would be a good idea, this bill has what the sportsmen of the state need--a way of identifying a location of a state land corner. Good Bill-
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Drafts to Watch—most of these bills will not see action
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That is it for Feb 20th
Legislative Committee of the MBA
Gary Carvajal, Chairman
Topic: Montana Bowhunters Association -Legislative Update for Feb 20 (Read 1059 times)
