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Montana Legislature 2015

Bills: Signed Into Law | Vetoed | Watched | Tabled/Defeated/Not Introduced

CONTACT MONTANA GOVERNOR STEVE BULLOCK

Contact Montana Governor Steve Bullock and let him know you stand for recovering America's wild buffalo. If you live out of state, let him know why you visit Montana and what is important to you. Ask him to veto HB 194.

Governor Steve Bullock Office of the Governor MT State Capitol P.O. Box 200801 Helena, MT 59620-0801 Toll Free: 855-318-1330 or 406-444-3111 FAX: 406-444-5529 governor@mt.gov

CONTACT MONTANA LEGISLATORS

Call and leave a message with an entire committee or individual Montana legislator: (406) 444-4800.

Email a message to an entire committee or individual Montana legislator: http://leg.mt.gov/css/Sessions/64th/legwebmessage.asp

Lookup your legislator by entering your physical address and city:
http://leg.mt.gov/css/About-the-Legislature/Legislative-Districts/default.asp

BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW

HB 194 AN ACT REQUIRING A FORAGE ANALYSIS AS PART OF A MANAGEMENT PLAN BEFORE WILD BUFFALO OR BISON ARE RELEASED OR TRANSPLANTED ON TO PRIVATE OR PUBLIC LAND IN MONTANA; AMENDING SECTION 87-1-216, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE.
SPONSOR: REP. ALAN REDFIELD
STATUS: Signed by Governor Steve Bullock into law 4/2/2015 (Passed House 90 YEAS, 10 NAYS; Passed Senate 31 YEAS, 19 NAYS.)
HEARING RECORDING: http://montanalegislature.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=11&clip_id=14762
BILL TEXT: http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2015/billhtml/HB0194.htm
FISCAL NOTE: The cost of a forage analysis under HB 194 is approximately .54 cents an acre ($54,000 per 100,000 acres, $540,000 per 1,000,000 acres). The legislature appropriated no funding for the forage study required by HB 194.
BILL DESCRIPTION: HB 194 is another unfunded mandate required to be performed before transplantating or reintroducing buffalo as a wildlife species in Montana. HB 194 provides no funding for a required forage analysis by a range scientist from MSU-Ag or US NRCS.
BFC TESTIMONY: (PDF, 311kb)

BILLS BEING VETOED

SB 284 Require approval of county commissioners for bison relocation
SPONSOR: SEN. JON BRENDEN
STATUS: Vetoed by Governor Steve Bullock. (PDF)
HEARING RECORDINGS: http://leg.mt.gov/css/Video-and-Audio/avsearch.asp?vbill=SB284&vSDt=12/30/2014&vEDt=02/21/2015
FISCAL NOTE: Probable
BILL TEXT: http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2015/billhtml/SB0284.htm
BILL DESCRIPTION: SB 284 cedes state authority over wildlife to County Commissioner(s) control by requiring their approval before buffalo could be released or relocated in a county or counties in Montana. SB 284 also requires County Commissioners to make certain findings that are designed to thwart a positive finding for transplanting or relocating buffalo as a wildlife species in Montana. County commissioners have no comparable authority to uphold the state of Montana’s public trust responsibility for wildlife. SB 284 imposes an insurmountable hurdle for recognizing buffalo as wildlife in our expansive state: county commissioner approval.
BFC TESTIMONY: (PDF, 299kb)
TAKE ACTION ON SB 284:

HB 2 General Appropriations Act
SPONSOR: REP. NANCY BALANCE
STATUS: Heard in Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources and transportation Thursday-Friday, January 22-23, 9:00 AM, Room 317C.
BILL DESCRIPTION: The Montana Dept. of Livestock’s budget for coming fiscal years is part of the general appropriations act in HB 2. A hearing was held on the Livestock Department’s budget shortfalls, employee layoffs, and other financial problems in the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources and transportation. Buffalo Field Campaign is pushing for a legislative performance audit of the Dept. of Livestock’s bison operations funding. Since 2000, the Dept. has received over $9,000,000 from USDA APHIS to implement MCA 81-2-120, the statute that gives the livestock agency primary authority over wild or migratory buffalo in Montana.
BFC TESTIMONY:
Coming soon

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BILLS TABLED/DEFEATED/NOT INTRODUCED

SJ 11 Resolution requesting removal of brucella abortus from federal list
SPONSOR: SEN. MIKE PHILLIPS
STATUS: Passed Senate as Amended 50 YEAS, 0 NAYS, SJ 11 Withdrawn per House Rule by the Sponsor 2/27/2015.
RESOLUTION TEXT: http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2015/billhtml/SJ0011.htm
RESOLUTION DESCRIPTION: A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA REQUESTING THAT THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION RECONSIDER THE APPROPRIATENESS OF LISTING BRUCELLA ABORTUS AS A BIOTERRORIST AGENT TO FACILITATE RESEARCH INTO THE TRANSMISSION OF THE PATHOGEN TO CATTLE, DOMESTIC BISON, AND WILDLIFE.
BFC TESTIMONY: (PDF, 299kb)
INFORMATIONAL HANDOUT: (PDF, 57kb)

SB 342 Revise laws related to bison management
SPONSOR: SEN. MIKE PHILLIPS
STATUS: Tabled in committee; Motion to bring to the Senate floor failed 21 YEAS, 29 NAYS
BILL TEXT: http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2015/billhtml/SB0342.htm
BILL DESCRIPTION: Amends bison management statutes 81-2-120 and 87-1-216 to permit agency action only if there is an "imminent threat” of transmitting disease to livestock, defined as "the presence of a publicly owned, adult, female wild buffalo or wild bison that is located within 1/4 mile of livestock on private land between February 15 and June 1.”
BFC TESTIMONY: (PDF, 303kb)
INFORMATIONAL HANDOUT: (PDF, 258kb)

HB 176 Allows crossbows to be used for hunting during archery season
SPONSOR: REP. FORREST MANDEVILE
STATUS: TABLED in House Fish, Wildlife, & Parks committee 1/22/2015.
HEARING RECORDING: http://montanalegislature.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=17&clip_id=14378
BILL TEXT: http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2015/billhtml/HB0176.htm
BILL DESCRIPTION: Under HB 176 Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission may not prohibit crossbows to be used during the archery season to hunt several wildlife species including wild buffalo. HB 176 amends Montana’s wild buffalo license statute MCA 87-2-730 to permit the use of crossbows to hunt buffalo.
BFC TESTIMONY: (PDF, 98kb)

HB 495 Require bond for bison transfer
SPONSOR: REP. G. BRUCE MEYERS
STATUS: Tabled in House Fish, Wildlife and Parks committee 2/19/2015
BILL TEXT: http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2015/billhtml/HB0495.htm
FISCAL NOTE: (PDF, 201kb)
BILL DESCRIPTION: For each wild buffalo sold or transferred or released under bison management statutes 81-2-120 and 87-1-216, LC 2259 would require Fish, Wildlife & Parks to post a $5,000 bond to insure against payments of damages caused by buffalo to "private or public property where the presence of the animal is not authorized by the private or public owner."
BFC TESTIMONY: (PDF, 299kb)
INFORMATIONAL HANDOUT: (PDF, 303kb)

HB 527 Revise laws related to bison and Indian reservations
SPONSOR: REP. GEORGE G. KIPP
STATUS: Tabled in House Agriculture committee 2/19/2015
FISCAL NOTE: Probable
BILL TEXT: http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2015/billhtml/HB0527.htm
BILL DESCRIPTION: AN ACT REQUIRING THE DEPARTMENT OF LIVESTOCK TO PURSUE A STATE-TRIBAL COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH THE BLACKFEET TRIBE OF THE BLACKFEET INDIAN RESERVATION FOR THE HUMANE AND ORDERLY TREATMENT OF WILD BISON CARCASSES.

LC 0803 Revise laws related managing bison as livestock
SPONSOR: REP. BILL HARRIS
STATUS: Draft Ready for Delivery 1/20/2015 - In Legal Review
BILL TEXT: http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2015/lchtml/LC0803.htm
FISCAL NOTE: Probable
BILL DESCRIPTION: Coming soon

LC 1086 Revise laws related to bison
SPONSOR: SEN. RICK RIPLEY
STATUS: Draft on Hold 11/25/2014

LC 1087 Generally revise management of wild buffalo and bison
SPONSOR: SEN. RICK RIPLEY
STATUS: Draft on Hold 11/20/2014

LC 2406 Generally revise bison laws
SPONSOR: SEN. RICK RIPLEY
STATUS: Draft on Hold 1/21/2015
FISCAL NOTE: Probable

LC 2058 Wild buffalo recovery and conservation act
SPONSOR: SEN. MIKE PHILLIPS
STATUS: Draft on Hold 2/11/2015

LC 2042 Generally revise laws related to bison
SPONSOR: REP. MIKE LANG
STATUS: Draft Request Received 12/26/2014

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