TOM KUGLIN Independent Record
A bill increasing certain license fees to maintain Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks programs passed a Senate committee on Tuesday, but not before amendments were added that bill supporters feared would cut programs.
House Bill 140 sponsor Rep. Jeff Welborn, R-Dillon, called the increases “modest” given the opportunity Montana affords hunters and anglers compared to many other states that charge more.
The bill was drafted through months of work by a citizen advisory committee and the Environmental Quality Council during the interim, and it has seen extensive support from license purchasers willing to pay more under the changes, Welborn said.
HB140 passed the Senate Fish and Game Committee Tuesday 9-1. Committee members added amendments to maintain the age for senior discounts and redirect funding to access programs. A third technical amendment was also passed.
As introduced, the bill would increase funding about $5.7 million and maintain current programs.
Among the increases under HB140, residents would see fishing licenses rise from $18 to $21 as well as a new $8 base hunting license. Yearlong nonresident fishing licenses would go from $60 a year to $86 and a two-day pass for nonresidents from $15 to $26.
Successful nonresident draw tags for moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat and bison would increase from $750 to $1,250.
Discounted licenses would be standardized at half of the full price, increasing revenues to the department.
HB140 also makes changes to the funding cycle, reducing it from 10 to four years.
“License fee increases of any kind are not easy, but this one is extremely important,” said FWP Director Jeff Hagener.
Because the department is largely funded through license dollars and not the general fund like other agencies, inflation, increased fuel prices, employee pay increases and other expenses had to be absorbed through the existing budget. FWP is also having a difficult time generating enough license revenue to qualify for federal matching grants, Hagener said.
Supporters of the bill included hunting and fishing organizations, outdoor business interests and conservation groups, with several encouraging the committee to pass the bill as written.
“In being a wolf organization, we’ve had our disagreements with FWP many times,” said Marc Cooke of Wolves of the Rockies. “But if you were to withhold funding to the department, it does it a disservice.”
Member of the citizen advisory council Ed Beal testified that he has heard strong support for license increases from customers at his store, Capital Sports and Western Wear in Helena.
“What’s more important from the people I talk to is that the resource in Montana is managed well,” he said, adding that concerns expressed in the amendments had already been deliberated in great detail.
FWP funding goes to not just management of game species, but also 742 non-game species in the state that would be affected if programs were cut, said Amy Seaman, lobbyist for Montana Audubon.
Opponents of the bill included Rep. Kerry White, R-Bozeman, and two organizations representing college students. FWP currently offers discounts for non-resident college students that would increase under HB 140.
“One of the biggest selling points of this bill is that it’s modest. I don’t think $450 is modest when it comes to these students,” said Mike Hopkins, lobbyist for Montana Associated Students.
Executive action on HB140 saw an amendment to maintain Montana’s current senior discount license age at 62 rather than 67 as written in the bill. The measure would reduce new revenues by $321,000.
While Sens. Gene Vuckovich, D-Anaconda, and Tom Facey, D-Missoula, argued that they had their most disposable income later in life, Sen. Chas Vincent, R-Libby, noted that he has been flooded with calls from seniors upset about seeing their fees increase.
The amendment passed 6-4.
A second amendment shifting funding within FWP to access programs basically implements HB146 sponsored by Rep. Kelly Flynn, R-Townsend. The amendment changes the access allocation from non-resident licenses from 25 percent to 28.5 percent or about $623,000.
The department opposed HB146 in committee, citing concerns about cuts to other programs.
The amendment sponsor, Sen. John Brenden, R-Scobey, said he wanted new and better acres enrolled in the Block Management Program, and the amendment directs more money towards that goal.
Brenden’s amendment passed 6-4.
After HB140 passed as amended, it now goes to the Senate floor. If it passes second reading, it must go to the Senate Finance and Claims Committee before the third reading.
If the bill is still intact as amended, the amendments go back to the House for concurrence. The Senate must complete its work before next Tuesday to meet the deadline.
The House could either vote to concur, but if it does not, a joint conference committee would be called.