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Committee advances bill to create Montana wildlife crossings fund and specialty license plate
Summary
The Montana House Transportation Committee heard testimony on House Bill 855, which would create a state account to fund wildlife highway crossings and allow a specialty license plate; the committee later moved the bill forward to the House floor.
Representative Katie Zolnikov, sponsor of House Bill 855, told the House Transportation Committee she is proposing a new state special revenue account to support construction of wildlife highway crossings and associated accommodations. The account would be housed at the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the bill authorizes the FWP Commission to create a specialty license plate whose purchasers would pay a $20 donation to that account.
The bill matters because thousands of large wild animals are struck by vehicles in Montana each year, witnesses told the committee, producing public-safety risks, vehicle damage and impacts on wildlife populations. Representative Zolnikov said the account is designed to provide seed money that can be used to match federal grants and to allow the Montana Department of Transportation to use the funds for qualifying crossing projects.
Montana Department of Transportation…
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