Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Fund topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bill to create voluntary hunters-and-anglers community fund wins committee support
Summary
House Bill 560 would add an optional donation checkbox on conservation-license purchases to create a grant fund for rural Montana communities; committee voted to advance the bill after testimony from farm, conservation and commerce representatives.
Representative Tom France presented House Bill 560 to create the Montana Hunters and Anglers Community Fund, a voluntary checkoff on conservation-license purchases that would allow sportsmen and sportswomen to donate to small grants for rural communities. "I thought, why don't we try and do that similar effort but out to scale," France said, describing a local example of hunters mailing donations to a high-school band.
The bill would create a board of directors made up of sportsmen, local-government and rural representatives, and limit eligible grant recipients to communities with populations under 7,500. Grants would be available in two tiers: smaller awards for local projects (bands, community services) and larger grants with more application requirements (sponsor cited an upper grant cap of up to $20,000 in the bill). The Department of Commerce would administer the fund and has rulemaking authority.
Proponents included Montana Farm Bureau, Montana Farmers Union, Montana Wildlife Federation and other rural and conservation groups. Farm Bureau witness Karli Johnson said rural communities often depend on outside visitors and small donations; Montana Farmers Union stressed that farmers and ranchers often serve on volunteer boards and would be grant applicants. Commerce deputy director Mandy Rambo and FWP CFO Lina Havron testified as informational witnesses about administration and fiscal considerations. Rambo said Commerce would aim for equitable geographic distribution in rules and that the department had not yet designed the administrative rules.
Committee members asked about fund administration and constitutional questions on grants to religious organizations; Representative Millett raised the possibility that Article X, section 6 of the Montana Constitution could constrain grants to sectarian entities — France said he would consult legislative staff and that the bill’s grants are intended for community projects rather than direct support to religious institutions. Representative Fielder asked about the 10% administrative charge to the Department of Commerce; witness Karli Johnson acknowledged that 10% was standard for similar programs and that the committee could consider lowering it.
Ending: After brief discussion the committee voted to advance HB 560. The committee's roll-call recorded 19 ayes and 1 nay on the do-pass motion; House Bill 560 will be reported from committee to the House for further consideration.
