Enforcement asks for seven game wardens, sergeant pay increase and overtime/equipment funding

Ron Howell, chief of enforcement for Fish, Wildlife & Parks, told the committee the division is responsible for statewide enforcement of fish, wildlife, aquatic and recreational laws and reported steady improvement in vacancies after heavy turnover in 2023. Howell said the division now has only one vacant field warden position and that 63 wardens have under 10 years of service, with 40 under five years.

New positions and pay changes: Howell and committee staff presented NP402, a request for seven new game warden positions (one per the agency's seven administrative regions). Howell said the additions would improve protection of public resources and improve response timeliness. The division also requested a sergeant pay adjustment (DP401) to align supervisory pay with criminal investigator pay; Howell said investigators could earn more than sergeants despite sergeants' supervisory duties.

Overtime and equipment: DP405 is a base overtime adjustment to fund up to 100 overtime hours per warden each fiscal year; Howell said House Bill 13's pay changes have increased the cost of required overtime. DP404 would increase base equipment authority to purchase boats, UTVs and snowmobiles.

Coast Guard funding switch: Howell said NP406 would replace federal U.S. Coast Guard authority for the boating program with the general license account to avoid requiring Montana boat owners to register annually to satisfy federal compliance.

Public testimony and committee reaction: Multiple conservation groups spoke in support of the enforcement package and the seven new wardens during public comment: Clayton Elliott of Trout Unlimited, Ben Lamb of the Montana Conservation Society and Tom Jacobson of the Montana Wildlife Federation each urged the committee to approve agency requests for wardens and enforcement support. Committee members asked for a region-by-region breakdown of wardens and Howell said he would supply it.