Rep. Eric Tillman, sponsor of House Bill 171, told the Montana House Agriculture Committee that the bill would dissolve the Montana Alfalfa Seed Committee and transfer its duties to the Montana Department of Agriculture. "This bill does a handful of things to optimize the regulation of the alfalfa seed industry and increase the transparency on the process," Tillman said, adding that the department would hold public meetings on the alfalfa seed assessment on a regular basis.

The measure grew out of declining alfalfa seed production in Montana and difficulty recruiting members to the existing committee, department officials said. Zach Coccoli, acting director of the Montana Department of Agriculture, said the state now has about 38,100 acres of alfalfa seed and the assessment collected "very little funds, less than $10,000 a year." He told the committee that, because production and seed-research capacity have declined, the department sees the bill as a cleanup to reduce administrative burden while maintaining grower input.

Coccoli described uses for the assessment money that would continue under the department, including sending an alfalfa seed grower to national meetings, subscribing to industry publications and supporting research at the department's leafcutter bee program. Committee members pressed for details on outreach and grower support; Coccoli said the department would contact growers who submit the assessment to identify participants for the department-led advisory effort.

Rep. Tillman told members his research suggests the state has only "maybe 20, 25 out there. There could be 30" growers actively producing seed, explaining recruitment challenges for the committee.

Committee members did not request amendments. Vice Chair Carter moved that House Bill 171 "do pass." After questions were closed, members approved the bill by voice vote. The committee clerk later recorded proxy ayes for members not present at the voice vote.

The bill now moves on from the House Agriculture Committee as passed by the committee.