Bill would let FWP issue special hunting permits for youth with life‑threatening illnesses

Representative Paul Fielder presented House Bill 817 to the Senate Fish and Game Committee as a targeted program to provide once‑in‑a‑lifetime hunting opportunities for youth diagnosed with life‑threatening illnesses. Fielder said the bill would allow FWP to issue up to five special-permit licenses per species (elk, deer and antelope) annually to youth age 18 or younger who have a qualifying diagnosis and a physician’s documentation; permits would not count against species quotas and are intended to be used with a licensed adult or a licensed outfitter working with a nonprofit.

Why it matters: Proponents said the bill formalizes and expands an established charitable practice and creates a statutory mechanism to allocate a small number of tags to eligible youth, many of whom participate in programs such as Big Hearts Under the Big Sky. Will Israel, executive director of the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association (which runs the Big Hearts program), described the charity’s work and urged support. Christa Holcomb, Big Hearts program manager, recounted a 15‑year‑old who received a spring elk hunt and emphasized the emotional and family benefits of offering these trips.

Opposition and requested technical changes: Clayne Elliott (Montana Charter Unlimited) and others said they support the bill’s intent but asked for a drafting amendment to avoid adding new free-or-reduced license categories without statutory backfill for department accounts. Elliott said an amendment using an existing statutory mechanism (citing provisions used for the Purple Heart license and related reimbursements) would allow the department’s license account to be reimbursed and avoid budget impacts to the general license account. Elliott said he worked with committee staff to prepare a technical amendment for executive action; he framed the request as a fiscal‑accounting and statutory‑cleanup measure rather than opposition to the underlying policy.

Financial and administrative details: Lena Havron, chief financial officer for FWP, testified as informational and explained agency accounts and the department’s ability to administer special permits. Fielder and proponents said the bill waives hunter-safety requirements for the youth only when they are accompanied by a licensed adult or outfitter and that the department may issue up to five special permits per species annually on a pilot basis. Fielder said the House originally considered larger counts but the bill was reduced to this pilot level during consideration.

Ending: Committee discussion touched on the pilot scope, resident versus nonresident eligibility (the bill allows both), and the department’s capacity to implement the permits. The hearing closed without a committee vote that day; proponents and opponents indicated they had worked toward technical clarifications to be resolved in committee action.