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Montana lawmaker proposes 10% surtax on leased hunting access to fund block management
Summary
Representative Tom France introduced HB 857 to require hunters who lease private land to report lease payments and pay a 10% surcharge to the state's Block Management Program; Fish, Wildlife & Parks and hunting industry groups opposed the bill citing diversion, privacy and compliance concerns.
Representative Tom France introduced House Bill 857 on the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee’s agenda, proposing a new surcharge on leases of private land used for hunting that would fund the state’s Block Management Program.
France, sponsor of the bill, told the committee the measure is “not a finished product” but is intended to address two related concerns: the rise in leasing of private land for exclusive hunting and the rising cost of the Block Management Program. “It’s a bedrock principle of wildlife management that wildlife belongs to the people. It’s a public resource,” France said, arguing that leasing can effectively privatize public wildlife and diminish hunting opportunity for the broader public.
France said the bill would add a checkbox to the Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) conservation…
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