Bill to grant a handful of special permits for critically ill youth draws broad support, technical funding concern

Representative Paul Fielder presented House Bill 817, saying the bill lets the department issue free special‑permit licenses for elk, deer or antelope to resident or nonresident youth (age 18 or under) diagnosed with life‑threatening illnesses and recommended by Montana charitable or nonprofit organizations. The permit would be once‑in‑a‑lifetime, not count against species quotas, and the department may waive hunter‑education requirements because the youth must hunt with a licensed adult or outfitter.

Will Israel, executive director of the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association, and Krista Holcomb of Big Hearts Under the Big Sky described the program's work facilitating dream hunts for children with terminal illness and urged passage. Israel said a small number of license tags move through the system each year and argued the state could allocate a few to meet the program's needs.

Clayton Elliott (Trout Unlimited) said he supported the bill's intent but asked for a technical amendment to avoid creating an uncompensated new free license category. He proposed using an existing statute (87‑2‑816) that has previously been used to backfill general‑license account revenue so the general license account remains whole. FWP CFO Lena Havron was in the hearing record to answer finance questions; committee members discussed resident vs. nonresident eligibility and whether the program should be limited to residents. Sponsor Fielder said the bill mirrors the existing Big Hearts practice, which serves residents and nonresidents, and proposed a limited pilot (five permits per species) to measure uptake.

The sponsor closed urging a do‑pass and the committee adjourned without executive action because a quorum was not present.