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Bill standardizes commercial license expirations, puts fees into statute and tightens dealer record retention
Summary
House Bill 107 would align expiration dates for many Fish, Wildlife & Parks commercial licenses to Feb. 28, move fees from department rule into statute (equal to prior rule amounts) and shorten fur dealers' record-retention to no longer than one year; the department and conservation groups supported the bill and staff clarified the statutory definition of 'exotic wildlife.'
Representative Elvis presented House Bill 107, saying it revises expiration dates for several FWP commercial licenses so they consistently expire Feb. 28, establishes permanent fees in statute rather than by department rule, and reduces record-retention periods for fur dealers to one year. The sponsor told the committee that fees placed into statute are equal to what previously existed in rule.
Phil Kilbreath, commercial wildlife program manager at Fish, Wildlife & Parks, testified in support on behalf of the director, saying the changes make licensing more consistent and ease administrative burdens. The committee asked what constitutes "exotic wildlife." Kilbreath explained that "by statute, exotic wildlife is defined as any species of wildlife that's not native to Montana" and described the statutory classification process that designates species as prohibited, controlled or non-controlled; he said the bill takes the controlled-species permit fee structure and places it into statute.
The sponsor closed urging the committee to "do pass" the bill. The hearing concluded with agency support and no formal vote recorded in the transcript.
