Committee considers FWP cleanup bill to modernize boat validation rules and raise accident threshold

Representative introduced House Bill 468 as a cleanup measure for Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Phil Kilbreth, FWP's boating law administrator, explained that the U.S. Coast Guard no longer considers Montana's free validation decals compliant with federal rules and that the department is proposing to discontinue the free three‑year decal process rather than reinstate semiannual registration. "We are not advocating for any additional fees," Kilbreth said, explaining that boats would retain permanent registration and a hull/MT number that would be used to verify registration.