House Fish and Wildlife and Parks Committee advances bill to let hunters donate for adaptive archery equipment

Senate Bill 238, as heard Dec. 5 before the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee in Helena, would authorize a voluntary donation on hunting licenses to create a "bowhunters with disabilities" account to pay for modifications to legal archery equipment so individuals with permanent lifetime disabilities can participate in archery seasons.

The unnamed sponsor told the committee the measure is modeled on existing donation programs and would be administered by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The sponsor noted two existing license checkoffs—Hunters Against Hunger and a wolf mitigation account—raised roughly $123,000 and $114,000 respectively in fiscal 2023, and that this bill would place the new donation option on hunting licenses (not the conservation license). The sponsor said the account is intended to help pay nonprofits that, in turn, acquire or modify archery equipment tailored to a hunter’s disability, and the bill is drafted to begin accepting donations for the fall 2025 hunting season.

Why it matters: Disabled bowhunters can obtain permits to modify equipment under the state’s permit-to-modify-archery-equipment (PTMAE) process, but modifications and specialized outfitting often carry substantial material and machinist costs. Proponents told the committee those costs are rising and that volunteer groups cannot keep up with increased demand without broader public support.

Proponents at the hearing described how the program would work and why they support it. Jerry Davis of the Montana Bow Hunters Association said his group has designed, built and installed between three and six modifications per year and has paid for material and machinist time themselves; he said machine-shop time can run between $70 and $115 an hour and that some customized jobs can take 15–20 hours. "We design, we build, install between 3 and 6 of these modifications per year," Davis said, and asked the committee to “do pass" on SB 238. Ken Schultz, president of Montana Bow Hunters (speaking online), said the PTMA system has been sufficient but that awareness and cost are the two main barriers disabled hunters face.

Rob Ruhl, executive director of the Center for Warriors Foundation, described veteran outreach and mobility equipment, saying the bill would not cost taxpayers and that Fish, Wildlife and Parks is "fully behind it and willing to control it." Ruhl described Action Track chairs and recounted that last year an Action Track rig donated to his group allowed paralyzed veterans to hunt; he urged the committee to support the bill so more injured veterans and other disabled hunters can get back in the field.

Fiscal and implementation details: Joy Ross, a budget analyst with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, explained the fiscal note and why the bill is annotated to HB 2: on the accounting side, when the department issues donations to pay for equipment the expense is treated against the department’s general appropriation, which makes an appropriation entry in HB 2 necessary. Ross also said the bill contains no provision allowing the department to retain administrative fees from donations. The fiscal note cited a revenue estimate (FWP estimate cited in the hearing) of about $84,000 per year in voluntary donations; the sponsor and proponents said actual costs depend on the number of modifications and complexity per recipient and discussed possible uses if funds accumulated beyond archery modifications.

Committee discussion and vote: Committee members asked how many people might need modified bows annually; proponents estimated current demand at roughly 3–7 builds per year but said contacts and demand have increased recently and could grow quickly with more outreach. Representative Fielder asked whether the checkoff should include a sunset provision if demand later falls; the sponsor said he would be open to adding a sunset or that the statute could be repealed in a future regular session if needed.

After testimony and questions, Vice Chair moved to concur on SB 238 and the committee took a voice vote with proxy votes. The motion passed unanimously; the committee concurred in the bill and SB 238 will advance to the House floor. The committee also recorded that FWP would administer the new account if the bill is enacted.

What’s next: SB 238 advances to the floor; if enacted as drafted, donations would be collected via a voluntary checkbox on hunting licenses and distributed to eligible nonprofit organizations to acquire or modify equipment under requirements set in the bill. The fiscal accounting treatment discussed at the hearing means the department’s spending of those donated funds would be counted against its appropriation and thus is annotated to HB 2 for appropriations purposes.

Clarifying details extracted from the hearing: estimated FY23 receipts for comparable checkoffs (Hunters Against Hunger ~$123,000; wolf mitigation account ~$114,000); FWP estimated potential voluntary donations for SB 238 at about $84,000 annually (fiscal note cited); current nonprofit/volunteer production of modified bows roughly 3–7 per year; machinist time 15–20 hours per job at roughly $70–$115/hour; bill sections 1–6 describe purposes, account establishment, use restrictions, agent compensation, codification instructions, and an effective date intended for fall 2025.

No opponents appeared at the hearing. The committee recorded informational testimony from FWP staff and accepted multiple proponents’ statements before voting to concur and advance the bill.