Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
House committee hears bill to raise upland-game fees; FWP warns of federal-funding risk
Summary
The Montana House Fish and Wildlife Committee heard House Bill 372, sponsored by Rep. Tom France, which would increase license fees to expand the Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program. Fish, Wildlife and Parks told the panel the bill as written would trigger a diversion of Pittman‑Robertson federal funds; the sponsor offered an amendment he and FWP say resolves that issue and will be added before executive action.
Representative Tom France introduced House Bill 372 on behalf of the Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program, seeking modest increases in resident and nonresident upland-game license fees to expand habitat projects and public hunting access across Montana.
France, the bill sponsor, told the House Fish and Wildlife Committee the program has delivered hundreds of habitat projects and more than 800,000 acres of public access since steady funding began in 2013. "This program touches all the things a good fish and wildlife program should touch," France said, and described projects ranging from multi‑year grazing contracts to shelterbelts that lock in public access for up to 15–30 years.
Supporters who testified in person and online described the program as landowner‑led and widely used by resident and nonresident hunters. Lance Forster, representing the Montana American Caucus, submitted a…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
