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House committee hears FWP-backed bill to update boating rules, drop validation decal
Summary
A House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee hearing on HB 468 focused on aligning Montana boating law with federal rules: removing the state validation decal, updating navigation and life-jacket language, raising the accident-reporting threshold to $2,000 and repealing an inactive advisory council. FWP recommended a due pass.
Representative Steve Kelly, sponsor of House Bill 468, told the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee the bill is a departmental “cleanup” intended to align state boating statutes with federal navigation and safety standards. "This is essentially a cleanup bill for the Department of Fish and Wildlife," Kelly said in opening remarks.
The bill would remove Montana’s free boat validation decal requirement after the U.S. Coast Guard informed the department that its prior validation approach no longer met federal requirements, according to Phil Kilbreath of FWP’s law enforcement division. "The Coast Guard no longer considered our free validation decal program to be compliant with federal rules," Kilbreath said, explaining the department’s support for eliminating the decal requirement while retaining permanent vessel registration through the Motor Vehicles Division.
Kilbreath told the committee HB 468 also replaces outdated life-jacket labeling language that referenced types 1, 2, 3 and 5 with a simpler requirement for "United States Coast Guard–approved personal flotation devices," making older jackets and new labeled devices both compliant. He said the bill clarifies navigation and right-of-way language to match other states and federal waterways.
One substantive numeric change in the bill raises the threshold for mandatory boating-accident reports from $100 to $2,000, a figure Kilbreath said aligns Montana’s reporting threshold with federal standards and reduces unnecessary reporting of minor incidents. He added wardens will still complete investigation forms for incidents below that threshold when insurance or other needs require documentation.
Committee members asked several technical questions about registration, decals and practical issues such as how inflatable boats or pontoons should display registration numbers; Kilbreath recommended using hang‑on placards or other alternatives for inflatables rather than adhesive stickers.
Kilbreath said the department and sponsor worked to make the bill consistent with current federal terminology and labeling and concluded by recommending a due pass on HB 468.
The hearing concluded after committee members asked follow‑up questions and the sponsor closed by asking for a green vote. The committee did not take a floor vote on the bill during the hearing.
