Committee hears bill to require outfitter endorsement for guide license renewals

A House Business and Labor committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 183, a measure that would let an applicant obtain a Montana guide license in the first year without an outfitter endorsement but require an outfitter endorsement when the license is renewed, sponsor Sen. Greg Hertz said.

"You can go in now at the department, and you'll be able to get a guide license as long as you meet all the qualifications," Hertz told the committee, explaining the amendment’s basic framework and that the outfitter endorsement would be required on the second-year renewal.

Proponents representing the industry said the amendment balances faster access to licensure with protections for the public and for outfitters. "We urge you to pass as amended on SB 183," said a director for the Fishing Outfitters Association who identified himself in committee as "Mr. Bias." Will Israel, executive director of the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association, testified the endorsement-on-renewal functions as a mentorship and safety check: "This protects the health, welfare, and safety of the people who come here to Montana and receive guided client services."

Sarah Swanson, commissioner of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, said the agency initially opposed the bill because occupational licenses are treated as a property right and the original draft appeared to conflate licensure with employment. "With the amendment, I do withdraw the department's opposition to the bill," Swanson told the committee, adding that the amendment preserves timely access to work while allowing the department to apply checks at renewal.

Committee members asked for administrative clarifications. Kevin Bragg, bureau chief for Professional Licensing, confirmed guide licenses renew annually on Dec. 31 and said the department will disassociate an outfitter from a guide's record if an endorsement is rescinded, but it would not retroactively revoke an otherwise valid license before its expiration. "When renewal came back around ... we would look to make sure that they had a new endorsing outfitter in order to renew that license," Bragg said.

Bragg and Commissioner Swanson described enforcement and complaint handling. Swanson said the department’s investigations team consists of three people and pointed committee members to the public complaint portal at licensingcomplaintsmt.gov. Bragg provided complaint-volume figures and said 2024 was an atypical year; the transcript records him stating multiple numbers while answering questions, including saying there were "134 total complaints last year" and later referencing "46 total complaints," and specifying there were 4 unlicensed complaints in 2024 and 3 in 2023. Committee members asked staff to reconcile the apparent discrepancy in totals.

Industry witnesses also offered membership and license counts: the Fishing Outfitters Association representative said the association has "730 some guides and about 340 outfitters" among its members; Bragg provided system totals of "4,147 total licensees under the board, 3,294 of those are guides, 853 of those are outfitters."

Committee members pressed on implementation details: how an outfitter signs an endorsement electronically (the licensing portal accepts uploaded PDFs or emailed documents), whether boards could set short windows for a guide to find a new endorsing outfitter (staff said that is possible through board rules), and public-facing steps to notify consumers about endorsed guides via the licensee lookup system.

Sen. Hertz closed by saying the amendment removes a barrier to initial licensure while preserving the requirement that guides operate under an outfitter after the first year. "If you can get this bill out of committee as amended, I'm sure Rep. Steinger would love to carry this thing on the floor," Hertz said. The committee closed the hearing with no vote and scheduled further business for upcoming meetings.

The committee did not take a formal vote on SB 183 at this hearing; staff said the department will work with the board and industry to address administrative details and potential interim rule or outreach steps before renewal cycles.