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Committee reviews bill to allow electronic livestock travel permits for transport
Summary
Senate Bill 80 would permit livestock producers to carry electronic copies (for example, photos on a phone) of travel permits when transporting animals; supporters said it will modernize compliance and reduce paperwork, while the Department of Livestock said a full digital transition is years away.
Senate Bill 80, presented to the House Agriculture Committee, would allow livestock travel permits required for transport across county lines and to markets to be carried as electronic copies, such as photos on a phone. The bill’s sponsor and proponents said the change would reduce lost or misplaced paper permits and ease compliance for producers.
Senator Josh Kasmier (Senate District 13) told the committee SB80 "simply just allow[s] you to have a digital copy on your phone" and said the change is particularly helpful for horse owners who often have lifetime permits. Jay Bodner, Brands Division Administrator for the Department of Livestock, explained current practice: producers must carry original documentation in person, the department retains one copy, and local deputy stock inspectors issue many handwritten forms. He said officers sometimes see electronic copies on phones today, but those are technically not legal under current law. Bodner said the bill is patterned after Fish, Wildlife and Parks' electronic licenses and emphasized the change is for transportation purposes only and does not permit transfer of ownership.
Industry witnesses supported the bill. Karli Johnson of the Montana Farm Bureau Federation said a digital permit would be "so handy" when trailers and animals are moved between vehicles. Ellie Brid(al) Brighton of the Montana Stockers Association praised the efficiency, and Eric Sommerfeld of the Montana Farmers Union said electronic permits could save the department substantial time and expense by reducing manual filing and data entry.
Representative Baum asked whether the department planned to move to fully online digital forms; Bodner said the department already conducts some electronic inspections with 16 law-enforcement district investigators and that roughly 550 local deputy stock inspectors still rely on handwritten forms, so a full electronic transition is several years away.
The sponsor asked the committee to pass SB80; no vote was taken. The committee closed the hearing and said executive action on the bills would be scheduled at a later meeting.
