Montana Legislature - 2019

Ben Lamb

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 6, 2010
Messages
20,182
Location
Cedar, MI
It's going to be another full-filled 4 months folks. Get your boots strapped on. The committees that handle public wildlife & public lands the most are the House & Senate Fish & Game, and Natural Resource committees. Both have challenges and opportunities. I expect a robust session, with a lot of ideas that we've seen before, as well as new ways to try and tinker with wildlife & public lands. Habitat Montana will once again be under attack, and there is likely to be some legislation in support of transfer of public lands again. Lots of good stuff happening too, with the Roads fine bill coming back, some good-faith efforts to look at state lands travel management, and finding a better funding mixture for Aquatic Invasive Species rather than just putting it on the backs of Anglers.

There are currently 78 wildlife bill draft requests.

19 draft request for state lands


Committees have been selected.

House Fish, Wildlife and Parks:

Tu, Th; 3 p.m.; Rm 172
Brown, Bob (R) ‐ Ch
Fitzgerald, Ross (R) ‐ VCh
Perry, Zac (D) ‐ VCh
Berglee, Seth (R)
Brown, Zach (D)
Duram, Neil (R)
Farris‐Olsen, Robert (D)
Fuller, John (R)
Knudsen, Rhonda (R)
Krautter, Joel (R)
Loge, Denley (R)
Runningwolf, Tyson (D)
Smith, Bridget (D)
Stewart‐Peregoy, Sharon (D)
Sweeney, Mark (D)
Vinton, Sue (R)
Weatherwax, Marvin (D)
White, Kerry (R)


Senate Fish & Game:

Tu, Th; 3p.m.; Rm 422
Fielder, Jennifer (R) ‐ Ch
Hinebauch, Steve (R) ‐ VCh
Cohenour, Jill (D) ‐ VCh
Ellsworth, Jason (R)
Flowers, Pat (D)
Howard, David (R)
Jacobson, Tom (D)
Lang, Mike (R)
McClafferty, Edie (D)


House Natural Resources:

M, W, F; 3 p.m.; Rm 172
White, Kerry (R) ‐ Ch
Manzella, Theresa (R) ‐ VCh
Curdy, Willis (D) ‐ VCh
Brown, Bob (R)
Brown, Zach (D)
Farris‐Olsen, Robert (D)
Fitzgerald, Ross (R)
Gunderson, Steve (R)
Kerr‐Carpenter, Emma (D)
Knudsen, Casey (R)
Knudsen, Rhonda (R)
Marler, Marilyn (D)
Mortensen, Dale (R)
Noland, Mark (R)
Weatherwax, Marvin (D)

Senate Natural Resources:

M, W, F; 3 p.m.; Rm 303
Welborn, Jeffrey (R) ‐ Ch
Richmond, Tom (R) ‐ VCh
Pomnichowski, JP (D)‐ VCh
Ankney, Duane (R)
Barrett, Dick (D)
Cohenour, Jill (D)
Esp, John (R)
Flowers, Pat (D)
Gillespie, Bruce (R)
Hoven, Brian (R)
Jacobson, Tom (D)
Sales, Scott (R)
 
Ben, do you have your bottle of crown close by?
 
Best be ready Ben, Ravalli County will be well represented in the R extremists dept.
 
Senate Fish & Game and House Natural Resources are cringe worthy.
 
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Best be ready Ben, Ravalli County will be well represented in the R extremists dept.

I see your new senator will be bringing back the bill to give non-residents their own wilderness tags outside of the quota.

Schaaf - all committees present their own challenges and opportunities. :)
 
I see your new senator will be bringing back the bill to give non-residents their own wilderness tags outside of the quota.

:)

Brilliant, more elk tags in wilderness. I guess that is where Montana has extra elk. (rolls eyes)
 
About 20 years worth of these legislative assaults on hunting, fishing, access, etc. is getting tiresome.
Cindy Younkin, Joe Balyeat, Debbie Barrett, Matt Rosendale, Keith Bales, John Brendan, Kerry White, Jennifer Fielder, and on and on and on.
A never ending flow of purveyors of bad ideas elected by Montanans. Lots of "outdoors people" vote for these folks. Many vote and don't pay attention to these folks positions on these things.
And many vote for them because they are indeed in the same political camps.
And then the same relatively small portion of us show up every two years to fight the same battles which are only different in name - HR123, SB456, HB666. Ad Nauseum
I'm about to the mind that maybe we (who show up) are wasting our time. Maybe don't show up?? Let really stupid shit happen. See out it all shakes out afterward. Let some real prices be paid. Pass a bill shit canning Montana's stream access law - that'd raise some heat.
Hell I'm 56 years old, have no kids to pass the bad shit onto - I can sleep at night. Shit the average age of PLWA guys is about 75........
Regardless, I'll still be calling the legislative hotline. Got wind of a Public Lands rally January 10th at the Blotunda, I'll be there. Same shit different year.......
Hope you have a wonderful legislative lobby season Ben - you're insane:)

Montana Sportsmen/women on the offensive vs. defense - pipe dream...............
 
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About 20 years worth of these legislative assaults on hunting, fishing, access, etc. is getting tiresome.

it is, but we're making progress. We passed millions in new conservation & access funding in 2017, held the line against bad bills and built better relationships across a wide spectrum of organizations and legislators. That doesn't stop bad things from being introduced, but it does make it easier to kill them before they go through the process. This is a marathon effort, not a sprint.

We're up to 83 wildlife bill draft requests this morning
 
Ben.

Like your posts. Very informative. But, I have a stupid question. The Montana folks probably know. What are you? Are you a Senator, member of the house, or a lobbyist.


Are you paid or you a public advocate?


Doesn't effect my opinion of you. I am curious.
 
Ben.

Like your posts. Very informative. But, I have a stupid question. The Montana folks probably know. What are you? Are you a Senator, member of the house, or a lobbyist.


Are you paid or you a public advocate?


Doesn't effect my opinion of you. I am curious.

No worries

I'm a contract lobbyist who works for a variety of conservation organizations. I've been a contractor for the last 6 years, after spending 10 years working for sporting non-profits on issues from season setting to federal public lands & wildlife policy. I've been in conservation for the last 16 years. I do a lot of volunteer work on these issues as well - both during the session and in the interim.
 
That's very kind Dick, but we all have been through this enough to know we're part of a team that kicks butt and takes names. :) Hunt Talk thugs for life!
 
The tee shirts wear out ... where do we get our osso bucco gang public lands tattoos?:)

T shirts do wear out, but some of us aren't tat guys.
Got this t shirt from the 2011 legislative campaign, for those who remember and participated - a doozy.
The shirt is faded but still a classic...
DSCN0407.jpg
And this is one of many reasons why we show up every other year to do it yet again - a Madison River brown....
IMGP0159.jpg
one of the smaller ones we usually put in the boat:hump:
 
I still have nightmares from the '11 session.

I compensate for those nightmares (worse-the realities...) by chasin' fish like that on an iconic river like that - one which I used to watch Curt Gowdy on American Sportsman and dream of someday "doing that". Today I live "that", gotta' give back..............................
Lemme' know how many doubles of Makers Mark it takes to make you feel better, betcha' I feel better after fishin' than you do after drinkin':D
 

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