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Category: Legislative News
By Bob Walker, Chair, Montana Trails Coalition
Senator Terry Gauthier is carrying a bill in the 2019 legislature to increase the voluntary light motor vehicle registration fee. This change would create a new grant program for trail development, maintenance, and rehabilitation and help state parks and fishing access sites meet their maintenance and operation needs.
The proposal would increase the voluntary light motor vehicle registration fee to state parks from $6 to $10. The predicted result of this bill would yield $944,000 per year for a new Made-In-Montana grant program administered by Fish, Wildlife & Parks for trails and associated recreation facilities similar to the Recreational Trails grant program. In addition, SB 24 would increase funding to state parks by $895,000 per year and to fishing access sites by $170,000 per year.
Read more: Senate Bill 24 (SB 24) Would...
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Category: Legislative News
On January 17 the Senate Fish and Game Committee heard SB 70 that would remove Headwaters State Park from the primitive parks list. We consider this to be a positive proposal since this park is nationally know for its location on the route of Lewis and Clark Expedition and as the headwaters of the Missouri River. Taking this park off the list would allow electricity to be installed in the campground, especially important for individuals who rely on medical devices for their health, and would allow for trail and campground road surfacing necessary to meet ADA requirements.
This week Senate Fish and Game committee will hear both SB 24 and SB 102 on January 29. SB 24, sponsored by Senator Gauthier, is our light motor vehicle registration fee increase from $6 to $9 for trails, state parks, fishing access sites and Virginia/Nevada cities. This is an excellent bill that will benefit all Montanans now and in the future.
Read more: 2019 Legislature Report -...
