TO: Parks and Recreation Friends Groups

FROM: Bob Walker, Montana Trails Coalition and Montana Trails, Recreation & Parks Association

DATE: January 2, 2019

Good New Year to all you parks, recreation and outdoor enthusiasts!  Our 66th Session of the Montana Legislature convenes on Monday January 7.  We anticipate several bills affecting recreation and parks programs and we will keep you informed of those bills and their status as the session progresses.

You can expect these reports approximately every two weeks.  To repeat an old realism, the world is run by those who show up.  Hopefully many of you will contact your legislators by telephone, letter or email and/or attend committee meeting/s to voice your position on bills that affect your way of life and values.

NOTE:SB means Senate bill, HB means House of Representatives bill, LC means a bill draft request has been submitted to Legislative Services.

RECREATION (Bills with Numbers or Language Available)

SB 24 (Senator Gauthier, Helena): Increase optional light motor vehicle registration fee for parks and recreation.  This bill would increase the optional light motor vehicle registration fee from $6 to $9 and provide increased funding for state parks operations and maintenance, fishing access sites, and create a new made in Montana trails grant program.

LC 1322: (Representative White, Bozeman): Increase state gas tax distribution to recreation-related programs.  This draft bill would increase the refund of state gas tax funds from 15/28 to ¾ of 1% to the state snowmobile program and from 1/8 to ¼ of 1% to the state OHV program.

PARKS (Bill with Number and Language Available)

SB 70 (Senator Flowers, Belgrade) Remove Headwaters State Park from the primitive parks list.  Referred to Senate Fish and Game Committee.

You can maintain your knowledge of what’s happening in the legislature by going to https://leg.mt.gov/.

To find a bill go to http://laws.leg.mt.gov/legprd/LAW0200W$.Startup?P_SESS=20191

To find a legislator go to https://leg.mt.gov/legislator-lookup/

To review Montana state laws go to https://leg.mt.gov/statute/

To review our Montana Constitution go to https://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/title_0000/chapters_index.html

Bills Currently In Process - 2019 legislature

Bill Number	Sponsor	Description
SB 24	Sen. Gauthier	Increase light motor vehicle registration fee for parks, FAS,  and recreation
SB 70	Sen Flowers	Remove Headwaters State Park from primitive parks list.
LC 0137	Rep. White	Sales tax and distribution of revenues
LC 0185	Sen. Lang	Revise fish, wildlife, and parks commission laws
LC 0192	Sen. Fitzpatrick	Revise laws pertaining to pools and recreational facilities
LC 0540	Sen. Fitzpatrick	Revise off-highway vehicle registration and licensing laws
LC 0541	Sen. Fitzpatrick	Revise off-highway vehicle registration and licensing laws
LC 0658	Sen. Pomnichowski	Generally revise laws related to recreation
LC 0797	Sen. Fitzpatrick	Generally revise state park fee laws
LC 0851	Rep. Woods	Generally revise laws related to recreation
LC 0854	Rep. Woods	Generally revise laws related to recreation funding
LC 1012	Sen. Thomas	Generally revise fish, wildlife, and parks laws
LC 1201	Rep. Dudik	Increase out-of-state fee for park entrance or camping
LC 1293	Rep. Garner	Generally revise vehicle safe passing of bicycles laws
LC 1322	Rep. White	Increase state gas tax distribution to recreation programs
LC 1323	Rep. White	Revise laws related to recreational trail passes
LC 1324, 1331	Rep. White	Revise laws related to fish, wildlife, and parks
LC 1335, 1336	Rep. White	Revise laws related to fish, wildlife, and parks
LC 2052	Rep. Bachmeier	Create saddle butte hiking trail
LC 2582, 2586	Sen. Fielder	Generally revise parks and recreation laws
LC 2750	Rep. Hamlett	Revise authority of parks board
LC 2904	Sen. MacDonald	Revise laws related to the state parks permanent fund
LC 2968	Rep. Anderson	Revise funding sources for Montana's wilderness trails

 

Bob Walker, Chair
Montana Trails Coalition and
Montana Trails Recreation and Parks Association Advisory Committee
406-461-0523
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