Bill > HB98

This bill revises Montana's hunting and fishing license regulations by making several key changes. The bill allows a person to have physical control over valid and unused electronically issued hunting or fishing licenses that belong to their spouse or minor children while hunting together, which expands previous restrictions on license possession. It introduces a new requirement that license holders must personally validate their own licenses, preventing one person from using a license issued to another individual. The bill also clarifies that a person cannot attach their license to a game animal killed by someone else. Violations of these provisions can result in fines ranging from $50 to $1,000, potential imprisonment for up to 6 months, and potential forfeiture of current hunting, fishing, or trapping licenses. For more serious commercial violations involving multiple improperly used licenses, penalties can escalate to a felony charge with fines up to $50,000 and potential imprisonment for up to 5 years. The bill is effective immediately upon passage and was introduced by request of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, likely to improve license tracking, prevent fraud, and ensure proper use of hunting and fishing permits.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC0513