Wacky wildlife bills progress through legislature

Hunters just might be able to use a spear next season if a law that makes them legal holds up. The Senate passed a bill by a 27-21 vote in January that would make a spear a legal weapon.

Senate Bill 112, sponsored by Sanders County Republican Greg Hinkle, is now being considered by the House. It’s just one of the many fish and game laws that are under consideration by the Legislature this year.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer has openly made fun of the bill and has promised he’ll veto it.

But spear chucking isn’t the only thing in lawmakers sights. They’d also like to nullify the Endangered Species Act.

House Bill 321 sponsored by Republican Krayton Kearns of Laurel passed the House last month.

Kearns bill, among other things, claims the Act is unconstitutional. But nullifying the Act also comes with a nearly $1 billion fiscal note, as compliance with the ESA is tied into federal funding for many projects, most notably the state Department of Transportation. MDOT would lose about $357 million in 2012 alone it if didn’t comply with the Act.

Kearns bill is being mulled over by the House Appropriations Committee.

There are several bills concerning wolves and other predators. A bill by Dan Kennedy, a Republican from Laurel identifies a problem wolf as one that is “any individual wolf or pack of wolves with a history of livestock predation.”

Kennedy’s bill would also place a hard cap on the number of packs in the state at 15. That bill recently passed the House on a 54-45 vote and is now under consideration by the Senate Fish and Game Committee.

Senate Bill 301 would put a moratorium on Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks land purchases over 100 acres or $100,000 until 2013. Sponsored by Sen. Rick Ripley, of Wolf Creek, it recently passed the Senate on a 29-21 vote. The bill does not impact deals that are already under contract, noted FWP spokesman Ron Aasheim.

But there are many bills that have failed. Senate Bill 230 would have prohibited felt-soled wader shoes. Felt-soled wader shoes are thought to be the culprit in transmitting diseases and other pathogens from river to river. That bill never made it out of committee.

Another bill by Bigfork Republican Scott Reichner would have set bounties on lake trout in Flathead Lake. That measure also failed. In addition, a bill that would have allowed Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wardens to cite minors in possession of alcohol also failed. Aasheim said the bill was supported by the department and gave wardens a basic law enforcement tool. Now, wardens have to wait for other law enforcement to arrive to cite minors they may catch with alcohol.

All told there were 96 fish and game bills on the docket this session.