HB 253 looks to improve state bison management

The Old Supreme Court chambers were full when Rep. Mike Phillips (D) HD 66 of Bozeman introduced HB 253, titled the “Wild Buffalo Recovery and Conservation Act.” Phillips bill looks foster a bipartisan solution for bison by improving the management of America’s publicly owned, wild plains bison.

Phillips HB 253 has three specific objectives, all of which look to improve upon the 1995 decision to transfer wild and captive bison management from Montana FWP to the Montana DOL. First, HB 253 looks to restore wild bison to FWP management authority, second HB 253 aims to restore all hunt decisions to FWP and third, HB 253 would restore private property rights to individual landowners who have wild bison migrations occurring on their land.

Bison management elicits strong public sentiment, and both proponents and opponents spoke in waves for and against this bill. As Rep. Phillips made clear, HB 253 still provides authority to the DOL to manage captive bison for the prevention of brucellosis transfer. The shift in language HB 253 looks to achieve is simply that FWP is an agency better equipped to manage wild bison since FWP has expertise and experience in wildlife management, which provides for outcomes that maintain the integrity of both Montana’s native wildlife and cattle industry. HB 253 will soon receive Executive Action in the House FWP committee.

HB 253 was not transmitted to the Senate before the transmittal date, so has died in committee.