Bills in Montana state Legislature:
- Senate Bill 280- Revise bird dog training laws.
- Status: Hearing was held on February 14 in Fish and Game Committee; awaiting further action.
- Summary: Montana Senate Bill 280 would expand the types of bird training available to game birds not raised in captivity through a low-cost licensing system. A Class D-5 license would be required costing $5 for residents and $10 for nonresidents. To clarify: a Class D-5 license would not be required for a person training bird hunting dogs with a method that kills game birds raised in captivity.
- What You Can Do: If you would like to express your support for Senate Bill 280, you can do so by reaching out members of the Senate Fish and Game Committee. You can contact the members here. If you are a constituent, be sure to mention that when contacting them (Click HERE to find out who your senator is).
- House Bill 623- Establish penalties for negligent injury or death of service animals.
- Status: Hearing in Human Services Committee on February 24.
- Summary: This bill defines what constitutes as harm to a service animal. The proposal would establish misdemeanor penalties for harassing or harming an owner’s service animal.
- What You Can Do: Public Hearing Information: The House Human Services Committee will conduct a public hearing on February 24, 2023, at 3 pm MST in room 152 of the Montana State Capitol in Helena on 1301 East Sixth Avenue. Those who wish to contact members of the committee can do so by clicking HERE. Click HERE to find out who your representative is. If you are a constituent of a member of the committee, please make sure to include that in your communication.
AKC Government Relations continues to monitor bills in Washington impacting dog owners and will provide updates. For questions or more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.