On Jan. 6, legislators, lobbyists and members of the public converged in Helena, MT, to start the work of the people. The first week of Montana’s 69th Legislative Session was off to a rocky start with the Senate in a stand-off over their governing rules.
For the first two weeks, Montana Farm Bureau Federation’s (MFBF) Legislative Team was hard at work lobbying on their members’ behalf. Already, its lobbyists took a stance on six bills with the potential to follow many more as there are more than 4,300 bill draft requests looming.
To kick off the 2025 legislative session, the first bill that MFBF took a supportive stance on was House Bill (HB) 119: To establish a Montana Cattle Committee sponsored by Rep. Brandon Ler (R-33).
This bill was brought forward to create a Montana Cattle Committee which in turn will create a process for beef producers to take a referendum vote on the establishment of a program much like the current Montana Wheat and Barley Committee. It will offer education to producers and consumers, Montana beef promotion and research, and the potential for expanding beef markets and creating a long-lasting legacy for Montana beef.
With this committee’s establishment, an optional secondary beef checkoff will also be created to fund the program, a subject that has been on the minds of Montana cattle ranchers since the last session. During the MFBF Convention, members passed policy to support the creation of such a committee. MFBF testified in support of the hearing, and many of its members, including District 1 Director J.M. Peck, made the trek to Helena to offer their support.
The House Agriculture Committee was considering a few amendments to the bill and was expected to take executive action soon.
Water policy flowed into the Senate Natural Resource Committee during the second week of session, with three bills that MFBF supported. Senate Bill (SB) 55: An act providing legislative intent regarding streamflow information sponsored by Sen. Wilis Curdy (D-49) and SB 61: An act providing policy consideration for measuring stream flow sponsored by Sen. Bruce Gillespie (R-09) both provide clarity around the use and intent for measuring streamflow.
These two bills go hand in hand to ensure that viable, timely streamflow information is collected for effective management of water for water users, especially agricultural irrigators. SB 55 was also written to help support the state’s effort in securing funding for stream gauges that United States Geological Survey (USGS) recently reduced funding for.
SB 76: Revise laws related to preliminary determinations for water right permits or changes in appropriations sponsored by Sen. Sue Vinton (R-20) was the third bill that MFBF supported. This bill offered a few small “clean up” type amendments to legislation that passed during the last session. This legislation helps simplify the water rights change process by clarifying timelines for the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC).
All three bills passed the Senate Natural Resources Committee and will go on to further legislative action.
In the vein of simplification, at the request of DNRC Rep. Randyn Gregg (R-78) brought HB 80: Provide cash lease-only bidding for ag leases, which changes the competitive bidding process for agriculture leases on state land. Under this law, competitive bids for ag leases will be bid exclusively on a cash basis.
For clarity, agriculture leases are the farmed or cropped parcels managed by DNRC and have traditionally been bid on a crop share basis, although cash bids are allowed. Many farmers have already transitioned to cash leases because the crop share bidding is very complicated and difficult. This bill will modernize the process, benefiting farmers and the School Trust. MFBF supported this bill.
Lastly, MFBF supported the introduction of HB 130: Revise state wildland fire policy and funding sponsored by Rep. Llew Jones (R-18) to the House Natural Resources Committee. This bill helps in recognizing that the state and local fire agencies have the authority to bill a federal fire protection agency for costs incurred in fire suppression.
It also allows the state to provide initial response to fires on lands that are within five miles of areas the DNRC or county fire response teams responsibilities. MFBF’s stance on this bill highlights its members’ support of aggressive initial attack to stop wildfires, and this bill will encourage more of that. — Karli Johnson and Nicole Rolf, Montana Farm Bureau Federation
