House Bill No. introduced by J. Hinkle aims to eliminate the laws related to nonresident landowner preference for Class B-10 big game combination licenses. The bill amends Section 87-2-115 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to establish a preference point system for distributing Class B-10 and Class B-11 nonresident licenses, allowing applicants to purchase preference points that grant them priority in receiving licenses. The bill also repeals Section 87-2-714, which previously provided landowner preference for these licenses. The amendments include provisions for how the department will allocate licenses based on the number of preference points accumulated by applicants, with 75% of licenses going to those with the most points and 25% to those without any points.

Additionally, the bill specifies that fees collected from nonresidents purchasing a second preference point will be allocated to various public access programs and initiatives. The effective date for this act is set for March 1, 2026. Overall, the bill seeks to create a more equitable system for nonresident hunters while removing the preferential treatment previously granted to landowners.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 87-2-115
HB0519_1(1): 87-2-115
HB0519_1(2): 87-2-115
HB0519_1(3): 87-2-115
HB0519_1: 87-2-115