HB 372 - "Establish right to hunt in Constitution"
This bill will 1) make trapping, fishing and hunting personal constitutional rights; and, 2) cement into the MT Constitution how FWP is allowed to manage wildlife. WE STRONGLY OPPOSE THIS BILL FOR MANY REASONS. HB 372 is about much more than just making hunting a constitutional right in MT. Don't take our word for it, see the text of HB 372 below.
You can see that HB 372 seeks to remove the current right to "harvest wild fish and wild game animals" and replace this with 1) rights to hunt, fish, and trap; and, 2) permanently alter wildlife management by creating a "preference" for a "primary" method of wildlife management that is comprised of "citizens" harvesting (a.k.a. killing) wildlife. arguments against hb 3721. Hunting, fishing, and trapping are already legally protected as means to harvest fish and wildlife in the Montana Constitution (Art. IX, Part IX, Sec. 7) and Montana Code Annotated (MCA 87-1-107). Thus, HB 372 is not needed to legally protect these activities.
2. HB 372 creates a legal nightmare by elevating trapping, fishing, and hunting from licensed privileges (like a driver’s license) to exclusive and full constitutional rights.
3. HB 372 will forever limit wildlife management in MT, by constitutionally mandating that "citizen" harvest be the "preferred" and "primary method" of wildlife management.
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Help us fight HB 372!We can defeat HB 372 by getting a small number of Republicans to vote against it. Please contact your House Representative and Senator to convey why YOU do not support HB 372. They need to hear from their constituents to buck the MT GOP and vote against HB 372. Find your legislators using the link below ("CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS") HB 372 was heard by the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, March 14th.
A diverse group of opponents testified against HB 372 with good reasoning and excellent references to real consequences that will arise from HB 372 if it is passed by the people to amend the constitution. Some highlights of this testimony:
The House Judiciary Committee has not yet voted on the bill, but will likely pass it (based on the composition of the Committee). HB 372 will then be voted on by the entire House. We can defeat HB 372 by getting a small number of Republicans to vote against it. Please contact your House Representative and Senator to convey why YOU do not support HB 372. They need to hear from their constituents to buck the MT GOP and vote against HB 372. Find you legislators using the link below. contact
house judiciary committee members This Committee will have the first chance to vote down HB 372.
Be sure to select & fill in the correct options when messaging the Committee (see image below):
If you want to send a message that is >1250 characters, you can email the Committee members. Copy & paste their email addresses:
Amy.Regier@legmt.gov Brandon.Ler@legmt.gov Laurie.Bishop@legmt.gov Jennifer.Carlson@legmt.gov Lee.Deming@legmt.gov Neil.Duram@legmt.gov Jodee.Etchart@legmt.gov Tom.France@legmt.gov Donavon.Hawk@legmt.gov Caleb.Hinkle@legmt.gov Jedediah.Hinkle@legmt.gov SJ.Howell@legmt.gov Greg.Kmetz@legmt.gov Casey.Knudsen@legmt.gov Braxton.Mitchell@legmt.gov Wayne.Rusk@legmt.gov Lola.sheldongalloway@legmt.gov Laura.Smith@legmt.gov Zooey.Zephyr@legmt.gov Call the MT Legislature switchboard (406-444-4800) to leave a voice message to vote NO on HB 372. You can leave this message for five members at a time, so you'll have to call four times.
Amy Regier, Chair (R) HD6 – Kalispell Primary ph: (406) 253-8421 Email: Amy.Regier@legmt.gov Brandon Ler, Vice Chair (R) HD 35 – Savage Primary ph: (406) 480-5687 Email: Brandon.Ler@legmt.gov Laurie Bishop, Vice Chair (D) HD60 – Livingston Primary ph: (406) 223-1122 Email: Laurie.Bishop@legmt.gov Jennifer Carlson (R) HD69 Primary ph: (406) 579-2929 Email: Jennifer.Carlson@legmt.gov Lee Deming (R) HD55 – Laurel Primary ph: (406) 671-2508 Email: Lee.Deming@legmt.gov Neil Duram (R) HD2 – Eureka Primary ph: (406) 471-2356 Email: Neil.Duram@legmt.gov Jodee Etchart (R) HD48 – Billings Primary ph: (406) 318-9773 Email: Jodee.Etchart@legmt.gov Tom France (D) HD94 – Missoula Primary ph: (406) 396-5085 Email: Tom.France@legmt.gov Donavon Hawk (D) HD76 – Butte Primary ph: (406) 578-1233 Email: Donavon.Hawk@legmt.gov Caleb Hinkle (R) HD68 – Belgrade Email: Caleb.Hinkle@legmt.gov Jedediah Hinkle (R) HD 67 - Belgrade Primary ph: (406) 992-0380 Email: Jedediah.Hinkle@legmt.gov SJ Howell (D) HD95 – Missoula Primary ph: (406) 531-4445 Email: SJ.Howell@legmt.gov Greg Kmetz (R) HD38 – Miles City Primary ph: (406) 853-1636 Email: Greg.Kmetz@legmt.gov Casey Knudsen (R) HD33 – Malta Primary ph: (406) 390-0274 Email: Casey.Knudsen@legmt.gov Braxton Mitchell (R) HD3 – Columbia Falls Email: Braxton.Mitchell@legmt.gov Wayne Rusk (R) HD88 – Corvallis Primary ph: (406) 370-8486 Email: Wayne.Rusk@legmt.gov Lola Sheldon-Galloway (R) HD22 – Great Falls Primary ph: (406) 750-4721 Secondary ph: (406) 727-4963 Email: Lola.SheldonGalloway@legmt.gov Laura Smith (D) HD79 – Helena Primary ph: (406) 426-3504 Email: Laura.Smith@legmt.gov Zooey Zephyr (D) HD100 – Missoula Email: Zooey.Zephyr@legmt.gov contact
your legislators Legislators are often most swayed by their own constituents. A personal story about why you are opposed to HB 372 can be effective.
Send a message to both your Representative and Senator. Look up your legislators by using the map feature - enter your zipcode to immediately ID your legislators.
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