Where we are today – 2009 Legislature

We are now at the mid-session break of the 2009 legislative session – half-way through. This email is to get you up to speed on where we are on the bills we are pushing and following.

Repeating especially for those new to this list, if you want to know about the legislative process, how to follow bills and how to influence legislators, review the material at:
http://www.progunleaders.org/Legislative%20Process/

I am trying to keep current the information about all these items on the Website. I’m actually able to get updates done about every two weeks at:
http://www.progunleaders.org/Legis09/

Will try to do another update on the Website today. Check the link/page above for explanations of the bills, links to the bills and other information available about the bills.

Here is the rundown, including what you need to be doing.

Supported Bills

Self defense, HB 228. Passed the House and scheduled for public hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, March 10th. Senate Judiciary meets at 8 AM. Plan to be there with bells on. This is our first priority bill of the session. I’ll remind you when it’s time to shower Committee members with messages in support of HB 228. This bill has been staunchly opposed by a few law enforcement administrators and prosecutors. They’ve told legislators some monstrous lies about the effects of HB 228. We REALLY need testimonials of support for HB 228 from active and former law enforcement personnel. Please talk to the cops you know about getting us some written support. That can be emailed to me or to the bill sponsor, Rep. Krayton Kerns.

Wolf control, SB 183. Passed by the Senate Fish and Game Committee and re-referred to the Senate Finance and Claims Committee. The SF&C will schedule this for another public hearing soon – unknown when. In that hearing, most discussion should center around the Fiscal Note (the costs of implementing SB 183 according to the bureaucracy – posted with the bill on the Legislature’s Website). As expected, the bureaucracy (FWP and DoJ) has heavily inflated the predicted costs of implementing SB 183 in order to oppose it. We should focus on the costs of NOT implementing SB 183 – the cost of doing nothing. Be thinking about that. We will need to be commenting to Committee members soon – I’ll advise you when.

Montana-made guns, HB 246. Passed by the House on Second Reading and re-referred to the House Appropriations Committee because of the Fiscal Note attached. We should be able to get this out and on to the Senate without too much trouble. Of the 20 members of the Appropriations Committee, 15 voted for HB 246 on Second Reading on the House floor. Unless there is some political chicanery, HB 246 should not be in trouble in the House and should move soon.

Montana Sovereignty, HJ 26. Stuck in the House Judiciary Committee. We’re trying like the dickens to get it sprung. That’s why the push for the radio spots over transmittal break. We only need to turn one Democrat vote on the House Judiciary Committee to make this happen. Contact Dems on the HJC, compare HJ 26 as a natural follow-on to the Real ID bill last session, and ask HJC legislators to support HJ 26.

Guns in National Parks, HJ 14. Passed the House with a strong vote and transmitted to the Senate. No committee assignment yet. Stay tuned.

College students hunting, SB 185. Passed by the Senate with a good vote and scheduled for public hearing before the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee on Tuesday, March 10th, 3 PM in Capitol Room 152. This bill should be a no-brainer. Any college students within a decent drive of the Capitol should attend and speak for the bill.

Suppressor prohibition repeal, HB 427. Died on Second Reading in the House. FWP had its cadre of game wardens contacting legislators claiming that there would be wholesale and unenforceable poaching if this Prohibition-era statute were repealed. Some FWP sycophants in the Legislature actually believed that, causing HB 427 to fail.

Montana Home Guard, HB 479. Died in the House State Administration Committee because of opposition by the Pentagon, via full-time U.S. Army personnel temporarily assigned to the Montana National Guard. They simply distrust us to be organized and expressed concern over their ability to “control” if HB 479 were passed.

Opposed Bills

“Castle doctrine,” HB 36. This decoy bill does nothing to improve Montana law and died in the House Judiciary Committee.

“Castle doctrine,” SB 92. Another decoy bill identical to HB 36, SB 92 passed the Senate, is assigned to the House Judiciary Committee and is scheduled for public hearing for Tuesday, March 3rd. Hopefully SB 92 will suffer the same fate as HB 36 in House Judiciary. Send messages to House Judiciary members asking them to squelch SB 92.

SSN proliferation, HB 490. Passed by the House and sent to the Senate. You know that MSSA is headed to the Supreme Court with a lawsuit asserting that requiring that people surrender a Social Security Number to hunt or fish violates the right to privacy in the Montana Constitution. Although HB 490 poses as helping to properly select jurors from the voter registration list, it requires DMV to give everyone’s SSN to the Secretary of State and all county clerks of the court. This unneeded and unwarranted proliferation of SSNs will surely result in further data breaches that will expose innocent people to identity theft. Be prepared to send messages to committee members in the Senate when this comes up for public hearing. I will advise. Stay tuned.

Prairie Dog re-regulation, HB 443. Passed by the House and sent to the Senate. FWP has been fighting for years for authority to regulate Prairie Dogs, because there is SO much mission creep available in “managing” (spending hunter license dollars on) a species that is so prolific and widespread. MSSA fought off Prairie Dog regulation in previous sessions. HB 443 is FWP’s stealth approach. HB 443 purports to give FWP authority to manage any non-game wildlife (as if it were game), including specifically rodents. This will go to the Senate Fish and Game Committee, where we need to hammer it. I’ll advise when. Stay tuned.

That’s all for now. Please be soliciting LE letters of support for HB 228, our Self Defense Bill. We’ll REALLY NEED them in a week. Also, be thinking about your pitch about the Fiscal Note for our Wolf Bill, SB 183. I’ll alert you about other stuff as the need approaches.

Thanks loads for your support on all of this!! Your support makes a huge difference!

Best wishes,

Gary Marbut, president
Montana Shooting Sports Association
http://www.mtssa.org
author, Gun Laws of Montana
http://www.mtpublish.com