Grizzly, wolf compensation bill moves forward

A bill that would appropriate $200,000 from the state’s general fund to pay for livestock lost to grizzly bear or wolf attacks has been moving through the Montana Legislature with support from livestock and conservation groups that often have been in opposition to such measures.

Sponsored by Rep. Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka, House Bill 145 passed the House by 89-10 on a third reading on Feb. 11 and passed the Senate by 34-16 on a third reading on March 17. It was returned to the House with amendments, along with a revised fiscal note.

Half the funding in the measure would be for nonlethal measures. Before it was amended, the bill called for appropriating a total of $400,000.

“This is an important step to getting the grizzly bear delisted from the Endangered Species Act, protecting jobs and protecting private property rights,” Cuffe said. “We should be celebrating the success of the grizzly and at the same time helping managers cope with loss.”

A bill Cuffe introduced in 2013 passed in the legislature but was vetoed by Gov. Steve Bullock. The governor said he found legal problems in how the source funding for the bill was changed at the last minute.