By Karli Johnson and Nicole Rolf, Montana Farm Bureau Federation 

While many Farm Bureau members hit the road to work on national policy at the AFBF Convention in San Antonio this week, the Montana Legislative Session plowed forward with a busy schedule. 

Week four in Helena kicked off with a water bill in the Senate Natural Resources Committee. SB 178: Provide for a temporary lease of water rights sponsored by Sen. Sue Vinton (R) SD 20 seeks to reimplement a former law that sunset in 2019. SB 178 would set up a process to allow willing water right holders to lease their water to another user.  While MFBF does support the concept of water leasing, we know that not including enough checks and balances could negatively impact water users. It is critical that senior water rights have solid protections in place, and unfortunately this bill did not include those protections, so MFBF opposed. To address some of the issues that we found in this bill, MFBF looked back to the 63rd legislative session at HB 37 (thebill eventually became law but sunset in 2019). That bill set up a process to allow temporary leasing of water and included enough protections for water users, which is why our organization supported it.. Along with sharing these points, we also provided some additional comments on SB 178, voicing our concerns on the additional total volume of water being raised to 2000 AF (acre feet) and the lack of notice and objection process for other water users. MFBF stressed the importance of DNRC obligating to notice and take objections to ensure water users have a proper outlet to craft local solutions.

A water bill that MFBF supported this week was HB 256: Creation of Montana water trust and special revenue accounts sponsored by Ken Walsh (R) HD 69 heard in House Natural Resources. MFBF has clear supportive policy in additional water storage to increase availability of water for agriculture and recreational use as well as to increase streamflow. HB 256 clarifies the Montana water development state special revenue account and how the interest from such will be used for water storage pilot projects and dam inspections. In short, the state will see more money being taken away from the general fund and going towards water management and development. The bill directs $50 million to the Montana water development state special revenue account in 2025 and 2026. 

MFBF also had the opportunity to provide support for SB 167: Provide funding for noxious weed trust sponsored by Greg Hertz (R) SD 7 in the Senate Finance and Claims Committee. We all enjoy when there is additional money to use to better our environment, and SB 167 will do just that. This bill asks for $10 million to be transferred from the general fund to the Noxious Weed Management Trust Fund, which will make more funding available to fight noxious weeds across the state 

Along with bill hearings, MFBF was happy to hear the progress of bills that we previously testified on. HB 119: Establish a Montana Cattle Committee passed its second reading in the House with a close vote of 59 to 41, it was then referred to the House Appropriations Committee and had another hearing on Thursday regarding its budget. SB 61: Revise laws related to considerations for measuring streamflow passed third reading in the Senate with a vote of 28 to 21 and continued on its journey to the House Natural Resource Committee.

For more legislative updates and details on these issues, follow our Live with Your Lobbyist broadcast each Friday at noon on our Montana Farm Bureau Facebook Page.  

 

Nicole Rolf is the Senior Director of Governmental Affairs and a rancher from Miles City, Montana.  Nicole works closely with our Congressional delegation on national issues affecting Montana agriculture. Additionally, this is her ninth Montana Legislative Session, lobbying in Helena on behalf of MFBF members. Nicole can be contacted at nicoler@mfbf.org.
 

Karli Johnson is the State Governmental Affairs Coordinator and a rancher from Chouteau, MT. This is Karli’s first session lobbying on behalf of Montana Farm Bureau although she can be known as an old hand at testifying on Grizzly Bear bills before she came onto staff. Karli will focus on water and wildlife issues throughout the legislative session while also serving as the Northwest Regional Manager. Karli can be contacted at karlij@mfbf.org.