Bridge Access Bill Moves Forward

The Bridge Access Bill sponsored by Rep. Kendall Van Dyk, D-Billings cleared its first hurdle Tuesday afternoon January 21st.This bill guarantees that sportsmen can walk from public bridges to float or fish state waters

The House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee passed House Bill 190 by a 16-2 bipartisan margin. The two dissenters were Reps. Ken Peterson, R-Billings, and Joel Boniek, R-Emigrant. If you live in Emigrant or Billings you may want to give these guys a call and find out why they voted the way they did!

After the last bill that clarified stream and river access died in the 2007 Legislature, a group of ranchers, farmers, conservationists, and anglers began working on what became HB190.

The bill clarifies:

• Landowners have the right to attach fences to county bridges.


• The public cannot sue a landowner if someone gets hurt crossing a fence to access public waters.


• Landowners cannot build fences deliberately to keep out the public
  
  
  The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks will pay for any fence modifications that need to be made to accommodate the public and FWP will broker any dispute that arises between a landowner and a citizen.
  
  Mark Aagenes, conservation director for Montana Trout Unlimited, said Tuesday’s vote showed how far all parties have come in the debate about bridge access.
  
  “We have a good bill that sportsmen and women, landowners, Democrats and Republicans seem to like,” he said Tuesday.
  
  The entire House could take up HB190 later this week or early next week.