HB 550

   

TAKE ACTION JOIN US DONATE STORE John --  Public access in Montana is being threatened once again. House Bill 550, introduced by Alan Redfield (R-Livingston), would potentially remove public access from publicly funded legal roads that lead to public land and water access points. In a backdoor attempt to reduce access in places like Montana's Crazy Mountains, HB 550 would remove public roads from the gas tax maps, and by doing so, eliminating one of the main tools used in determining the status of roads. It would also give county commissioners the power to declare public roads - i.e. roads that currently receive public tax dollars for infrastructure & maintenance, and therefore by law must remain open to public - no longer publicly accessible. So, in other words, this bill is an attempt to ask the public to pay for the creation and maintenance of certain roads, but then close them to public use. Image courtesy of Montana BHA Board Member, Justin Schaaf The bill passed out of the House on party lines. Overwhelmingly, Montanans support preserving or expanding access to our public lands. This bill flies directly in the face of what the majority of Montana voters desire from our elected officials. We strongly encourage all public land owners to email and call members of the Senate Highways & Transportation Committee and ask them to VOTE NO on HB 550. Thanks again for standing up for public access in Montana!  Sincerely,  The Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers 725 W Alder, Suite 11, Missoula, MT 59802, United States Unsubscribe   |   View this email in your browser