_________ Bill No. _______

Introduced By _______________________________________________________________________________



A Bill for an Act entitled: "An Act requiring the fish, wildlife, and parks commission to hold an annual public hearing in each administrative region, to be attended by at least one commission member, as a forum for discussion of proposed or tentative hunting, fishing, and trapping rules and to consider the results of the discussions prior to establishment of hunting, fishing, and trapping rules for the department of fish, wildlife, and parks; amending section 87-1-302, MCA; and providing an immediate effective date."



Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Montana:



Section 1.  Section 87-1-302, MCA, is amended to read:

"87-1-302.   Commission meetings. (1) The members of the commission shall hold quarterly or other meetings for the transaction of business, at times and places that it considers necessary and proper. The meetings shall must be called by the chairman or by a majority of the commission and shall must be held at the time and place specified in the call for the meeting. A majority of the members of the commission shall constitute constitutes a quorum for the transaction of any business which may come before it. The commission shall keep a record of all the business transacted by it. The chairman and secretary shall sign all orders, minutes, or documents for the commission.

(2) In order to facilitate public awareness of and input regarding proposed or tentative hunting, fishing, and trapping rules, the commission shall hold an annual public hearing in each administrative region, attended by at least one commission member, as a forum for discussion of the proposed or tentative rules. The meeting must be advertised in a newspaper of general circulation in the region at least 2 weeks prior to the scheduled meeting in that region. Results of the regional hearings must be considered by the commission prior to establishment of the department's hunting, fishing, and trapping rules pursuant to 87-1-301(1)(b)."



NEW SECTION. Section 2.  Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.

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