House Bill No. 285

Introduced By sliter, m. taylor, dowell, bitney, lawson, mercer, depratu, wagner, mohl, baer

A Bill for an Act entitled: "An Act revising the membership of the Flathead Basin Commission; adding to the commission one member appointed by the Flathead County conservation district board of supervisors and one member appointed by the Lake County conservation district board of supervisors TO REPLACE OTHER MEMBERS; and amending section 2-15-213, MCA."

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

Section 1.  Section 2-15-213, MCA, is amended to read:

"2-15-213.   Flathead basin commission -- membership -- compensation. (1) There is a Flathead basin commission.

(2)  The commission consists of 21 23 21 members selected as follows:

(a)  seven SIX SEVEN members appointed by the governor from industrial, environmental, and other interests affected by Title 75, chapter 7, part 3, one of whom must be on the governor's staff and who also serves as the executive director;

(b)  one member who is the director of the department of natural resources and conservation or the director's designee;

(c)  one member appointed by the Flathead County commissioners;

(d)  one member appointed by the Lake County commissioners;

(e)  one member appointed by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes;

(f)  one member appointed by the United States department of agriculture, forest service regional forester for the northern region;

(g)  one member appointed by the United States department of interior, national park service regional director for the Rocky Mountain region;

(h)  one member appointed by the Flathead County conservation district board of supervisors, who need not be a member of the board of supervisors;

(i) one member appointed by the Lake County conservation district board of supervisors, who need not be a member of the board of supervisors;

(j) six FIVE FOUR ex officio members appointed respectively by the chief executive of the provincial government of the Province of British Columbia; the regional administrator of the United States environmental protection agency; the regional administrator of the United States department of interior, bureau of reclamation; the administrator of the Bonneville power administration; the chief of engineers of the United States army corps of engineers; THE REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BUREAU OF RECLAMATION; and the holder of a license issued for the Flathead project under the Federal Power Act;

(i)(k)  two ex officio members who are the director of the department of environmental quality and the director of the department of fish, wildlife, and parks or their designees.

(3)  The commissioners shall serve without pay. The commissioners listed in subsection (2)(a), except the commissioner on the governor's staff, are entitled to reimbursement for travel, meals, and lodging while engaged in commission business, as provided in 2-18-501 through 2-18-503.

(4)  The commission is attached to the governor's office for administrative purposes only."

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