Kassmier's bill would give counties approval on moving bison

Montana Rep. Joshua Kassmier, R-Fort Benton, has introduced a bill in the Montana Legislature to give power to local governments to approve the relocation of wild bison in their counties.

"The whole idea of this bill is to get everybody, the public, involved in any decisions that could affect them," he said. "... It's just a local control bill."

House Bill 332 would require county commissioners' approval to relocate wild bison within their counties, he said. The bill would assure protection of the cattle industry and assure that any relocation of bisons are done properly.

The last genetically pure herd of bison in the country is in Yellowstone National Park. Some bison, after testing negative for brucellosis, have been relocated to reservations in Montana including the Fort Peck and Fort Belknap Indian reservations.

Opposition to moving bison off the reservations has arisen, especially from some cattle ranchers who say moving the herds brings the risk of spreading disease like brucellosis to their cattle.

Kassmier said that if bison are going to be relocated in any counties within the state, it is important that it is done right, with the proper fences to keep them within their boundaries.

Kassmier added that involving local involvement is important.

"They're the ones who are going to have to deal with it on the ground," he said.

Bison cannot be stopped by the same types of fences that are for cattle, he said, because bison are much larger and stronger than most cattle. This can cause many issues, he added, with bison going onto people's properties or getting onto highways and streets.

It is also important that the bison which are being relocated are certified as disease-free, he said.

"Which is huge. We cannot lose that certification," Kassmier said. "We lose that in our state, our cattle industry will suffer."

Bisons are carriers of brucellosis, a disease which causes abortions, infertility and lower milk production in cattle. This disease is also trasmittable to humans as an undulant fever, causing severe flu-like symptoms that can last for long periods of time.

The bill would not give authority to the counties or local veterinarians to test the bison for the disease, he said. Bisons go through a long process before they are able to be relocated, including a state-certified veterinarian testing and vaccinating bison for brucellosis.

Kassmier said the bill would give power for counties to approve any relocation but does not allow counties to manage the relocation process.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will still have to manage the animals' relocation within the state. The bison will still have to go through all the requirements, he said.

"There is going to be a lot of public hearings, I would imagine, that way the public is involved with it," he said.

The local control is important to him, he added.

He said there has been some opposition to this bill, with many people from the Native American community feeling that the bill might affect their ability to have bison on their tribal grounds.

County commissioners have no jurisdiction over reservations, Kassmier said, and this bill would not allow commissioners to oversee tribal governments or oversee relocation of bison onto tribal lands.

"Whenever a bison bill comes up, they are afraid of how it might affect them, understandably," he said.

There is also opposition which argues that this bill would affect the transportation of wild bison, he said. Some fear that commissioners could deny bison being transported through counties, even if the destination is not within that county.

Kassmier said this bill would not affect the transportation of bison, only give counties authority to approve if bison are being relocated to that county.

He said he wanted to get involved with this bill because of his background in the agriculture community. This is a very important topic, he said. Bison can possibly affect cattle, producers and public safety for citizens.

He said the bill will be voted on sometime this week.

Kassmier is also working on a bill that will change the speed limits for trucks on the highways. He said the bill went to committee Wednesday, and "surprisingly there was no opponents, no one really came out against it."

Some questions on safety were raised, he said, but after discussion with the Department of Transportation and some of the agents from the Montana Highway Patrol, he is confident in the bill.

"They do feel the same as I do," he said, "the more consistent flow of traffic the better for safety."

On the interstates there is a 15 mph speed difference from day to night, on two lane highways there is a 10 mph difference, he said, House Bill 393 would set the speed limit as 65 mph throughout the entire day.

He said even if this bill does pass, the Department of Transportation could still set speed limits on sections of road they determine it is required. This bill is not taking power away from the department, he said.

Kassmier said he has worked with the trucking industry and motor carriers would be able to adjust to the change quickly.

"If they can move through the state faster it will increase their productivity," he said. "If the companies don't want their truckers driving 65, they can still drive 60, the 65 is only the max speed limit."

Another bill that will be going to hearing next week, he said, will itemize medical deductions.

"If your medical expenses exceed 5 percent of net income, you can start deducting them there at that rate," he said.

Medical costs are huge for most families, he said, this bill would give more money back to families that are spending a large portion of their income on medical expenses.

It doesn't take much if someone is making $20,000 a year to hit that 5 percent of net income, he said.

Kassmier also has two bills that have been passed out of the House of Representatives and are being seen in the Senate.

He said House Bill 142, is a weed law bill to change the definition of weed districts and increase education on noxious weed.

House Bill 260, he said, is another bill that has passed through the house. The bill will exempt community service act contracts from the procurement act, he said.