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HB 855 Montana House · 2025 Regular Session

Establish FWP wildlife highway crossings and accommodation account

House Bill 855 establishes a dedicated funding mechanism for projects aimed at reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions across Montana. It authorizes the Fish and Wildlife Commission to create a specialty license plate, with a $20 donation from its sale and renewal deposited into a new "Big Game and Wildlife Highway Crossings and Accommodations Account." Funds in this account, which also accepts gifts and grants, are statutorily appropriated to the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. These funds will be used for the design, construction, maintenance, and study of wildlife crossings and related accommodations on state roadways, improving safety for both drivers and wildlife.
Issues: ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates dedicated revenue stream ($20 license plate donations) and statutorily appropriates funds to wildlife safety projects, advancing budget allocation for public services.95% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentFunds wildlife highway crossings to reduce vehicle collisions, conserving wildlife habitats and reducing human-wildlife conflict through dedicated appropriations.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationFunds wildlife highway crossings to reduce vehicle collisions, directly enhancing transportation safety through dedicated infrastructure projects.92% confidence
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House Passage
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
May 2025
Introduced Mar 21, 2025 Signed May 13, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB0855_X(2).pdf → HB0855_X(3).pdf · 1 edit
MINOR
The bill text was slightly modified to remove a period at the end of the final sentence regarding the immediate effective date. This is a minor formatting adjustment that does not alter the bill's legal meaning or policy impact.
TECHNICAL

Removed a trailing period from the final sentence of the bill title.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 17, 2025 · House Apr 2, 2025

How they voted

38–12
Passed
Total votes 50
Apr 17, 2025
D Democratic18
18 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican32
20 Yea 12 Nay
62% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
46
Key actions
9
Committee
6
May 8, 2025
Signed into law
(H) Signed by Governor
lower
May 1, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Signed by President
upper
Apr 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Signed by Speaker
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (38-12)
senate
Apr 8, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Report - (S) Highways and Transportation
upper
Apr 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Executive Action - (S) Highways and Transportation
upper
Apr 3, 2025
Committee
(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Highways and Transportation
upper
Apr 2, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (89-6-5)
house
Mar 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Report - (H) Transportation
lower
Mar 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) Transportation
lower
Mar 24, 2025
Committee
(H) Referred to Committee - (H) Transportation
lower
Mar 21, 2025
Introduced
(H) Introduced
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Katie Zolnikov
Katie Zolnikov
RRepublican
MT
44