Let's agree

bulls1 · Jan 27, 2011

LAST EDITED ON Jan-28-11 AT 06:53AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Jan-28-11 AT 06:50?AM (MST)

In the spirit of good healthy debate. Lets agree to disagree on another subject. What are your thought on these two house bills, which are also on the floor this session. My belief is that one of these may have a larger impact on the sport we love than anything we are arguing about draw odds.

HB 80 ? MERGE GAME & FISH WITH EMNRD (Rep. Paul C. Bandy) ? This bill eliminates the State Game Commission and changes the Department of Game and Fish from an agency administratively attached to the Energy Minerals and Naturals Resources Department (EMNRD) to a division within EMNRD. The bill transfers rulemaking authority currently vested in the State Game Commission to either the Secretary of the EMNRD, the Director of the Game and Fish Division of the EMNRD, or to the Game and Fish Division of the EMNRD. Click here to read bill.

?1/19/11 ? Bill introduced and assigned to the House Energy & Natural Resources Committee

HB 84 ? MERGE EMNRD, ENVIRONMENT DEPT. & GAME & FISH (Rep. Patricia A. Lundstrom) ? This bill eliminates the State Game Commission and changes the Department of Game and Fish from an agency administratively attached to the Energy Minerals and Naturals Resources Department (EMNRD) to a division of a new Department called the Natural Resource and Environment Department (NRED). The bill transfers rulemaking authority currently vested in the State Game Commission to either the Secretary of the NRED, the Director of the Game and Fish Division of the NRED, or to the Game and Fish Division of the NRED. Click here to read bill.

billc · Jan 28, 2011

does not sound good to me.To big of a chance the people who would be in charge of wildlife may not care.I think there needs to be a game and fish.They may not be perfect but at least they think about the wildlife.Unless they plan on using people who know wildlife to run the programs.May open up some more money to go to wildlife if the nred and emnrd have the money.Just think the people at those place now may not understand wildlife enough with out new people being brought in to help.

nmhntr · Jan 28, 2011

Will it get general tax funds once reorganized? If so, it would be wonderful!!

Montana funds wildlife management out of their general budget and wildlife decision makers are more often to make their rules based on biology instead of profit from license sales. What's the norm for other western states?

JACOB2006 · Jan 28, 2011

Could be good no more pay to play like the current system!

philthy · Jan 28, 2011

I don't like it at first glance. If money were to get any tighter, what would get funded? Walking paths for the birdwatchers and joggers or wildlife? May not be the case without getting into the details, but we know how bureaucrat "kingdoms" work once they're in place. Anyone have a link that we can get to the full versions?

elkmuzzleloader · Jan 28, 2011

www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/_locatorcom.aspx?year=11
Then click on HB 80 or 84. Then to read the bill you either have to click on the internet or adobe reader symbol.

NMPaul · Jan 28, 2011

If you guys think $ will come from the general fund to benefit hunting, think again.
Do not trust politicians with hunting revenues.

In CA they just got a bill passed to get back 40% of the revenue from tag sales that was going into the general fund.

30inchbuck · Jan 28, 2011

Jacob really - pay to play? In the G&F dept? document these facts I sure would like to see them? And no NMWF lies either.

Outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.

JACOB2006 · Jan 28, 2011

Yes 30 inch how many ranchers and outfitters have been on the comish!

Iowan · Jan 28, 2011

Iowa once had a stand alone Fish and Wildlife Division and it has since been merged into the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, it is a relatively small division within a large regulatory department. Now the IDNR gets all kinds of bad press because of the regulatory arm and this makes the entire agency seem evil to many. I do not think it has benefited hunting or wildlife management in anyway. You can forget any general fund revenue coming to game and fish management. Iowa voters did pass a measure that would constitutionally protect a small percentage of the state's sales tax proceeds for management of habitat and other natural resources. If you think your ranching lobby is strong come to Iowa and see what the corn and soybean growers can do - anyting they really want. Do not take your thriving game populations for granted, it can change with the stroke of a pen.

WapitiBob · Jan 28, 2011

LAST EDITED ON Jan-28-11 AT 03:56PM (MST)[p]
It would appear on face value that the Game Commission is becoming a pain in the azz and a few are wanting to neuter it.

"transfers rule making authority currently vested in the State Game Commission"

"This bill eliminates the State Game Commission"

These bills have nothing to do with funding. The purpose is to eliminate the Commission......

DoeNob · Jan 31, 2011

LAST EDITED ON Jan-31-11 AT 02:57PM (MST)[p]You want the G & F to be as seperate as possible from anything else or its funding gets raided, happens yearly in texas.

NMPaul · Jan 31, 2011

>LAST EDITED ON Jan-31-11
>AT 02:57?PM (MST)
>
>You want the G & F
>to be as seperate as
>possible from anything else or
>its funding gets raided, happens
>yearly in texas.

and CA

Ropinfool · Jan 31, 2011

they care now??? the comission pretty much caters to the land owners and outfitters.....and since they only care about money i would say the wildlife aren't a prioity.

change might be good.

elkhunter49 · Jan 31, 2011

Trust me on this one guys,any state agency that gets in bed with the federal goverment is going to get screwed beyond the limits of the law. Show me a federaly managed program that's not horribly managed and bankrupt.The state run agencies are bad enough but our goverment is the last people we need looking out for our wildlife or ourselves. Later Baker

Gator · Jan 31, 2011

Roper
they said the same thing about Obama and you see how that deal turned out.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".

Outdoors · Jan 31, 2011

>Roper
>they said the same thing about
>Obama and you see how
>that deal turned out.
>

Amen...then again, a sucker is born every minute so is never good to sit on the sidelines of any battle for something you care how it turns out down the road.

hank4elk · Jan 31, 2011

Great,turn G&F over to the state gov. and depend on general funds,or worse yet the funds hunters do produce ,go into the general fund....to be raided? I don't think so!!It should stay stand alone.

BigFin · Jan 31, 2011

>Montana funds wildlife management out of
>their general budget and wildlife
>decision makers are more often
>to make their rules
>based on biology instead of
>profit from license sales. What's
>the norm for other western
>states?
>

Montana does NOT get a single penny from the General Fund.

But, we have an ignorant legislator who is proposing legislation that all hunting/fishing/trapping license dollars be diverted to the General Fund. Stupid ideas abound in the MT legislature, and looks like maybe some crazy nuts found their way to the NM legislature.

"Hunt when you can - You're gonna' run out of health before you run out of money!"

ELKMAN · Jan 31, 2011

If this bill passes, the Balloon Fiasco is going to move to TX!

NM, will dry up without those 12% of out of state hunters.

Ropinfool · Feb 1, 2011

to bad all these bills cant be voted on by the state public.

Gator · Feb 1, 2011

ELKMAN
I guess you can't see by the 12% NR tag thing and look at the whole picture if you think putting the F&G dept under another agency is a good move you're not as smart as I gave you credit for. That bigger agency will have other things that are more important then the hunters welfare in mind, you really will ended up holding the shitty end of the stick.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".