# Montana HB 554: Remove FWP requirement to regulate wolves as furbearers or game animals

Montana HB 554, Remove FWP requirement to regulate wolves as furbearers or game animals, is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) House bill sponsored by Brandon Ler (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-08 (Chapter Number Assigned) (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB554-2025
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Montana HB 554
- State: Montana
- Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025)
- Title: Remove FWP requirement to regulate wolves as furbearers or game animals
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-02-18
- Last action: 2025-05-08, Chapter Number Assigned
- Sponsor: Brandon Ler (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Subjects: Fish
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 4 (173 yes, 122 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Livestock owners can get wolf kill permits: benefit, medium. After federal and state delisting of wolves, Montana can allow lethal control under an approved wolf plan. The plan must be approved by Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the Department of Livestock. If wolves kill your livestock and you are a landowner or a public land permittee, the Department can issue…
- New wolf management rules after delisting: mixed, low. If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delists wolves and the state also delists them, Montana manages wolves as a species in need of management. The law ends the option to treat wolves as game animals or furbearers. State wildlife officials no longer classify or regulate wolves as game or furbearer…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Brandon Ler (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Greg Hertz (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Jedediah Hinkle (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-15 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 29 | 21 |   |
| 2025-04-14 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 34 | 15 |   |
| 2025-03-06 | House | Do Pass | pass | 57 | 42 |   |
| 2025-03-04 | House | Do Pass | pass | 53 | 44 |   |

## Actions (23)

- 2025-05-08: Chapter Number Assigned (House)
- 2025-05-05: Signed by Governor (House)
- 2025-04-25: Transmitted to Governor (House)
- 2025-04-25: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2025-04-24: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2025-04-17: Returned from Enrolling (House)
- 2025-04-15: Sent to Enrolling (House)
- 2025-04-15: 3rd Reading (Senate)
- 2025-04-14: 2nd Reading (Senate)
- 2025-04-08: Committee Report (Senate)
- 2025-04-08: Committee Executive Action (Senate)
- 2025-03-18: Hearing (Senate)
- 2025-03-14: Referred to Committee (Senate)
- 2025-03-14: 1st Reading (Senate)
- 2025-03-06: Transmitted to Senate (House)
- 2025-03-06: 3rd Reading (House)
- 2025-03-04: 2nd Reading (House)
- 2025-02-28: Committee Report (House)
- 2025-02-27: Committee Executive Action (House)
- 2025-02-26: Hearing (House)
- 2025-02-19: 1st Reading (House)
- 2025-02-19: Referred to Committee (House)
- 2025-02-18: Introduced (House)

## Bill text

- Enrolled, 2025-04-16: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=2e76566c-ce52-446a-8483-08b52a07a631)
- Introduced, 2025-02-18: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=8f1b924a-daa8-48f4-abff-e4afa322c8af)

## Related bills

- SB 437: Revise definition of sex in Montana law (signed)
- HB 831: Increase elderly homeowner and renter income tax credit (vetoed)
- HB 628: Revise early literacy targeted intervention laws (vetoed)
- SB 410: Provide for Montana genomic security act (vetoed)
- SB 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program (vetoed)
- SB 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer (vetoed)

## Sources
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=2e76566c-ce52-446a-8483-08b52a07a631)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=8f1b924a-daa8-48f4-abff-e4afa322c8af)

## Related
- [SB 437: Revise definition of sex in Montana law](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB437-2025)
- [HB 831: Increase elderly homeowner and renter income tax credit](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB831-2025)
- [HB 628: Revise early literacy targeted intervention laws](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB628-2025)
- [SB 410: Provide for Montana genomic security act](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB410-2025)
- [SB 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB424-2025)
- [SB 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB422-2025)
- [Montana bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/montana/bills)
- [Montana state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/montana)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB554-2025 (as of 2026-10-12).