2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 87. Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 1. Organization and Operation › Part 6. Finance › 87-1-601. Use of fish and game money

87-1-601. Use of fish and game money.
(1) (a) Except as provided in 87-1-290, 87-1-293, 87-1-623, and subsections (8) and (10) of this section, all money collected or received from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses or permits, from the sale of seized game or hides, from damages collected for violations of the fish and game laws of this state, or from appropriations or received by the department from any other state source must be turned over to the department of revenue and placed in the state special revenue fund to the credit of the department.
(b) Any money received from federal sources must be deposited in the federal special revenue fund to the credit of the department.
(c) All interest earned on money from the following sources must be placed in the state special revenue fund to the credit of the department:
(i) the general license account;
(ii) the license drawing account;
(iii) accounts established to administer the provisions of 87-1-246, 87-1-258, 87-1-605, 87-2-411, 87-2-722, and 87-2-724; and
(iv) money received from the sale of any other hunting and fishing license.
(2) Except as provided in 87-2-411, the money described in subsection (1) must be exclusively set apart and made available for the payment of all salaries, per diem, fees, expenses, and expenditures authorized to be made by the department under the terms of this title. The money described in subsection (1) must be spent for those purposes by the department, subject to appropriation by the legislature.
(3) Any reference to the fish and game fund in Title 87 means fish and game money in the state special revenue fund and the federal special revenue fund.
(4) Except as provided in subsections (8) and (9), all money collected or received from fines and forfeited bonds, except money collected or received by a justice's court, that relates to violations of state fish and game laws under Title 87 must be deposited by the department of revenue and credited to the department in a state special revenue fund account for this purpose. Out of any fine imposed by a court for the violation of the fish and game laws, the costs of prosecution must be paid to the county where the trial was held in any case in which the fine is not imposed in addition to the costs of prosecution.
(5) (a) Except as provided in 87-1-621, section 2(3), Chapter 560, Laws of 2005, and subsection (6) of this section, money must be deposited in an account in the permanent fund if it is received by the department from:
(i) the sale of surplus real property;
(ii) exploration or development of oil, gas, or mineral deposits from lands acquired by the department, except royalties or other compensation based on production; and
(iii) leases of interests in department real property not contemplated at the time of acquisition.
(b) The interest derived from the account, but not the principal, may be used only for the purpose of operation, development, and maintenance of real property of the department and only upon appropriation by the legislature. If the use of money as set forth in this section would result in violation of applicable federal laws or state statutes specifically naming the department or money received by the department, then the use of this money must be limited in the manner, method, and amount to those uses that do not result in a violation.
(6) Money received from the sale or lease of lands acquired and managed for the purposes of Title 23, chapter 1, must be deposited in the state special revenue fund in the account established for miscellaneous funds received for state parks and may be used only for the purposes of Title 23, chapter 1.
(7) Money received from the collection of license drawing applications is subject to the deposit requirements of 17-6-105(6) unless the department has submitted and received approval for a modified deposit schedule pursuant to 17-6-105(8).
(8) Money collected or received from fines or forfeited bonds for the violation of 77-1-801, 77-1-806, or rules adopted under 77-1-804 must be deposited in the state general fund.
(9) The department of revenue shall deposit in the state general fund one-half of the money received from the fines imposed pursuant to Title 87, chapter 6.
(10) The department shall deposit all money received from the voluntary search and rescue donation in 87-2-202 in a state special revenue account to the credit of the department for search and rescue purposes as provided for in 10-3-801.
History: En. Sec. 21, Ch. 193, L. 1921; re-en. Sec. 3670, R.C.M. 1921; amd. Sec. 32, Ch. 59, L. 1927; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 53, L. 1933; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 114, L. 1945; amd. Sec. 159, Ch. 147, L. 1963; amd. Sec. 17, Ch. 511, L. 1973; amd. Sec. 13, Ch. 417, L. 1977; R.C.M. 1947, 26-121; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 640, L. 1979; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 388, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 45, Ch. 281, L. 1983; amd. Sec. 62, Ch. 557, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 41, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 339, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 609, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 417, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 487, Ch. 418, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 31, Ch. 389, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 33, Ch. 34, L. 2001; amd. Sec. 45, Ch. 257, L. 2001; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 381, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 7, Ch. 534, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 326, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 15, Ch. 560, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 332, L. 2007; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 420, L. 2007; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 330, L. 2009; amd. Sec. 3, I.M. No. 161, approved Nov. 2, 2010; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 62, L. 2011; amd. Sec. 88, Ch. 258, L. 2011; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 390, L. 2011; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 83, L. 2013; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 153, L. 2021; amd. Sec. 7, Ch. 563, L. 2021.