Revise the trail stewardship grant program
SB 310 revises Montana’s existing trails and recreational facilities grant program and renames it the trail stewardship grant program. The bill keeps the program administered by the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and expands the types of projects that may receive funding. In addition to new trail and shared-use path construction and rehabilitation of existing trails, eligible projects would include trailside and trailhead facilities, trail-related projects, economic impact studies, feasibility and planning studies, safety and ethics education, trail data and conditions collection, and equipment purchases and maintenance.
The bill also sets a new funding apportionment for grant awards: 40% for motorized projects, 40% for nonmotorized projects, and 20% for projects that serve both uses. If one category does not use all of its money, the remaining balance may be shifted to another category. SB 310 allows grantees to request an advance payment of up to 75% when the grant is awarded, with the remaining 25% available after the first advance is spent and reported. It also allows recipients to use up to 7% of grant funds for administrative costs and requires unspent funds to revert after three years.
The bill amends section 23-2-109, MCA, and takes effect July 1, 2025. Its practical impact is to broaden the scope of trail-related work that can be funded under state law, create a more structured allocation among motorized and nonmotorized trail interests, and make grant administration more flexible for local governments, tribal governments, school districts, recreational groups, and state and federal agencies that apply for funding.
Overall, the bill appears to have received strong final support, especially in the House where concurrence votes were unanimous, and it ultimately advanced to chapter number assignment. Earlier Senate committee action showed some division, including a tied vote on one do-pass motion and a motion to table that failed, suggesting the policy changes were initially more contested before the bill moved forward. The final floor votes in both chambers indicate broad bipartisan acceptance of the measure.
The main points of contention appear to have centered on how grant funds should be divided among motorized, nonmotorized, and mixed-use trail projects, and whether the expanded list of eligible projects and advance-payment provisions were appropriate. Those concerns were most visible in the Senate committee process, while the later chamber votes suggest those issues were resolved or outweighed by support for improving trail funding and administration.
SB 310 amends Montana Code Annotated section 23-2-109 to revise the state’s trail and recreational facilities grant program into the trail stewardship grant program. It expands eligible applicants and project types, establishes mandatory funding percentages for motorized, nonmotorized, and mixed-use projects, authorizes advance grant payments, caps administrative expenses at 7%, and requires reversion of unspent funds after three years. The bill affects the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, grant recipients such as local governments, tribal governments, school districts, recreational organizations, and state and federal agencies, and the distribution of state trail grant funds.
The overall sentiment around SB 310 appears favorable. The bill passed both chambers and received unanimous concurrence votes in the House, indicating broad support for the revised trail grant structure. Earlier Senate committee votes were more mixed, suggesting some initial hesitation or debate, but the bill ultimately advanced with enough support to become law and receive chapter number assignment.
The main contention involved the allocation of grant funding among motorized, nonmotorized, and shared-use trail projects, with the bill setting a fixed 40/40/20 split and allowing unused balances to be reallocated. Another likely point of debate was the expansion of eligible uses to include planning studies, data collection, education, and equipment purchases, along with the new advance-payment authority. The Senate Fish and Game committee showed the most visible division, including a tied do-pass vote and an attempt to table the bill, while the House later supported concurrence unanimously.