Cattle Theft Bill Becomes Law

Cattle Theft Bill Becomes Law

On April 28, 2009, Senate Bill 214, better known as the Cattle Theft Bill, became law. This bill set a minimum fine of not less than $5,000 or more than $50,000 for a person convicted of the theft of any commonly domesticated hoofed animal. This bill also allowed for a prison term not to exceed 10 years, or if deferred, the court shall order the offender to perform 416 hours of community service during a 1-year period, in the offender’s county of residence. In addition to the fine and imprisonment, the offender’s property is subject to criminal forfeiture pursuant.

This bill was the result of policy started at the local level from the Carter County Sheep and Cattle Growers, vetted through the MSGA policy process and finally through the Montana legislative session. This is a great example of the effective policy process MSGA has in place to address issues in our industry.
During the Session, this bill did face some real challenges and was met with some real opposition, with many thinking the penalties were too steep. MSGA took the lead on the bill, found acceptable compromises on the fine amounts and seizure of property and worked with both chambers to pass this legislation.
Many legislators did not realize the cattle theft is continuing occurrence in our industry. MSGA worked during the session to highlight some of the more recent cases in Poplar and Carter County to make our case. In the end, the point was made to the seriousness of this crime and Senate Bill 214 was passed into law.