Montana Shooting Sports Association (MSSA), a Missoula based political action group, last week announced plans to present an initiative to Montana voters that would repeal a controversial new law requiring Social Security numbers on hunting, fishing and trapping licenses.

The final draft of the proposed initiative was approved by Montana State Legislative Services Division, and has been presented to the Montana Secretary of State^Òs office for final review, MSSA President Gary Marbut said. Once the secretary of state^Òs office gives the initiative its stamp of approval, MSSA will begin the process of circulating petitions to gather the 19,862 signatures necessary to have the initiative placed on November^Òs ballot.

MSSA^Òs proposed initiative is in response to federally mandated legislation passed during the 1999 session that requires Social Security numbers for not only hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses, but also for most occupational licenses and commercial drivers' licenses. The proposed initiative will only attempt to repeal the portion of the law requiring social security numbers for hunting fishing and trapping licenses, Marbut said.

Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MDFWP) Information Officer Diane Tipton said the law was enacted to bring Montana into compliance with a 1997 federal amendment to the Social Security Act. The Social Security numbers on the licenses paired with a current address and will be used as a locating tool for state child support enforcement officials.

^ÓWe^Òre just carrying it out,^Ô Tipton said. ^ÓThis isn^Òt directed toward hunters.^Ô

MDFWP offices have not received many complaints on the new requirement, she added, and most of the calls she^Òs had on the issue are from individuals questioning why a Social Security number is required.

Had 1999 legislators not enacted the law, Montana would have lost $116 million in federal assistance over two years, said Mary Ann Wellbank, Administrator of the Child Support Enforcement Division of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Most affected, if federal funding were cut, would be Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the state's Child Support Enforcement Division. If any portion of the new Montana law is repealed, Wellbank said, the state would no longer be in compliance and risks the loss of federal funding.

^ÓIf anyone wants to change the law, they would have to do it in congress,^Ô she added.

Although the new law affects only a portion of the state's population ^× primarly hunters and anglers ^× Marbut said he feels it is a privacy issue that all Montanans should be concerned about.

^ÓWhen we first started, it didn^Òt really manifest itself as a gun issue or a hunting issue, it really is a privacy issue,^Ô he said. Identity theft ^× a crime whose opportunity can be just a name and a Social Security number ^× is a major concern, he added, since those who want licenses have no option of withholding their personal identification numbers.

While nearly unheard of in Montana, identity theft can completely ruin a person^Òs financial and personal life, Marbut said.

Tipton and Wellbank both said the two state agencies will maintain high levels of confidentiality and security, and the numbers will only be available to child support enforcement staff. But Marbut said the only sure way for an individual to avoid identity theft is to never give out his or her social security number.

Rep. Gay Ann Masolo (R-Townsend) said she voted for the new law during the 1999 session but felt lawmakers had little choice but to comply because Montana relies so heavily on federal money for its state welfare programs.

Masolo said the issue had started to brew during the 1997 session, when lawmakers adopted legislation suspending licenses for non-payment of child support. At that time, lawmakers commissioned a study to determine if Montana could operate without the $116 million in federal funding. The study reported that, in the absence of the funding, many of Montana^Òs public assistance programs would be unable to operate.

^ÓI sympathize with the privacy argument, but I feel very strongly that fathers should take part in their children^Òs lives and take responsibility,^Ô Masolo said.