Photo illustration by Getty Images.
Attorney General Austin Knudsen committed to Lake County Commissioners on Monday he would support legislation to fund law enforcement on the Flathead Indian Reservation and would serve as a mediator between the county and the governor’s office.
Knudsen said he’s met with the governor’s office on the issue of funding public safety in Lake County, and relayed Gov. Greg Gianforte and Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras would support legislation to send money to the county for law enforcement.
But commissioners expressed doubt in the governor’s commitment, as Gianforte vetoed legislation in 2023 that would have sent $5 million to the county.
“Right now, I do not trust our governor at all,” said Commissioner Bill Barron. “We’re just up against a wall.”
A spokesperson for the governor’s office said the governor had been “clear and consistent on this matter,” pointing to the veto letter for the legislation where the governor said he nixed the bill because there weren’t restrictions on what the funding could be used for .
The state assumed criminal jurisdiction over the Flathead Reservation in 1963 under an agreement passed by Congress called Public Law 280. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have handled misdemeanor offenses since the 1990s. The federal government oversees crimes on other reservations in the state.
The county has provided law enforcement through the terms of this agreement for years, but commissioners have in recent years said they can no longer afford to keep doing so at an estimated annual cost of $4 million.
Gianforte vetoed a 2023 bill that would have funded the effort and most recently told commissioners the only tool left for him is to pull out of the agreement entirely.
The county is set to withdraw from the agreement May 20, with the governor expected to