Latest news with #SenateStateAdministrationCommittee
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Governor's mansion' won't be studied, but legislators have input on residence
A postcard of the Montana's Governor Mansion which was built in 1959 and is located at 2 Carson Street in Helena. Should the 'governor's mansion' be converted into a roller rink? What about a dorm for legislators with children? Those were a couple of ideas legislators brought up in the Senate on Monday before the body voted 23-27 against Senate Joint Resolution 45, which called for a study to determine a use for the vacant executive residence. Historically, the governors of Montana have resided in the 'governor's mansion,' a 12,000 square foot home at 2 N. Carson St. that's part of the Capitol Complex. But Gov. Greg Gianforte has his own residence in Helena, the official executive residence has been vacant for at least three years, and it's in disrepair, according to reports to legislative committees. In 2019 and 2021, the Montana Legislature appropriated a total $2.3 million for upgrades, but bids for upgrades came in higher, as much as $3.6 million instead, according to state officials. In the meantime, resolution sponsor Sen. Mary Ann Dunwell, D-Helena, said maintenance is costing taxpayers $100,000 a year, and it's time for a plan. Legislators have said interest in the property is high, at least among the citizens of Helena and some history lovers. 'We have, as you recall, $2.3 million sitting in an account that's not being used to renovate, in some way, this building,' Dunwell said. In a separate bill that didn't pass earlier this session, Dunwell had suggested the residence be used as a rental for legislative staff, with priority for those with disabilities. At the time, at least one member of the Senate State Administration Committee suggested a study might be in order instead. On the floor Monday, Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, said it's clear the building just needs to be torn down, and he shared one idea to save maintenance money. 'I'll do the maintenance for $50,000 a year,' Hertz said. Sen. Jacinda Morigeau, D-Arlee, reminded the Senate of another related plan. In January 2024, the Governor's Office said Gov. Greg Gianforte and Susan Gianforte bought the historic Hauser Mansion in Helena, and they plan to donate it to the state 'following my service.' But Morigeau said legislators can help the governor decide what to do with the Carson Street mansion, and she encouraged senators to vote yes on the study. 'I want to see it turned into – I don't know – a roller rink?' Morigeau said. Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, said he thought a dorm for legislators would be great, and he'd call dibs on a room. Although the Senate opposed the study, Sen. Wendy McKamey, R-Great Falls, said the Capitol Complex Advisory Council already meets about the area, the group includes legislators, and the question doesn't require an entire study. 'It's not like the legislature does not have a voice in this. We do,' McKamey said. However, in committee earlier this month, McKamey also noted the history contained in the house. She mentioned some 'two dozen hand needle-pointed chairs,' which she said need to be preserved. Dunwell said she had been advised the chairs were in storage. In the hearing about the resolution, the Senate State Administration Committee heard the cost of getting the residence in shape — between $3.2 million and $3.6 million. Director Misty Ann Giles had offered a piece of advice for anyone walking around in the unoccupied 'governor's mansion' owned by the state. 'If you do go over there, please don't take off your shoes,' said Giles, head of the Department of Administration. The carpet is from the 1950s, the plumbing is shot, the kitchen is 'barely functional,' it needs $180,000 worth of asbestos abatement, and the committee learned more about the general 'disarray' at the hearing. In response, Sen. Bob Phalen, R-Lindsay, had a question of his own to state officials. 'So how much would you take for it?' Phalen asked.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Montana Senators back Indigenous Peoples' Day legislation
Montana Sen. Shane Morigeau, D-Missoula, delivers the rebuttal to the governor's State of the State address on Jan. 13, 2025. (Micah Drew/ Daily Montanan) Salish and Kootenai Sen. Shane Morigeau said the conversation around recognizing Indigenous Peoples' Day in Montana has changed during the years. The Missoula Democrat introduced similar measures during the 2021 and 2023 sessions, but both failed to make it to the Senate floor for a vote. 'I think I got yelled at last session,' Morigeau told his colleagues in the Senate on Tuesday. 'So I'm happy this dynamic has finally changed.' Morigieau introduced Senate Bill 224 to recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day on the second Monday of October as a legal holiday in Montana, in addition to recognizing Columbus Day the same day. The bill passed out of the Senate State Administration Committee in a 6-3 vote last week after a hearing Morigeau said was one of the best he'd ever had in the Capitol. While previous efforts to recognize the holiday focused on the harms Christopher Columbus brought on the Indigenous communities living in the Americas half a millennia ago, Morigeau said conversations this session have focused on celebrating the ancestral lineage of all Montanans. 'It's a day that is shaped and molded by each community and how each community wants to celebrate the day,' he told his colleagues. 'I think what this bill does is it really asks people to look in the mirror and just learn about yourself, learn about others, and take the time to celebrate each other.' The biggest change to the legislation from previous versions is sharing the holiday with Christopher Columbus Day, rather than replacing it entirely. Longtime legislator Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, told reporters before the Senate floor session that he was optimistic the bill would pass, even when it had been repeatedly voted down in the past, because supporters decided they have to 'give a little.' 'If that's the compromise that's going to happen, then so be it,' Windy Boy said. 'I mean Columbus just came here in 1492. We've been here centuries and centuries and generations and generations ago. Why can't we recognize that?' The co-celebration of the two holidays in October is done in Rhode Island, Nebraska and Alabama, while four states and Washington D.C. have established Indigenous Peoples' Day as a standalone state holiday. Morigeau said organizers for Indigenous Peoples' Day in Montana have met twice a month for the last two years to discuss how to properly recognize the shared heritage of Montanans. He said thousands of Montanans already celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day with many cities recognizing it, and this bill gives individuals the chance to 'celebrate what they want.' Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, said history is complicated but doesn't always have to be a 'one side's right, one side's wrong' decision. 'I think this is an easy win, where we can, you know, do what you want and maybe you can indulge in both sides of the coin instead of choosing one or the other,' he said. 'You can say, 'You know, we are all here because of Columbus and that history, but other people were here prior.' Everybody wins.' The legislation faces a final procedural vote in the Senate on Wednesday and will head to the House for further consideration. 'I know there's a heavy emphasis on Montana Native, because there's a lot of Montana Native people here, Indigenous people here that have tribes and roots here,' Morigeau said. 'But I genuinely mean it when we're trying to celebrate the shared history and values of all Montanans … We do pride ourselves on our past.' The bill made one additional change to recognized state holidays by updating 'Lincoln's and Washington's Birthdays' to 'Presidents' Day.'
