Montana Legislature

Montana legislators hear state of tribal affairs

Posted: Mar 8, 2013 7:37 PM by Lindsey Gordon - MTN News

In a joint legislative session on Friday afternoon, the Chairman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Joe Durglo, addressed the governor and state lawmakers.

Durglo spoke about the importance of supporting legislation that would help tribes; like Senate Bill 342, which would help preserve native languages.

He also mentioned Senate Bill 231, which would increase the tax threshold for tribal recreational property.

"Today, all eight nations are experiencing successes our ancestors would hardly believe. Yet there's much work remaining. We must focus on economic development, job creation, education, and health care. Continued cooperative agreements between the tribes and state will help improve the economic conditions of the reservations, which will in turn benefit Montana's economy and communities," said Durglo.

Durglo stressed that as reservation conditions improve, so does Montana.

To learn more about SB 342, click here.

For more info on SB 231, click here.