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Montana Historical Society seeks removal of sunset dates on two special-revenue accounts
Summary
Representative Julie Darling, sponsor of House Bill 166, opened a committee hearing asking the House State Administration Committee to remove termination dates from two Montana Historical Society special‑revenue accounts so the agency can continue collecting membership revenue and donations for maintenance of the interior of the original governor’s mansion.
Representative Julie Darling, sponsor of House Bill 166, opened a committee hearing asking the House State Administration Committee to remove termination (sunset) dates from two Montana Historical Society special-revenue accounts so the agency can continue collecting membership revenue and donations for maintenance of the interior of the original governor's mansion.
The change sought in HB166 would remove the statutory end dates on (1) a historical-society membership special-revenue account and (2) the Montana original governor’s mansion special-revenue account. Emily McKeever, administrator for the Montana Historical Society, told the committee the accounts fund the agency’s membership program and the interior maintenance of the original governor’s mansion and that the accounts are tied to statutory authority for the society’s membership program and maintenance responsibilities. McKeever said those authorities were cited in testimony as “MCA 22-3-1074” for membership authority and as “MCA 2-17-806” (as referenced in testimony) regarding policies for the furnishings and maintenance of the original governor’s mansion.
McKeever said the Historical Society uses membership revenue to “facilitate and increase education and sharing of our history” and that the society has an arrangement with the General Services Division in which General Services maintains the exterior while the historical society maintains the interior of the original governor’s mansion. She told the committee the accounts allow the agency to collect donations specifically for interior maintenance and membership activities and that, if the termination dates are not removed, the society would need another source of funds to continue those activities.
Representative Byrne asked where the special-revenue account revenue comes from and how much it is. McKeever replied that the membership fund for fiscal 2026 is $129,438 and that the fiscal 2027 amount was described in testimony as a similar figure. Committee staff told members a fiscal note had been requested but was not yet available; the sponsor said the committee would not take final action on the bill until the fiscal note was posted.
The hearing record does not include a committee vote on HB166. The sponsor told the panel that removing the sunset would avoid repeated renewals and administrative burden by allowing the Historical Society to continue operations without returning to the Legislature for repeated reauthorization.
The committee closed the hearing on HB166 with a request that the fiscal note be supplied before further action.
