Senate passes bill to move a Public Law 280 funding vehicle to House after committee hearing

Senators on the Finance and Claims Committee on Monday advanced Senate Bill 393, a shell bill described by sponsor Senator Greg Hurts as a vehicle to carry appropriations to reimburse local governments and support a transition of felony criminal jurisdiction on the Flathead Reservation.

Hurts, Senate District 7, said the bill would allow the Legislature to get a funding vehicle over to the House, where appropriations must start. "It's a vehicle. It's a shell," he said, adding the goal is to get a mechanism in place so the House can insert appropriation language and the Senate can later review the details.

The lieutenant governor, Kyrastin Juras, spoke for the governor's office in support and framed the measure as a one-time transition fund rather than ongoing state support. "The governor supports a one-time-only solution to help both the tribes and the state transition," Juras…