LAKE COUNTY, Mont. – A new state House bill is proposing financial compensation for Lake County to support law enforcement services on the Flathead Reservation.
The bill would provide reimbursement to the county for two years as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) transition to their own judicial system.
Lake County officials have expressed that policing and prosecuting on tribal land, which makes up 60% of the county's area, has been financially burdensome.
"This bill will allow for a smooth transition from where we are now to a successful state retrocession from Public Law 280, and then that will prop up as CSKT with its own judicial system," said a representative.
If the bill passes, Montana would allocate $5 million to Lake County over the next two years. This funding would support the establishment of a tribal court and tribal detention centers to enforce the law.
In the last legislative session, a similar measure was vetoed by the governor, who said it lacked financial responsibility.Â
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