House passes bill allowing for state veterans cemetery in northwest Montana

The Montana House of Representatives voted unanimously Jan. 10 in support of creating a state veterans cemetery in Northwest Montana.

Sponsored by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, House Bill 81 would set aside 150 acres of land adjacent to the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls for a future burial ground. The cemetery would be open to veterans in nine counties in the region, including Lincoln, Sanders, Flathead, Lake, Glacier, Toole, Pondera, Teton and Liberty.

Veterans cemeteries already exist in Fort Harrison in Lewis and Clark County as well as in Missoula and Miles City. Mitchell’s legislation would allow for a new cemetery in Flathead County and the door remains open for a burial ground in Yellowstone County.

The Montana Veterans Home, which is located in Columbia Falls, includes a cemetery, according to Mitchell, but it is open only to veterans who lived at the facility. If passed by the Senate, the bill will give veterans in the Flathead and surrounding areas an option to be buried closer to home.

“Any of those veterans that are in that area will have the availability to be buried at the state veterans cemetery, including their spouses if they wish,” Mitchell said.

According to the fiscal note, upon passage of the bill, the Department of Military Affairs and the Montana Veteran Affairs Division (MVAD) can apply for a grant from the federal Veterans Administration to develop the cemetery. The legislation calls for moving about $160,000 annually from cannabis tax revenue to pay to maintain and staff the grounds.

Because of the proposed funding scheme, the project is contingent on the approval of legislation that would provide an allocation of cannabis funds to MVAD, which is detailed in House Bill 2.

“These veterans deserve everything for their sacrifices,” Mitchell said in a statement after the bill passed the House. “It’s a great day for Flathead County, Northwest Montana and Montana as a whole.”