Rep. Tracy Sharp, a Republican from Polson, is asking his legislative colleagues to override Gov. Greg Gianforte’s veto of House Bill 643, requiring the State to up the reimbursement of local inmates awaiting transfer to Warm Springs…and he just might be successful. His bill passed with 147 of the 150 legislators voting for it.
The bill provided one-time funding of $5-million to reimburse counties holding mental health inmates awaiting space at the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs. We’re told our county detention centers are holding 338 state inmates awaiting transfer to the Department of Corrections facilities. Of those, about half are in need of mental health treatment.
In his veto letter, the Governor called the bill well intentioned, but a “Band-Aid” on the real problem, which is in the midst of getting fixed. On the KGEZ Good Morning Show, Gov. Gianforte tells us he gets it. He noted $300-million approved by the Legislature to shore up Warm Springs and re-open Community Mental Health Centers.
In Flathead County, the commissioners have been developing plans for a new, larger and more modern detention facility, which they’ll unveil at a July 1st News Conference.
