BILLINGS, Mont. – Joining veterans, business owners, legislators, and advocates, Governor Greg Gianforte today highlighted a new law to support veterans and attract retired military personnel to Montana.
“When veterans move or come home to Montana, our communities benefit, and our state is stronger,” Gov. Gianforte said. “We needed to make Montana more competitive to veterans, and thanks to support from our partners in the legislature and countless advocates, we got it done.”
At a press conference at Red Oxx, a second-generation veteran-owned business in Billings, the governor highlighted Senate Bill 104, sponsored by Sen. John Fuller, R-Kalispell, that exempts up to 50 percent of military retirement pay from the state income tax.
The governor signed the bill into law this spring and will go into effect January 1, 2024.
Several of the bill’s proponents joined the governor for the press conference including Roger Hagan, a veteran and Legislative Chairman of the Montana Department of the American Legion, and Tim Sheehy, a veteran and CEO of Bridger Aerospace.
“We have one of the top per capita veteran populations in the nation, so it was overdue for Montana to catch up – it got done thanks to the leadership of our legislature and the governor,” Sheehy said. “The reality is our veterans come home, they know how to get a mission done, they know how to work as a team, they’re highly trained, and they’re ready to go to work. Veterans are ready to step in and drive our economy forward.”
“It’s no secret that veterans are exceptionally qualified in their fields. They make outstanding employees and many are entrepreneurs,” Gov. Gianforte said.
Tearing down barriers to opportunity for our veterans, providing incentives for employers to hire veterans, and ensuring services are available to veterans for them to thrive are key elements of Governor Gianforte’s Montana Comeback Plan.
This article comes from the Office of the Governor.