State of Montana Newsroom
Governor Gianforte Concludes 56 County Tour in Broadwater and Lewis and Clark Counties
LINCOLN, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today concluded his fifth annual 56 County Tour as governor, visiting a small business in Broadwater County and holding a ceremonial bill signing with volunteer firefighters in Lewis and Clark County.
The visits mark the end of the governor’s annual tour visiting each of Montana’s 56 counties to meet with small business owners, family farms and ranches, agricultural producers, legislators, local leaders, veterans, and students. This year’s tour was Gov. Gianforte’s ninth time visiting each county since taking public office.
“Since taking office, we’ve made historic progress to make Montana the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” Gov. Gianforte said. “From making historic investments in public safety, to supporting small business owners and all Montanans through historic tax relief, we’re making our communities stronger now and into the future.”
Gov. and First Lady Gianforte visiting Goosebay Glass in Townsend
In Broadwater County, the governor visited Townsend to highlight a family-owned business on main street that’s been open for over two decades. At Goose Bay Handblown Glass, owners Jim and Terry Gunderson have created handblown glass pieces for customers in Montana, across the country, and around the world since 2002.
Their Townsend storefront features glass items for purchase and showcases the work of other Montana artists and their products including jewelry, woodworks, crochet, and other hand-crafted items. The business also offers one-on-one classes for Montanans interested in learning about glass blowing as well as field trips visits for schools.
During a visit, Gov. and First Lady Gianforte watched a demonstration of the glassblowing process and visited the Gunderson’s on the history and success of their business. To learn more about Goose Bay Handblown Glass, visit their website here.
Gov. Gianforte and Rep. Llew Jones holding a ceremonial bill signing in Lincoln
In Lewis and Clark County, the governor joined Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, to highlight two new laws that bolster Montana’s resources to fight wildfire.
Holding a bill signing ceremony at the Lincoln Fire Hall, the governor met with firefighters and emergency responders before ceremonially signing House Bill 127, a bill that continues historic investments in resources to fight wildfire, and House Bill 130, a bill that allows the state to bill the agency responsible for the land where a wildfire occurred to be reimbursed for state or county costs associated with suppressing the fire. Both bills are sponsored by Rep. Jones.
“Before House Bill 127, we had to depend on the federal government for assets to fight fires. Now, Montana has its own aerial resources on hand to increase firefighting capacity from suppression to spotting fires early before they spread,” Rep. Jones said.
“Through House Bill 130, we are able to work with DNRC to respond quickly to all fire starts to execute an aggressive initial attack regardless of who owns the land of where the fire started,” Jones continued.
Since taking office, the governor has made investments in the state’s wildfire response resources a top priority. Signing House Bill 883 into law in 2023, DNRC was allocated $60 million over the biennium to significantly increase the pace and scale of management practices that improve forest health, reduce wildfire risk, and increase wildfire preparedness. House Bill 127 was officially signed into law in April 2025 to continue these important investments.
You can view a recording of the ceremonial bill signing here.
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