Governor Gianforte: “Montana is Veteran Strong”

Governor, advocates, veterans spotlight new law to attract retired military personnel to Montana

• November 08 2023

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.”

Gov. Gianforte joining veterans, business owners, and advocates at a press conference in Billings

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.

“Nobody is a better teacher than the military. I want to encourage those Master Sergeants, Sergeant Majors, Lieutenant Colonels, Colonels, and Generals to come to Montana for more than the scenery – come and contribute to our economy,” Sen. Fuller said.

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.

“Retirees typically are aged 39 to 42 and when they leave military service, they start careers or businesses. They are well-educated, they are drug-free, and they have their own health care. This was a great opportunity for us to bring more people to Montana to enhance our workforce and make sure we’ve got what we need,” Hagan said.

“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.

Jim Markel, a veteran and CEO of Red Oxx, shared, “My dad did 26 years in the military, retired in Billings, and I did my stint for four years. This probably would have been a big help for getting our business started. This is really like a head start, to be able to keep more of your capital, to reinvest into equipment, hire more people, or buy new buildings.”

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.