Joint resolution urging the governor to withdraw from Public Law 280

This joint resolution urges Montana's governor to withdraw the state from Public Law 280 (PL-280) and transfer criminal jurisdiction over the Flathead Indian Reservation to the federal government and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT). It directly addresses Lake County, which bears over $174,000 monthly in costs for managing PL-280-related inmates since 1965 without state reimbursement. The resolution cites Lake County’s legal right to cease enforcing state obligations under PL-280 and notes that the Flathead Reservation is the only Montana reservation under PL-280, unlike other tribes with federal jurisdiction. The resolution formally requests the governor initiate this transfer of policing, jailing, and judicial authority.