Legislature passes bill to build new Montana Heritage Center in Helena
A deep breath and perhaps a beer are now in order, according to Montana Historical Society Director Bruce Whittenberg.
A bill creating the Montana Museums Act of 2020 and authorizing construction and funding of the MHS’s Heritage Center project in Helena cleared the Legislature on Thursday by a 58-40 House vote. Senate Bill 338 carried by Sen. Terry Gauthier, R-Helena, increases state lodging sales and use tax from 3% to 4%, a measure expected to yield $9 million per year in full effect. The bill establishes a historic preservation grant program for museums around the state and directs 20% of lodging tax revenue to the Heritage Center project through the end of 2024.
The project includes construction of a new building adjoining the current MHS building near the Capitol, increasing available space by about 66,000 square feet. Whittenberg said earlier this session that Gauthier’s bill represented the best mechanism yet proposed to fund the project, for which the MHS began seeking state funding 14 years ago.
“I’m excited for all the state of Montana because this was truly the Montana Museums Act of 2020,” Whittenberg said. “So there’s so much in it for small museums and communities around the state, and it also helps us solve the problem with the Montana Historical Society.”
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