Tester pursues next steps for new veterans home

Senator meets with veterans in Butte, pledges support as plans move forward

(BUTTE, Mont.) – Meeting with veterans leaders from across southwest Montana, Senator Jon Tester today laid out the next steps for a new southwest Montana veterans home planned for Butte.

On Thursday, a committee of Montanans tasked with picking a location for a new southwest Montana veterans home unanimously selected Butte.  The home promises to bring as many as 100 new jobs to Butte with millions of dollars in yearly economic impact.

Tester—Montana’s only member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee—met with veterans community leaders today to talk about the next steps for the project including construction and funding.

“Plans for this home mean a lot for veterans from southwest Montana,” said Montana State Representative Jon Sesso, a long-time advocate of the veterans’ home. “Now as we look toward the future, we have a friend in Senator Jon Tester who will fight for this project every step of the way.”

“This is good news for all veterans across southwest Montana,” Tester said.  “We’re set to hit the ground running to move this project forward and make sure our veterans get the support they’ve earned.”

Tester pledged to work with the Veterans Administration to ensure adequate funding for veterans home construction in the fiscal year 2012 budget.

He also pledged to work with his colleagues on the influential Senate Appropriations Committee to ensure the necessary support for such projects.

Sixty-five percent of the cost of construction of state-run veterans’ homes can be funded by federal grants while 35 percent can be funded by the state.