School choice, legislators with guns, veterans home spark debate at Montana Legislature

Montana lawmakers heard broad support last week for the construction of a new veterans home in Butte. During the final hearing on House Bill 14, which would fund a wide variety of infrastructure projects primarily through bonding, dozens of Montana veterans spoke to the shelter's necessity.

"It's time that we make a commitment to these veterans," said Rep. Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip, a Vietnam veteran. "If we're gonna send them, we've got to take care of them." Montana currently has two state-run homes for veterans. The Butte home was initially approved in 2009, when $5 million in funding was se...