HELENA – Following Governor Greg Gianforte’s State of the State address, Attorney General Austin Knudsen issued the following statement:

“I am grateful to Governor Gianforte for joining me in prioritizing public safety, specifically a salary increase for Montana Highway Patrol troopers, this legislative session. Our troopers work tirelessly to keep our communities safe. We must make sure they can afford to support their families so we can retain the troopers we have and recruit new troopers.

“I also join the Governor in supporting judicial reform, including partisan judicial elections. The radical left has funneled money into many of Montana’s judicial races in order to influence nearly every judicial decision in recent history that does not align with Montanans’ values. Montanans deserve to know who they are voting for.”