HELENA, Mont.—At the request of Senate President Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, and Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Bozeman, the Senate Committee on Committees (COC) met Monday and removed Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, from his assigned interim committees and appointed replacement senators.
COC appointed Sen. Jacinda Morigeau, D-Arlee, to fill Windy Boy’s seat on the State-Tribal Relations Interim Committee and Sen. Laura Smith, D-Helena, to assume his place on the Senate Finance & Claims and Section E Interim Budget Committees.
Regier, with the support of Flowers, also rescinded Windy Boy’s appointment to the School Funding Interim Commission and appointed Sen. Dave Fern, D-Whitefish, to fill that seat.
Regier and Flowers also reiterated their calls for Windy Boy to resign from the Senate because of his pattern of repeated sexual harassment, with known instances and credible allegations dating back over two decades, including sexually explicit and harassing communication to minors and to legislative staff.
“We’re taking the steps within our authority to hold Senator Windy Boy accountable for his actions and protect the integrity of the Montana Senate, including stripping him of all appointed responsibilities for the remainder of the current legislative cycle,” Regier and Flowers said. “Sen. Windy Boy still needs to do the right thing and completely resign from public office.”
