2-15-238. Honorees -- nominations -- selection -- certificate of proclamation -- speakers' bureau. (1) County commissioners may annually solicit nominations of persons who exemplify aspects of Montana's common culture from local groups in their county, including but not limited to senior citizens' groups, community centers, county historical societies, local art agencies, labor and trade organizations, schools, and other local groups.

(2) When a solicitation of nominations is completed, the county commissioners shall compile a list of nominees from their county and present the list to the governor. The governor shall select the honorees.

(3) Each honoree shall receive:

(a) a certificate signed by the governor proclaiming the honoree to be a "Treasure State Living Cultural Treasure"; and

(b) an invitation to be included in the speakers' bureau.

(4) The speakers' bureau is a registry, maintained by the governor's office, of the treasure state living cultural treasures honorees and the skills and areas for which each honoree is recognized and can be called upon as a resource for the school-age population and all other residents of the state. The registry may include a fee schedule that delineates the speaker's fee, reimbursement for travel costs and per diem, and any other necessary expenses, if any, to be paid to the speaker by the organizations and schools that arrange for the speaker's services.

(5) The governor's office shall send on an annual basis a copy of the registry to the superintendent of public instruction, who shall send a copy to each school district of the state.

(6) The superintendent of public instruction shall inform and encourage the school districts to use the registry to choose speakers in various areas of Montana's common culture as resources in furthering the knowledge of the school-age population in the state on the unique western culture of Montana.

(7) The registry is to be made available for a reasonable charge to any person in the state upon request.

(8) The Indian tribal governments are invited to participate in the treasure state living cultural treasures program and to submit nominees to the governor as provided in subsection (2). For the purposes of this subsection, "Indian tribal government" means an Indian tribe, nation, or other organized group or community located within the existing boundaries of Montana.