Sidney "Chip" Fitzpatrick
Leadership & Public Service
Experience That Reaches Beyond the State Capitol
Serving House District 42 and bringing experience to key committees affecting jobs, transportation, natural resources, tribal communities, rural Montana, and urban constituents.
Sidney "Chip" Fitzpatrick's public service did not begin when he was elected to the Montana House. His experience spans county government, the Crow Nation, law enforcement, statewide boards, national county leadership, economic development, nonprofit governance and community service. That background gives Chip a practical understanding of how decisions made in Helena affect families, local governments, tribal nations, businesses and rural communities on the ground.
State Representative
Montana House District 42, 69th Legislature
4× County Commission Chair
Big Horn County — 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019
Crow Tribal Legislator
Crow Tribal Legislature, Reno District
Montana Coal Board Vice Chair
Appointed statewide board service
National County & Tribal Relations
NACo Finance, Pensions & Intergovernmental Affairs
Nonprofit & Community Board Leadership
VOA Northern Rockies, HRDC, Beartooth RC&D and more
Current Elected Office
Serving House District 42
Chip was elected to the Montana House of Representatives in 2024 and began representing House District 42 during the 69th Montana Legislature in 2025. His district includes communities such as Crow Agency, Lodge Grass, Wyola, Pryor, portions of Billings, and surrounding rural communities — representing rural Montana, tribal communities, and urban constituents in Helena.
69th Montana Legislature
Current Legislative Service
House Business & Labor Committee
Working on issues affecting Montana employers, employees, businesses, workforce development and the economic environment in which communities grow.
House Transportation Committee
Serving on issues involving Montana's roads, transportation infrastructure and the connections rural communities depend upon for commerce, public safety and access to services.
House Fish, Wildlife & Parks Committee
Helping address issues involving wildlife, outdoor resources, public access and policies that can intersect with tribal sovereignty, treaty interests and Montana's rural way of life.
Joint Committee on Fish & Wildlife
Serving in legislative discussions involving fish and wildlife policy and issues affecting Montana communities, outdoor resources and tribal interests.
Montana American Indian Caucus
As a Crow legislator, Chip is a member of the Montana American Indian Caucus, working alongside Native legislators from across Montana on issues important to Indian Country and the state as a whole.
Previous Elected Service
County Leadership
Before serving in the Montana Legislature, Chip spent years working in Big Horn County government as a Big Horn County Commissioner, representing a county that includes the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations along with rural, agricultural and small-town communities.
His county work involved budgets, public safety, infrastructure, economic development, natural resources, health and human services, and county and tribal government relationships.
4×
Chairman, Big Horn County Board of Commissioners
His fellow commissioners selected him to chair the board in 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2019.
Previous Elected Service
Tribal Leadership
Crow Tribal Legislature — Reno District
Chip was elected to serve in the Crow Tribal Legislature representing the Reno District. That experience gave Chip firsthand understanding of tribal government in addition to his experience in county and state government.
Few legislators come to Helena having worked from all three perspectives:
That experience helps Chip understand the importance of tribal sovereignty, intergovernmental cooperation and making sure Native communities have a voice when policies affecting them are considered.
Appointed Board Service
Statewide Leadership
Vice Chairman — Montana Coal Board
Chip was appointed to the Montana Coal Board and served as Vice Chairman. The Montana Coal Board works with communities affected by coal development and the economic impacts associated with the industry.
For Big Horn County and southeastern Montana, those issues include local jobs, county revenue, essential services, infrastructure, economic transition and long-term economic diversification.
Chip's work on the Coal Board gave him direct experience with the challenge of protecting communities today while preparing them for economic change tomorrow.
Association Leadership
Montana & National County Leadership
Montana Association of Counties
Justice & Public Safety Committee
Energy Committee
Chair — MACo Reservation Counties (2016–2017)
As Chair of MACo Reservation Counties (2016–2017), Chip helped bring the concerns of Montana counties containing tribal lands into statewide county-government discussions.
National Association of Counties
Vice Chair — County & Tribal Government Relations Subcommittee
Finance, Pensions & Intergovernmental Affairs Policy Steering Committee · Beginning 2017
This role brought county and tribal government relationships into a national policy setting and gave Chip experience working with leaders beyond Montana. It reflects a recurring theme throughout his service: improving cooperation between governments rather than allowing jurisdictional boundaries to prevent communities from solving problems.
Career Background
Law Enforcement & Public Safety
Long before entering the Montana Legislature, Chip served in law enforcement.
Bureau of Indian Affairs Law Enforcement
Big Horn County Undersheriff
That firsthand public-safety experience gives Chip an understanding of the challenges facing law enforcement, rural communities and tribal communities — including jurisdiction, staffing, emergency response, public-safety resources and cooperation among tribal, county, state and federal agencies.
Nonprofit & Community Board Leadership
Board & Volunteer Leadership
For Chip, public service has never been limited to holding elected office. Throughout his career, he has served on nonprofit, community, health, economic-development and intergovernmental boards and committees — bringing the perspectives of rural Montana, Big Horn County, the Crow community, and urban southeastern Montana to organizations working to strengthen people and communities.
Governing / Executive Board
Volunteers of America Northern Rockies
VOA Northern Rockies serves communities across Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota through programs addressing homelessness, housing, behavioral health, veterans services, addiction recovery and support for vulnerable individuals and families. For Chip, this work reflects a belief that leadership is not only about making policy — it is also about helping organizations serve people when they need help the most.
Advisory Board
Apsáalooke Energy Justice Project
This initiative brings together Apsáalooke community leaders, Montana State University, Little Big Horn College and other partners to address energy transition, economic diversification, workforce opportunities, community development, protection of Apsáalooke cultural knowledge and long-term economic opportunity. Chip brings experience in tribal government, county government, energy issues and economic development to the advisory board.
Board of Trustees — Big Horn County
District 7 Human Resource Development Council
HRDC works throughout south-central Montana to help individuals and families address barriers related to poverty and self-sufficiency through programs involving housing, energy assistance, food, employment, community resources and family support. Serving on the board gave Chip another opportunity to connect county leadership with the everyday needs of families throughout the region.
Board Service
Beartooth Resource Conservation & Development
Beartooth RC&D works across south-central Montana in economic development, small-business assistance, agriculture, conservation, rural development and community development. Chip's participation helped bring Big Horn County and Crow Reservation perspectives into regional economic-development discussions.
Board Service
Big Horn County Health and Hospital Board
That experience brought together his county-government background and his longstanding interest in improving access to health services. Health care can be especially challenging in rural and tribal communities where distance, limited services and health disparities can make timely care difficult.
Committee Service
South-Central Juvenile Detention Committee
His service brought together regional public-safety, youth and justice concerns and complemented his earlier law-enforcement experience and county-government responsibilities.
Committee Service
Tribal Wellness Committee
Chip has served on a Tribal Wellness Committee, continuing a pattern of involvement in health, prevention and stronger communities within the Crow community — presented as part of his broader commitment to community health.
Chairman — Cultural Advisory Committee
Love and SONShine Ministries
Chip serves as Chairman of the Cultural Advisory Committee for Love and SONShine Ministries, bringing his deep roots in the Crow community and his experience across tribal, county and state government to help guide the organization's cultural work.
Serving Elders & Community Health
Chip has worked with Messengers for Health, including service supporting elders. His work has included helping elders and community members navigate health needs and connecting people with support. This service builds on Chip's broader involvement in health, wellness and community advocacy.
Investing in the Next Generation
Not every leadership role comes with an official title. Chip has also volunteered his time working directly with young people, including serving as an intramural basketball referee and coach for fifth- and sixth-grade boys and girls at Hardin Intermediate School.
That kind of service reflects an important part of Chip's approach to leadership: investing personally in the people and communities he represents.
Community & Economic Development
Across county government, tribal government, regional organizations and community boards, Chip has repeatedly worked on the issues that determine whether rural communities can remain strong:
These experiences give Chip a practical understanding that economic development is not simply about attracting a business. It is about building the conditions that allow families and communities to thrive.
Leadership Across Government
Chip has spent his career seeing public problems from multiple perspectives. That matters because rural Montana, tribal communities, and urban constituents rarely face problems that fit neatly within the boundaries of one agency or one level of government.
Tribal Government
County Government
State Government
Law Enforcement
Nonprofit Governance
Community Service
Transportation affects economic development.
Economic development affects jobs.
Jobs affect families.
Health affects workforce participation.
Public safety crosses jurisdictions.
Natural-resource decisions affect culture, sovereignty and local economies.
Effective leadership requires understanding how those pieces connect.
A Record of Showing Up
Chip's leadership experience reaches from the Montana Capitol to county government, the Crow Nation, law enforcement, nonprofit organizations and community boards.
Serving House District 42 and bringing experience to key committees affecting jobs, transportation, natural resources, tribal communities, rural Montana, and urban constituents, he also brings decades of experience working alongside organizations responsible for health, public safety, economic opportunity, youth, elders and families.
"Leadership means more than holding office. It means showing up, serving people and being willing to do the work."