U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will speak at a brunch in Missoula on July 26 on behalf of Western Progress.

Pelosi, the first woman elected as U.S. House speaker, had wanted to "come out West and help Western Progress,'' said former U.S. Rep. Pat Williams, D-Mont., northern office director of Western Progress. Pelosi will be in Montana then to attend a wedding.

"She wants to talk about the renewed importance of progressive policy solutions in the West and the renewed significance of the West in national politics, both Democratic and Republican,'' Williams said.

Pelosi also will discuss the House policy issue schedule for the rest of the year.

The brunch will be at the Hilton Garden Inn. Tickets are $15 apiece, and reservations may be made by calling (406) 829-6603.

Williams said Western Progress doesn't expect to make money off the $15 tickets, but he hopes the event will encourage some major donations.

"Nancy and I are 20-year friends,'' Williams said. "She came in the House in 1987. We had five terms together. The irony of it is when I left to return to Montana, Nancy moved into my office.''

Since January 2007, Pelosi has occupied the House speaker's office.

She is the sixth House speaker to visit Montana over the past 20 years. Other speakers visiting Montana, usually to campaign in congressional races, were Speakers Thomas P. "Tip'' O'Neill, D-Mass.; James C. Wright, D-Texas; Thomas Foley, D-Wash.; Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.; and Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.

Western Progress is a nonpartisan, eight-state group that advocates "progressive solutions in the Rocky Mountain states.'' It has offices in Phoenix, Denver and Missoula.