(The Center Square) – Six state attorneys general called on the nonprofit climate company Ceres, Inc. to halt all conduct they say is in violation of antitrust and consumer protection laws. The attorneys general, led by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, sent a letter to Ceres’ CEO Mindy Lubber calling on the company to refrain Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has joined a coalition of 23 state attorneys general in support of the Trump Administration’s effort to revise a Biden-era federal rule that they argue unlawfully imposed a political agenda and threatened funding for state disability programs. In a letter submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Read More…
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) and former U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D., Mont.) are reportedly recruiting University of Montana President Seth Bodnar to enter this year’s U.S. Senate race in Montana, potentially as an independent candidate. Despite indications he may run as independent, Bodnar’s extensive ties to Democrats at both the state and Read More…
President Trump and Congressional Republicans have enacted the Working Families Tax Cuts, a landmark pro-life, pro-family package designed to empower parents, support children, and expand opportunities for working families across the nation. The legislation removes financial barriers that often discourage parents from choosing life and ensures families have the resources needed to provide for their Read More…
(The Center Square) – Six state attorneys general called on the nonprofit climate company Ceres, Inc. to halt all conduct they say is in violation of antitrust and consumer protection laws. The attorneys general, led by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, sent a letter to Ceres’ CEO Mindy Lubber calling on the company to refrain Read More…
President Donald Trump has signed three pieces of legislation aimed at improving services, support, and accountability for veterans. The new laws address housing, funding transparency, and vocational training for those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act (H.R. 224) amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has joined a coalition of 23 state attorneys general in support of the Trump Administration’s effort to revise a Biden-era federal rule that they argue unlawfully imposed a political agenda and threatened funding for state disability programs. In a letter submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Read More…
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) and former U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D., Mont.) are reportedly recruiting University of Montana President Seth Bodnar to enter this year’s U.S. Senate race in Montana, potentially as an independent candidate. Despite indications he may run as independent, Bodnar’s extensive ties to Democrats at both the state and Read More…
President Trump and Congressional Republicans have enacted the Working Families Tax Cuts, a landmark pro-life, pro-family package designed to empower parents, support children, and expand opportunities for working families across the nation. The legislation removes financial barriers that often discourage parents from choosing life and ensures families have the resources needed to provide for their Read More…
(The Center Square) – The U.S. House finished the last of its fiscal year 2026 appropriations work Thursday with the passage of the last four government funding bills, sending them over to the Senate for final approval. The upper chamber has until Jan. 30 to pass the bills, which provide a total of $1.2 trillion Read More…
A new poll indicates incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke enters the 2026 election cycle with a substantial advantage over the top two potential Democratic challengers, according to survey results released this week. The poll was conducted by Peak Insights, a Republican public opinion research firm, and surveyed likely general election voters between January 12 Read More…
President Donald Trump signed the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act (H.R. 4323) into law, creating a pathway for victims of human trafficking to clear certain criminal records tied to their exploitation. The law allows trafficking survivors to file motions to vacate convictions and expunge arrest records for qualifying offenses committed as a direct result of being Read More…
(The Center Square) – Republican U.S. senators, led by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, have introduced the ICE Protection Act to increase penalties for those who assault and injure U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The bill was filed as an unprecedented amount of assaults continue against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as they perform Read More…
A ballot initiative designed to keep corporations from spending on elections in Montana is a little too ambitious, the state Supreme Court has found. The new proposals included in Ballot Issue 4 violate the rules for wording such initiatives, the court ruled. State Attorney General Austin Knudsen made that argument to the justices over a Read More…
Wyoming voters already basically decided they are pro-choice, the state Supreme Court has ruled in a decision that voids subsequent pro-life laws implemented when Roe v. Wade was overturned. The court struck the Life is a Human Right Act, which made most abortions a criminal act. They are a “fundamental right” and a health care Read More…
Sen. Tim Sheehy announced that Montana projects will receive $12.2 million under a federal funding bill passed by the U.S. Senate and sent to President Donald Trump for signature. The measure is part of a recently approved appropriations minibus and directs funding toward higher education, public safety, water and wastewater infrastructure, and local law enforcement Read More…
A growing field of Democrats is lining up to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke in Montana’s western U.S. House district, as the party looks to mount a competitive bid in a seat national analysts still rate as safely Republican. On Thursday, Ryan Busse, an author, climate activist and gun control advocate from Kansas, announced Read More…
House Speaker Johnson spoke yesterday at the kickoff of the House Republican policy summit, delivering a wide-ranging address that touched on the party’s legislative agenda, U.S. military action in Venezuela, Democratic opposition, and the sudden passing of Congressman Doug LaMalfa. Republicans Leading on Tax Policy, Speaker Says Speaker Johnson emphasized Republican achievements on tax policy, Read More…
Montana State Auditor and Commissioner of Securities and Insurance James Brown issued a statement following the Montana Supreme Court’s dismissal of a complaint filed against Attorney General Austin Knudsen, calling the decision a reaffirmation of constitutional principles and the separation of powers. In his statement, Brown said the court’s ruling confirmed that the complaint was Read More…
(The Center Square) – Democratic lawmakers criticized President Donald Trump’s announcement of land strikes against Venezuela and leader Nicolas Maduro’s capture. In a post to social media, Trump announced the U.S. carried out a “large scale strike” against Venezuela, capturing Maduro and his wife. The two are in U.S. custody and charged with “narco-terrorism conspiracy, Read More…
(The Center Square) – A limited ban on stock trading by Congress might get a vote next year after a 2012 law did not do enough to stem the practice that critics say is legal insider trading. The Center Square has been investigating the trades of lawmakers on key committees, finding trades that raise questions Read More…
(The Center Square) – Wyoming lawmakers passed legislation to expand education savings accounts and property tax protections in 2025. However, the legislature remained divided on substantial spending increases to boost particular school capital construction projects. The Club for Growth Foundation reviewed 875 floor votes in the Wyoming legislature, with a specific focus on 19 votes Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines joined Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., in leading a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice urging the agency to adopt Congress’s intent behind a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that eliminated the $200 National Firearms Act excise tax on certain firearms and accessories. In the letter, the lawmakers Read More…
Prosecutors in the Montana Attorney General’s Office filed official misconduct charges against state Sen. Jason Ellsworth, alleging he acted outside the scope of his lawful authority as a public servant and improperly handled a state contract. Prosecutors also asked the court to suspend Ellsworth from office pending final judgment. The charges stem from a Montana Read More…
(The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1950, prompting strong backlash from medical, disability, religious and legal groups who say it was rushed and violates key ethical and legal protections. State Rep. Bill Hauter, R-Morton, a practicing physician, said Pritzker showed signs of hesitation but ultimately “his leftist ideology took over and he Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen will lead the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) into what the group calls the most consequential election year in its history. Knudsen was unanimously elected chairman by his GOP attorney general colleagues on Tuesday, putting the second-term Montana Republican at the helm as the organization prepares for 30 attorney general Read More…
(The Center Square) – A new bill protecting children was introduced this week by U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, called the National Educator Safety and Accountability Act of 2025. It aims to protect, prevent and respond to educator sexual misconduct in schools. The legislation would establish a National Educator Misconduct and Discipline Registry to track Read More…
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a series of bills aimed at expanding the impact of the Working Families Tax Cuts by reducing regulatory barriers, streamlining permitting processes, and promoting economic growth. House Republicans framed the legislation as part of a broader pro-growth agenda to accelerate infrastructure, energy, and investment projects across the nation. “House Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte praised President Donald J. Trump this week for signing two congressional joint resolutions that overturn a Biden administration rule he said threatened Montana’s coal industry and billions in funding for public education. The resolutions — Senate Joint Resolution 61, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and House Joint Resolution 104, sponsored Read More…
U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy is leading a bipartisan effort in the Senate to expand free access to national parks and federal recreation lands for law enforcement officers and firefighters, including wildland firefighters. Sheehy, a Montana Republican, joined Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., in introducing the Law Enforcement Officer and Firefighter Recreation Pass Act, legislation that Read More…
President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order this week aimed at creating a unified national policy framework for artificial intelligence (AI), addressing what the administration calls a patchwork of state regulations that threaten American innovation and competitiveness. The Order directs multiple federal agencies to take steps ensuring AI companies are not subject to inconsistent Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines announced hat President Donald J. Trump has signed into law legislation he led to roll back a Biden-era land management rule that restricted coal mining in Eastern Montana, a move supporters say will restore jobs, protect state revenue, and unleash Made-in-Montana energy. Daines was joined in advancing the measure by U.S. Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has called on the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) and the Attorney General Alliance (AGA) to deny membership to Virginia Attorney General-elect Jay Jones, citing a series of “abhorrent” text messages Jones sent in 2022 that expressed violent fantasies toward his political opponent and the opponent’s children. The texts Read More…
In a ruling that has drawn sharp criticism from Montana conservatives, the state Supreme Court has sided with backers of a proposed ballot measure requiring judicial elections to remain nonpartisan, overturning the decision of Attorney General Austin Knudsen. The initiative, Constitutional Initiative 131 (CI-131), is sponsored by Montanans for Fair and Impartial Judges (MFIJ), a Read More…
House Republicans unveiled the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, legislation aimed at reducing health care costs, expanding access, and increasing transparency across the U.S. health care system. The bill is expected to be considered by the House next week. “Nearly 15 years ago, the Democrats’ Unaffordable Care Act broke the American health Read More…
(The Center Square) – Thanks to $2.5 million in state funding, south Los Angeles may get a new Black cultural district, according to one of L.A.’s state senators. Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, D-Los Angeles, secured the funding earlier this year after the Legislature approved the money for the establishment of the Black cultural district, according to Read More…
Idaho Governor Brad Little has appointed Don Hall to fill the District 25 House seat vacated by Lance Clow. Hall, who currently serves as Chairman of the Twin Falls County Commission and is a former Mayor of Twin Falls, will complete the remainder of Clow’s term, which runs through November 30, 2026. “I am honored Read More…
Western Montana Congressman and former Navy SEAL Commander Ryan Zinke, along with Representative Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) and 16 other veteran lawmakers, introduced a resolution this week condemning several Democratic lawmakers for urging members of the U.S. military and intelligence community to independently judge and refuse orders from the Commander in Chief. The resolution specifically targets Read More…
Lawmakers on the House Committee on Homeland Security are pressing Google and Apple to remove mobile applications that allow users to track federal immigration officers, citing concerns that such apps endanger Department of Homeland Security personnel. In letters sent Friday to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook, committee leaders highlighted ICEBlock, an Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is pressing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to halt taxpayer-funded coverage of elective abortions in health plans available to Members of Congress and congressional staff. In a letter sent to the OPM this week, Daines urged the agency to comply with the Smith Amendment, a long-standing federal law that Read More…
Senator Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) has introduced the Written Informed Consent Act, a measure designed to ensure veterans are fully informed about the intended effects and potential risks of certain high-risk medications prescribed through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The bill also aims to combat widespread overprescription within the VA system. “America’s veterans put their Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines on announced that his bipartisan “BABES Enhancement Act” has been signed into law by President Donald Trump, marking a significant win for parents traveling with breast milk, formula, and other infant nutrition products. “I’m thrilled to see our bipartisan BABES Enhancement Act officially signed into law by President Trump,” Daines said. Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines highlighted two key bills aimed at strengthening Montana’s rural counties during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing this week. Daines discussed his Small County PILT Parity Act, designed to ensure that counties with populations under 5,000 receive fair compensation through the federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. Read More…
Gov. Kelly Armstrong today informed legislative leaders that he has tentatively set Jan. 21 for a special session of the 69th Legislative Assembly to act on anticipated federal funding for North Dakota’s Rural Health Transformation Program. North Dakota submitted its funding application to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Nov. 3. The Read More…