U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy introduced the COVID-19 Military Backpay Act of 2025 on Friday, aiming to provide backpay and compensation to thousands of service members who were discharged from the military due to non-compliance with the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The legislation seeks to restore benefits, pay, and retirement accruals to the roughly 100,000 Read More…
Congressman Ryan Zinke is calling on the U.S. Department of the Interior to take immediate action to prevent what he warns could be a “catastrophic drop” in Flathead Lake levels this summer. In a letter sent to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Zinke urged coordinated efforts to stabilize the lake, including increased water releases Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is once again championing Montana’s outdoor heritage on the national stage, as the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution he co-led to designate June as “Great Outdoors Month.” Joined by Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and a coalition of colleagues from across the country, Daines highlighted the importance of outdoor Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte applauded the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Skrmetti, upholding Tennessee’s Youth Protection Act and reinforcing the right of states to restrict certain medical and surgical treatments for minors experiencing gender dysphoria. The ruling comes as Montana’s own Youth Health Protection Act faces legal challenges in state courts. “Today, the Read More…
HELENA – Big Sky businessman Troy Downing, a Republican who ran for U.S. Senate last year, announced Wednesday that he’s running for state auditor in 2020. Downing’s announcement echoed many of the themes from his 2018 Senate campaign, calling himself an “outsider” and a businessman who will bring conservative leadership to state government. We need Read More…
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A third Republican has filed to run for Montana’s U.S. House seat left open by Rep. Greg Gianforte’s decision to run governor. Lewis and Clark County Republican chairman Joe Dooling filed his paperwork Monday with the Federal Election Commission. He joins State Auditor Matt Rosendale and Secretary of State Corey Stapleton Read More…
HELENA — John Mues, who survived a Canyon Ferry Lake diving accident that left another man dead during the filming of a political ad for Mues’ possible U.S. Senate run in 2020, issued a statement Thursday. Mues, from Loma, called the accident on Monday “tragic” and said he and his wife extended “our deepest condolences” Read More…
Montana State Auditor Matt Rosendale (R), who narrowly lost a Senate race last year, announced on Monday he will run for the state’s at-large House seat in 2020. Rosendale is seeking the seat being vacated by Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.), who recently announced his bid for governor. Rosendale narrowly lost against Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) during the 2018 election cycle. “I’m Read More…
HELENA – Congressman Greg Gianforte, Montana’s lone U.S. House member, has officially launched his 2020 campaign for governor. Gianforte, a Republican, made the announcement during a speech at the Montana Republican Party’s state convention in Helena. He told the group that he had heard from people around the state, asking him to consider running for governor. “They’ve Read More…
Former Speaker of the House and current Roosevelt County Attorney Austin Knudsen is seeking the Republican nomination for Attorney General now that Tim Fox has termed out and entered the gubernatorial race. Knudsen appeared on KGVO’s Talk Back show and spoke critically of the present Attorney General’s leadership especially in the area of crime control. Read More…
Gov. Steve Bullock got a boost in his bid for the White House on Sunday with the endorsement of fellow Montana Democrat Sen. Jon Tester, who, like Bullock, has managed to win several statewide elections in a deep-red, predominantly rural state. Bullock unveiled the endorsement on “Face the Nation” Sunday, saying he’s “awfully excited” about the announcement. Read More…
The first Democratic candidate for Montana governor has filed her paperwork with state regulators. Former state Rep. Reilly Neill registered Saturday with the state commissioner of political practices office. She pledges to carry on Gov. Steve Bullock’s legacy on her campaign website . The 45-year-old Neill represented Livingston in the Montana House between 2013 and Read More…
GREAT FALLS- State Rep. Casey Schreiner announced he’s running for the 25th Governor of Montana. He’s the second Democrat to announce a big for the race, after Livingston’s Reilly Neill. A native to Great Falls and a representative in Montana State Legislature House District 26, Schreiner made his announcement on Facebook this morning, June 11th, Read More…
Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte, Montana’s lone House member, is planning to announce a 2020 run for governor, according to the state’s MTN News network. Gianforte, who was first elected to the House in a 2017 special election, would be the sixth Republican to enter the race to succeed Democratic incumbent Steve Bullock, who is term-limited and running for president. Republicans last captured Read More…
State Sen. Bryce Bennett, a Democrat from Missoula, announced Wednesday he’s running in the 2020 election to be secretary of state. Bennett is the first from his party to announce a bid for the office. He joins Republican state Sen. Scott Sales, a Bozeman Republican who served as Senate president the last two sessions and announced in Read More…
Helena mayor and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Wilmot Collins admitted Tuesday to rear-ending another vehicle last week but pleaded not guilty to leaving the scene of the crash. Collins told Lewis and Clark County Justice of the Peace Mike Swingley that his foot slipped off the brake but he believed he caught it before hitting the vehicle Read More…
At least $3.8 million was spent to influence Montana lawmakers’ work during the first three months of 2019. That’s with one more month’s worth of lobbyist spending reports for the 2019 legislative session yet to be filed. The deadline for that is today. Lobbying dollars can include things like paying a lawyer to speak against Read More…
WASHINGTON – There have been multiple reports of sexual harassment and hostile work environments at national parks, including Yellowstone National Park. Eight incidents occured from January 2016 to June 2017, according to the Office of Inspector General. Wednesday, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., addressed U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, saying if more is not Read More…
From Representative Gianforte’s Office WASHINGTON — Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) and a bipartisan group of legislators introduced Savanna’s Act, a bill to address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women. Native American women face a murder rate 10 times higher than the national average, and 84 percent experience some form of violence in their Read More…
This week, Austin Knudsen announced his candidacy for Montana Attorney General for the 2020 election. Knudsen is a 5th generation Montanan, current Roosevelt County Attorney and former two-time Speaker of the House. He told KGVO News there are two issues he wants to vigorously pursue if elected as the state’s Attorney General. “Meth is beyond Read More…
Montanans are constantly bombarded with robocalls and Congressman Greg Gianforte is trying to help solve the problem. At a Communications and Technology subcommittee hearing, Gianforte pressed Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on the issue. “Montanans have told me one of the worst things they face day to day are illegal robocalls,” Gianforte said. “They’re Read More…
Former Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen announced Monday that he is seeking the Republican nomination for Montana’s Attorney General race in 2020. Knudsen served as a representative from Culbertson in the state Legislature from 2011 to 2017, serving as Speaker of the House during his last four years. He’s the second Republican to enter the Attorney Read More…
MEQUOKETA, Iowa — When Gov. Steve Bullock hits the campaign trail as a presidential candidate, his security detail of two Montana Highway Patrol officers comes along, too — at taxpayer expense. The Montana Republican Party, in a statement earlier this week, asked why state taxpayers “should have to swallow the cost of his executive protection Read More…
Helena Mayor Wilmot Collins announced Monday that he will seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate next fall, becoming the first to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Steve Daines. “I’ve traveled this state, from every corner of this vast, rugged state. And what remains consistent is that for far too long and far too often, we Read More…
Most kids wouldn’t dare be seen with their parents within several miles of school. Not Sen. Steve Daines, though — he was bold enough to be seen with them in his office. Gasp! It’s apparently “bring your parents to work” day for the Republican senator, who shared a picture with mom and dad on Twitter. READ Read More…
Montana’s Democratic Senator Jon Tester spoke on the U.S. Senate floor Tuesday urging his colleagues to pass a handful of federal bills aimed at addressing what’s been called a crisis of missing and murdered Native American women and girls. “Now this bill directs the GAO [Government Accountability Office] to conduct a full review of how Read More…
HELENA — Gov. Steve Bullock signed or let become law 76 bills Tuesday, including ones to crack down on sexual abusers of children and to increase funding for state parks. But he also vetoed eight measures sponsored by Republicans, including a bill touted by GOP legislative leaders as a key economic-development incentive, creating tax credits Read More…
HELENA — Gov. Steve Bullock signed or let become law 76 bills Tuesday, including ones to crack down on sexual abusers of children and to increase funding for state parks. But he also vetoed eight measures sponsored by Republicans, including a bill touted by GOP legislative leaders as a key economic-development incentive, creating tax credits Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montana became the first state to legalize sports betting this year after Gov. Steve Bullock signed a bill on Friday allowing the state lottery to oversee a system of wagering through kiosks and mobile applications that could be running by fall. Montana is at the head of a wave of states passing Read More…
BILLINGS – The current legislative session has closed and bills have made their way to the governor’s desk to be signed; One of those bills is Senate Bill 265 which revamps Montana’s medical marijuana program. When Montana’s medical marijuana program first debuted in 2004 it, unfortunately, had some difficulties “When this program was initially created Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines pushed ahead Wednesday with an attempt to cut retirement benefits to Indian Health Service pediatrician Stanley Patrick Weber, who sexually assaulted Blackfeet children. The Republican senator for Montana questioned Assistant Surgeon General Michael D. Weahkee on Wednesday about Indian Health Service’s handling of reports against Weber. The questions came as the Read More…
Montana’s Congressional delegation has introduced legislation to increase investments in the Milk River Infrastructure Project that thousands of farmers use for irrigation water in north-central Montana. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines as well as Congressman Greg Gianforte introduced the St. Mary’s Reinvestment Act, which will ensure the federal government picks up 75 percent of Read More…
The Democratic Party is about to get its 21st candidate vying for the chance to face President Trump in the 2020 race for the White House. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, 53, will announced his bid for the White House in two weeks, according to MTN News. The 53-year-old, who has served for two terms as Read More…
U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte met with state telecommunication leaders Monday in Bozeman to understand how best to develop technology policies that benefit Montanans. “Rural broadband is critically important for our economy, for telecommuters, it’s important for health care delivery, it’s important for education and yet we’ve had a digital divide between rural areas and urban Read More…
HELENA — The future of the proposal to prolong the life of the Colstrip 4 power plant, by encouraging NorthWestern Energy to buy a larger share of the plant, appeared in doubt Tuesday, as legislative leaders held off on appointing a panel that could resurrect it. House Speaker Greg Hertz, R-Polson, and Senate Majority Leader Read More…
BOZEMAN – Monday night, the Bozeman City Commission approved a $22,000 settlement for plaintiff Roger Koopman, who brought a lawsuit claiming officials broke campaign laws around last year’s election to approve the city’s new Public Safety Center. The commission voted 4-1 in favor of the settlement, with the majority stating that the settlement would be much cheaper Read More…
The state Legislature last week passed a resolution to examine how it might set up monetary compensation to support those wrongfully incarcerated upon their release. House Joint resolution 36, which passed through the Senate on Thursday following a 34-16 vote, requests an interim study for appropriate compensation for the wrongfully convicted. The results of the Read More…
Helena – Republican candidate for Attorney General Jon Bennion has signed on to a brief from the Attorney General’s office that asks a federal appeals court not throw out Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) even though the part of the law has been ruled unconstitutional. Mr. Bennion, a former lobbyist and current Justice Department aide, Read More…
John MacDonald was once on a police ride-along when someone called 911 on a belligerent man outside a bar. When officers arrived, they knew the person by name. He wasn’t drunk — he was off the medication for his mental health disorder. MacDonald, a lobbyist for the city of Missoula, said officers took the man Read More…
There may be a new candidate running for the Montana gubernatorial election in 2020. In an statement sent to KFBB, a spokesperson for Congressman Greg Gianforte wrote, “With the strong encouragement he receives as he meets with Montanans throughout the state, Greg is seriously considering a run for governor.” Gianforte was sworn into Congress in Read More…
HELENA – U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) met Friday with leaders from the skilled trades in Helena, to discuss ways to encourage more students to consider apprenticeship programs. Daines visited the Montana Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Center, operated by local chapters of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the National Electrical Contractors Association. Read More…
Montana’s Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte accused Washington Gov. Jay Inslee of killing Colstrip during a heated exchange on climate change Tuesday at a House Energy Committee hearing. The exchange between Inslee and Gianforte occurred when Montana’s Republican lawmakers interjected Colstrip into broader discussions about climate change and energy on Capitol Hill, first in the House Read More…
State Rep. Tom Winter, a Democrat from Missoula, is running for Montana’s sole seat in the U.S. House in 2020. The seat is held by U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, a Republican who is expected to announce a 2020 bid for governor. Winter, 32, is the first to announce for the U.S. House seat. In 2018 Gianforte Read More…
HELENA- The future of public funding for preschool programs in Montana is now uncertain after two proposals to increase the state’s contribution missed an important deadline in the Legislature. The House Education Committee voted down both bills last week. They needed to pass the House by Monday to remain alive. House Bill 225, sponsored by Read More…