U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is leading a bipartisan effort to increase transparency and accountability in the federal Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, introducing the CDFI Fund Transparency Act alongside Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.). The legislation would require the Secretary of the Treasury to testify annually before Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is spearheading a 23-state coalition of attorneys general urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to halt grants to the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), a group that has been providing climate-focused trainings for judges nationwide. In a letter sent Tuesday to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Knudsen raised concerns that taxpayer Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, along with 21 other state attorneys general, has filed a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review a case challenging a Massachusetts school district’s policy on student “social transitioning” without parental consent. The case, Foote v. Ludlow School Committee, involves Ludlow Public Schools and parents Stephen Foote and Marissa Read More…
U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy led a letter from Montana’s congressional delegation urging President Donald Trump to take immediate action against Russia’s palladium exports, calling for a 50 percent tariff on unwrought palladium imports from Russia to protect American jobs and domestic mineral production. The letter, also signed by Senator Steve Daines, Rep. Troy Downing, and Read More…
The town of Browning has been in the process of disbanding due to financial issues since 2016. In March of 2016, a Lewis and Clark County District Judge appointed Robert Denning to take over financial control of the town’s assets and debt. According to Blackfeet Tribal Business Council Chairman Harry Barnes, the Tribe has been in negotiations Read More…
BILLINGS – Bill Cole and Jeff Essmann are headed for a matchup to become Billings’ next mayor in the November general election. Voters selected the two candidates from a pool of six during Tuesday’s primary election. Cole, an attorney and current chairman of the Billings Chamber of Commerce board of directors and former president of the Yellowstone Read More…
BILLINGS – Republican and state District Judge Russell Fagg is traveling the state, raising money and touting prominent endorsements – but insists he’s still “exploring” whether to run for the U.S. Senate. “No, I’m not a candidate at this point, and I made that very clear,” he told MTN News in an interview late last Read More…
HELENA – A legislative committee Monday continued to block more than $20 million in proposed cuts to medical services for the poor and disabled in Montana – although it’s unclear whether the action will ultimately stave off the cuts. The Children, Families, Health and Human Services Interim Committee voted 7-1 to continue until at least Read More…
About two months after China lifted its 14 year ban on American beef imports, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines hosted Cui TianKai, China ambassador to the U.S., on Friday at the Morgan Ranch House to discuss future opportunities for economic growth and trade for Montana farmers and ranchers. The meeting included about a dozen Chinese officials, Read More…
If the state of Montana ends up cutting state budgets by as much as 10 percent, that could result in the Board of Regents raising tuition next fall even more than already planned. Tyler Trevor, deputy commissioner of higher education, said Friday that the University System won’t know until the end of September how big Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Steve Bullock is putting the investigation that he misused the state plane while campaigning for re-election behind him. The Governor has agreed to settle the case after an investigation by the Commissioner of Political Practices found the Governor was in violation of Montana’s Campaign Practices Act. The June 28th report found Read More…
The reporter assaulted by Greg Gianforte on the eve before a special election is saying Montana’s newest congressman is not fulfilling a promise to meet with him for an on-the-record interview. Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs tweeted Tuesday night that Gianforte, a Bozeman Republican who won the May 25 special election to fill the state’s lone Read More…
HELENA – The Bullock administration Wednesday said it needs to cut the state budget by as much as $230 million, to put it back in balance, and asked state agencies to submit plans for 10 percent cuts by next week. Dan Villa, the governor’s budget director, said the administration isn’t looking forward to making the Read More…
BILLINGS – Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said he is recommending that none of the 27 national monuments under review by the Trump administration be eliminated but that changes would be made to a “handful.” Zinke told The Associated Press that unspecified boundary adjustments for some monuments are among the recommendations he planned to give the president Thursday. None Read More…
Helena – More than two months in to his term as Commissioner of Political Practices, Jeff Mangan, is still using the services of a Billings lawyer his office previously found to have violated Montana’s campaign finance laws. In October 2016, then-Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl found that Billings attorney John Heenan and his political Read More…
Helena – Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan issued a ruling Thursday that Governor Steve Bullock violated campaign finance rules in his 2016 re-election bid and should be fined. At issue in the complaint was the Bullock campaign’s failure to timely report the Governor’s use of the state airplane to fly to more than 37 Read More…
Attorney General Tim Fox on Thursday filed to intervene in a federal district court lawsuit on behalf of the state of Montana, defending the U.S. Department of Interior’s reversal of the Obama Administration’s moratorium on federal coal leases. The lawsuit filed by Citizens for Clean Energy and the states of California, New Mexico, New Read More…
HELENA- Montana Attorney General Tim Fox was elected vice president of the National Association of Attorneys General. The vote was Thursday, while the association met for its annual Summer Meeting in Big Sky. Fox said he was “humbled and honored” by the vote. The association helps the 56 state and territorial attorneys general fulfill the Read More…
State Insurance Commissioner Matt Rosendale and Sen. Jon Tester exchanged lively letters this week over health care reform with Rosendale calling on the Democratic senator to not fight needed change and Tester telling Rosendale to give Montanans information to make good decisions on how best to make quality health care more affordable. The letters come Read More…
BILLINGS – The White House sent its $4.1 trillion dollar spending plan to Capitol Hill Tuesday. President Donald Trump is looking to balance the budget in 10 years with big spending cuts and faster economic growth. That includes an almost $3.6 trillion dollars in cuts to programs including Medicaid, food stamps, and Social Security Disability Read More…
Billings – Governor Steve Bullock refused to answer questions about infrastructure funding from a constituent at a fundraiser. Mr. Bullock appeared at a democrat political fundraiser at a private golf club in Billings on Thursday. Bullock’s representatives told those present that the Governor would not be answering any questions on infrastructure funding. The 2017 legislative Read More…
Revelations of Democrat congressional candidate Rob Quist’s drug use have taken center stage in the final days of the campaign to replace Congressman Ryan Zinke. Earlier this week, a national media outlet uncovered court documents in which Quist confessed to regularly using marijuana. When the news reports became public, his campaign cancelled a previously-scheduled interview Read More…
Democrat congressional candidate Rob Quist’s venereal disease, drug use, and marriage problems were revealed to the public this week when a national media outlet uncovered documents from a medical malpractice lawsuit filed by Quist. The documents show, among other things, that Quist suffers from depression, has genital herpes, tested positive for tuberculosis, uses recreational drugs, Read More…
Helena – The tumultuous tenure of Jonathan Motl as Montana’s Commissioner of Political Practices came to an end Monday with Jeff Mangan taking over. Mr. Motl’s time as Montana’s top political cop was marked by allegations of unethical behavior, partisan chicanery, and numerous lawsuits over his conduct. Mr. Motl was a controversial figure since his Read More…
Failed Democrat Presidential Candidate and United States Senator Bernie Sanders will make 4 stops in Montana to campaign for Democrat congressional candidate Rob Quist. Mr. Sanders will make stops in Missoula, Butte, and Billings on Saturday, May 20th and will be in Bozeman on Sunday. Mr. Sanders, a self-described socialist, was elected to the United Read More…
Helena – On the final day of the 65th legislative session, Democrats in the House of Representative voted to kill a bill that would have provided $41 million in loans to local communities for water projects. House Bill 8 would have provided $41 million in loans from the coal tax trust fund to water, sewer Read More…
Helena – For the third consecutive legislative session, Democrat Governor Steve Bullock has failed to get an infrastructure bill passed by the Legislature. In the waning days of the 2017 legislative session, there seemed to still be a chance for the infrastructure package to pass, but in the end, it came down to a simple Read More…
Two recent publicly-available opinion polls show Republican Greg Gianforte besting Democrat Rob Quist in the special election to replace Congressman Ryan Zinke. The latest poll was released this week by the Emerson College Polling Society. That poll shows Mr. Gianforte leading with 52%, Mr. Quist with 37% and longshot, Libertarian candidate Mark Wicks with 5%. Read More…
Helena – Newly-released records show Democrat congressional candidate Rob Quist has not had a hunting or fishing license in Montana in at least 15 years. According to public records released to MTN news by the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the banjo player turned politician has not purchased a hunting or fishing license since Read More…
Helena – In the waning days of the 2017 legislative session, there is still a chance for infrastructure package to pass, but it might not be an easy road. The eventual solution may be complicated but the breakdown is rather simple: Democrat Governor Steve Bullock wants to spend more; Republicans in control of the House Read More…
A new public opinion poll of Montanans shows Republican Greg Gianforte with a 12% advantage over Democrat Rob Quist in the race to replace Ryan Zinke for Montana’s lone Congressional seat. According to the survey, Gianforte leads the pack with 50% of respondents saying they intended to vote for him. Democrat Rob Quist was in Read More…
Helena – Representative Frank Garner, R-Kalispell, joined with a mostly Democrat coalition to pass a 38% increase to Montana’s fuel tax in the House. Rep. Garner is the sponsor of House Bill 473 which increases the state tax on gasoline and diesel fuel by about 38%. The bill has been one of the most contentious Read More…
Helena – A pair of leading state Democrats vowed to block Republican efforts to pass an infrastructure bill this legislative session because the bill doesn’t spend enough money on the projects they want. Senate Minority Leader Jon Sesso, R-Butte, and House Minority Jenny Eck, D-Helena, said the Democrats will not support House Bill 645, known Read More…
Helena – Helena Democrat Representative Moffie Funk has introduced a bill in the legislature to give state employees raises costing $16.5 Million over the next two years. House Bill 13, the state pay plan bill would provide a 1% raise for each of the next two years. State workers previously received raises in January 2016 Read More…
Helena – The state of Montana filed three tax liens to collect approximately $15,000 in back taxes against Democrat congressional candidate Rob Quist. Quist is also finalizing a settlement with a bank over $10,000 loan he defaulted on. The tax liens filed against Quist in 2015 for about $15,000 cover tax years 2007, 2011 and Read More…
There’s a congressional election coming up on May 25th and three candidates are currently out barnstorming the state to gather votes and remind people that the special election actually exists. Republican Greg Gianforte and Democrat Rob Quist have big-name parties to help promote their message and a head start. Libertarian Mark Wicks was picked at Read More…
The Montana House Judiciary committee will look at resolution this week that states a proposed American Bar Association rule limits free speech and is unconstitutional. Proposed Rule 8.4 (g) states: “It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know is harassment or discrimination on the basis of Read More…
High-rise wood-framed buildings are a rarity in the United States, but that may change with the help of a bipartisan bill that calls for accelerating research and development of tall wood buildings. U.S. Sens. Steve Daines, a Republican, and Jon Tester, a Democrat, have introduced legislation they say would support Montana’s timber industry, create jobs Read More…
The Montana Legislature is responsible for accomplishing a great deal during the 90 days it meets every two years. But lawmakers are actually only constitutionally required to do one thing — create and pass a state budget. Last week, the House of Representatives got one step closer to that goal. Fifty-six days into the session, Read More…
While campaign for the Democrat nomination to replace Congressman Ryan Zinke, Rob Quist supported a national gun registry; now that he has the nomination he is trying to walk back his earlier comments. In late January, Quist, a 69 year old banjo player and singer from Creston, told the Bozeman Chronicle, “You register your car Read More…
Helena – Representative Carl Glimm (R-Kila) announced the Montana locker room privacy act on Thursday. The bill would create a ballot referendum that would protect privacy for people in locker rooms and showers in public schools and other government facilities by barring men from women’s facilities. “The government has a duty to protect the privacy, Read More…
Helena – Two Democrat lawmakers are proposing legislation to enact a limited sales tax in Montana. Both bills would allow local residents to vote whether or not to pass the tax in their communities. Representative David Fern (D-Whitefish) introduced House Bill 577 which was heard in the House Taxation committee this week and awaits further Read More…
A Flathead Valley musician took to the stage on Monday evening in downtown Whitefish for a new reason — campaigning for Montana’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. About 120 people gathered at Casey’s Pub and Grill for a campaign kick-off event for Rob Quist, a Creston-area musician and the Democratic nominee for the Read More…
Supporters of a bill aimed at reducing property taxes in Montana say the agricultural industry needs help because of dropping commodity prices. House Bill 558 would reduce the amount of property taxes agricultural landowners and commercial properties pay in the state. Agricultural landowners would see a tax reduction of .15 percent, and commercial landowners, .11 Read More…