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…
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…
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…
HELENA – The Legislative Finance Committee on Monday expressed interest in working with the Revenue and Transportation Interim Committee on reviewing the state’s tax structure, however members balked at waiting until 2019 to do a formal study, saying they want to put it on a faster track. Revenue and Transportation Interim Committee members sent a Read More…
Montana Attorney General Tim Fox has joined 22 other states attorneys general urging Congress to pas legislation establishing nationwide reciprocity for concealed weapons permits. Spokesman Eric Sell said these bills would allow concealed carry permits to be recognized in all 50 states and U.S. Territories, regardless of where they were issued. “Self defense is a Read More…
HELENA – U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, bracing for another tough election battle in 2018, has received at least 81 percent of his nearly $8 million campaign war chest from sources outside Montana, an MTN analysis shows. Tester, one of several Democratic incumbent senators up for election in states won handily by President Trump last year, Read More…
The maneuvering to fix the state budget is still playing out following the special session earlier this month as some key pieces have yet to slide into place. Lawmakers left the state Capitol about a week and a half ago with a package of bills that filled the state’s projected $227 million budget shortfall. As Read More…
HELENA – The Trust Lands Management Division for the state of Montana made $86.2 million gross revenues in fiscal year 2017, with $43 million of that going to schools, members of the state Land Board were told Monday. Shawn Thomas, division administrator for the Trust Land Management Division for the Department of Natural Resources and Read More…
Less than two weeks after filing suit to block a $30 million transfer of its funds to help balance the state budget, the state workers’ compensation fund board may vote to withdraw the lawsuit. The Montana State Fund’s board of directors has scheduled an emergency meeting this Wednesday, to consider whether it should withdraw the Read More…
MONTANA – Governor Steve Bullock has called the Montana Legislature back to Helena for a special session to balance the state’s budget. The session will begin at 12:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 14, 2017. “I have put forth a set of reasonable and thoughtful proposals to balance Montana’s budget for consideration by the Legislature,” Gov. Bullock said. Read More…
Thursday the Governors Office said they were closer to reaching a deal which would resolve the $200 Million budget deficit. Friday Republicans said that is not the case at all. House Speaker Austin Knudsen wants to make it very clear there is no budget deal. He said they are not even close to a deal. $227 Million, that is Read More…
Like three other vulnerable Senate Democrats seeking re-election next year in states where President Donald Trump won, Sen. Jon Tester in Montana sports strong job approval ratings at home. But Tester has an additional edge compared to Democratic Sens. Joe Donnelly in Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, and Joe Manchin from West Virginia, according Read More…
https://cpa.ds.npr.org/kufm/audio/2017/10/MN-PR-senate-update-10-31-17_0.mp3 Both of Montana’s senators questioned federal oversight of a multi-million dollar contract between Montana-based Whitefish Energy and the Puerto Rican electric utility during a Senate committee hearing today. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines grilled administrators overseeing power restoration efforts in Puerto Rico during the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Read More…
HELENA – The company that owns Montana’s only private prison has offered $30 million to help solve the state’s budget crisis – if the Bullock administration would extend the company’s contract for another 10 years, MTN News has learned. The money would come from a fund set aside to help the state buy the privately Read More…
(HELENA) The Montana Supreme Court has found that voter-approved Constitutional Initiative 116, commonly referred to as Marsy’s Law, is unconstitutional. The court concluded that the initiative made at least five substantive and not closely related to changes to the Montana constitution. Montana’s Constitution requires a separate vote for each unrelated change to the constitution. The court Read More…
Helena – Governor Steve Bullock has appointed Billings personal injury attorney Don Harris as the new district court judge in Yellowstone County. Mr. Harris will replace Judge Russ Fagg who retired earlier this year. Mr. Harris is currently a partner at the law firm of Harris, Gannet & Varela PLLC. He received his undergraduate and Read More…
DEER LODGE – Some members of Congress believe the country’s forest management just isn’t cutting it. “I’m of the firm belief if we don’t start managing our forests we’re going to continue to see these catastrophic wildfires,” said U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont. Gianforte invited his Republican colleague from Arkansas, Rep. Bruce Westerman, to tour Read More…
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s congressional campaign committee bought an RV from his wife then sold it to a friend a year later at a steep discount, a watchdog group said in a Federal Election Commission complaint that alleges an illegal scheme to convert political donations into personal cash. The June RV sale is one of Read More…
The last Montana legislative session was a tough one with a trim budget, but there is speculation the money is already running out. Ever since the session ended, there has been talk of either the legislature or governor Steve Bullock calling a special session. Montana House Finance chair Nancy Ballance believes the governor might announce Read More…
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate voted Thursday to pass a budget resolution for next year that is mostly significant because it could make it easier for Republicans to pass major tax cuts, a top GOP priority. The 51-to-49 vote was split mostly on party lines. Only GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted no. To Read More…
Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is receiving significant criticism nationwide as many actresses have stepped forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual assault, harassment, and a cover-up of these stories by the press. As a high-profile political contributor, Weinstein’s donations have even been re-donated to charities by major politicians, including New York’s Andrew Cuomo. Interestingly, according to Read More…
Gov. Steve Bullock said Wednesday he needs a “willing partner” to call a special legislative session and address the state’s budget revenue shortfalls. Bullock met with the Chronicle editorial board Wednesday to talk about the decision he needs to make regarding budget cuts. READ THE FULL STORY.
State Rep. Tom Woods said Thursday he will challenge GOP Congressman Greg Gianforte for Montana’s at-large congressional seat in the House of Representatives. “Montanans deserve a government that is by people and for people,” the Bozeman Democrat said. “That principle is what this country was founded on. The principle of putting people first is what Read More…
Fourth-generation Montanan and 22-year District Judge Russ Fagg made a stop in Kalispell Monday to announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. A small crowd gathered for Fagg’s announcement in front of the Flathead County Courthouse on the crisp, clear morning. “It’s just about a perfect day in the Flathead Valley, and it’s an honor Read More…
The last special legislative session in Montana was held a decade ago, when Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, announced the “call” summoning lawmakers back to Helena in order to fund government and transfer money to pay for wildland firefighting. Today, Schweitzer’s Democratic successor, Gov. Steve Bullock, is in an even direr situation following an expensive Read More…
Five candidates are vying for two seats on the Kalispell City Council in the upcoming November election. The Beacon is publishing its first series of questionnaires with candidates for municipal elections this fall, starting with Kalispell. Absentee ballots are being mailed Oct. 18 and Election Day is Nov. 7. In Kalispell, incumbent Mayor Mark Johnson Read More…
Two Democrats running to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte in 2018 have raised more than a half-million dollars in campaign funds between them – and a third Democrat appears poised to enter the contest. Billings attorney John Heenan, the first Democrat to announce he would challenge Gianforte, reported raising $325,000 in August and September Read More…
Granite County Commissioner Scott Adler is being investigated after locals complained that he used county resources on his personal property in early September. During a commissioner meeting recorded by QSPNLIVE last Tuesday, Adler admitted when questioned by resident Susie Browning, that this wasn’t the first time. Browning: “What equipment was used?” Adler: “A tractor, a Read More…
Great Falls-area lawmakers offered a mixed bag of comments Friday on the prospect of a special session being called by the governor and on dealing with Montana’s budget crisis….Great Falls-area lawmakers offered a mixed bag of comments Friday on the prospect of a special session being called by the governor and on dealing with Montana’s budget crisis. “I’m not Read More…
BILLINGS – Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said Thursday in Billings that coal will be part of the energy future and technology needs to be used that will make coal less intensive on the environment. Bullock, a Democrat, spoke at the Montana Carbon Capture Forum at the Bighorn Resort in Billings on Thursday. The forum addressed Enhanced Oil Recovery and Carbon Capture, technology Read More…
HELENA – Gov. Steve Bullock Monday said some state spending must be cut to balance the state budget, in the face of a revenue shortage – but that the Legislature could help mitigate those cuts by approving some form of tax increase. “If legislators will work with me, there is a better way to do Read More…
Substance abuse and drug-related criminal offenses have skyrocketed in Montana according to a new report from the Montana Department of Justice. The report includes data showing that drug-related criminal offenses are up 559 percent since 1980. The report also notes that more than a decade after a methamphetamine epidemic spurred the Montana Meth Project, the Read More…
Cyber-crimes are being committed all across the United States and Montana is no exception. On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Steve Daines spoke with the Federal Bureau of Investigation about the recent cyber threats in the Flathead Valley. “Cyber-terrorism is an emerging threat that has become all too real in Montana,” said Daines. “Two weeks ago, the Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., returned Sunday from a security and trade mission to South Korea and Taiwan to receive an update on the nuclear threat of North Korea and expand markets for Montana products. Daines traveled to the Korean Demilitarized Zone to see the border known as the 38th parallel. He also visited Yeonpyeong Island Read More…
Unless a remedy is found for the state’s looming budget crisis, Montana residents can expect devastating losses to essential services across the board, and Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock says any solutions will require more than his efforts alone. “I need a willing dance partner,” he said in an interview on Friday. “If we don’t figure Read More…
Montana Congressman Greg Gianforte took his “Forest Jobs Tour” to Columbia Falls Friday, touring F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Company and calling for changes in forest policy. Speaking with reporters and employees at the firm’s 94-year-old mill, Gianforte stressed the need for some logging and thinning, or “forest management,” to tame future wildfires and boost Read More…
Montana’s legislators are finding common ground… over mermen. After the famous Sip ‘n Dip Lounge in Great Falls posted a job opening on Twitter, Senator Jon Tester jokingly passed up the opportunity before asking if the governor was free for the shift. From there Governor Steve Bullock, Senator Steve Daines, Secretary Ryan Zinke, and Attorney Read More…
A $3 million bond issue request in Deer Park School was defeated by a wide margin on Tuesday. Voters rejected the bond issue by a 207 to 126 margin, according to unofficial results. The mail-ballot election concluded on Sept. 19. The bond issue would have been used to expand the school in addition to upgrading 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…