Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is spearheading a coalition of 28 states in urging the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to protect American firearm manufacturers from liability claims brought by the Mexican government. In a brief filed Tuesday, the coalition challenges a lower court ruling that Mexico alleges could hold U.S. gun manufacturers Read More…
Tracy Stone-Manning, a senior official in President Joe Biden’s administration who spearheaded its aggressive climate agenda, has been named the next president of The Wilderness Society, a prominent environmental organization based in Washington, D.C. Stone-Manning’s appointment will take effect in February, the group announced Tuesday. Stone-Manning’s tenure as Director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines criticized the Biden administration’s recent decision to prohibit new coal leasing in Montana’s Powder River Basin, following the publication of the Miles City Resource Management Plan (RMP) Record of Decision. The move effectively designates 1,745,040 acres of federally managed land in the Miles City Field Office area as unavailable for coal Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte yesterday afternoon visited the new Helena Food Share facility to support the organizations’ food drive ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. “We have so much to be grateful for as Montanans,” Gov. Gianforte said. “This Thanksgiving week, I encourage Montanans to give what they can, including the gift of their Read More…
Tuesday’s school election went smoothly according to Missoula County Elections administrator Bradley Seaman, with about 40% voter turnout. It was a night that could not have been possible without all of the staff involved. But Seaman notes a new law will soon make it illegal to pause counting, which means the people counting will have Read More…
The Montana House of Representatives has wrapped up its work for the 68th Session, joining the Senate in adjourning. The late Tuesday sine die vote came after a packed day in the House, with floor sessions starting at 8:00 a.m. At 9:14 p.m. representatives voted 89 to 7 to adjourn for the session. Earlier in Read More…
A Helena District Court Judge has rejected an attempt by Rep. Zooey Zephyr to be allowed to return to the House floor. The ruling by Judge Mike Menahan came in repose to a motion from lawyers for the state of Montana that asked the judge to reject Zephyr’s request to return. Menahn said he didn’t Read More…
According to filings with the Federal Election Commission, Senator Jon Tester, who represents Montana, received the majority of his re-election campaign funds in the first three months of this year from the traditionally liberal state of California. Federal Election Commission records indicate that Senator Tester, garnered over $675,000 in the initial quarter of the year Read More…
In his initial bid for Senate, Jon Tester, denounced legislators who hire lobbyists, vowing to end the “revolving door.” However, as he seeks reelection to his fourth term, Tester’s campaign is being managed by a former lobbyist. On April 4, Tester expressed his utmost satisfaction in hiring Shelbi Dantic, a former lobbyist, as his campaign Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte received praise from industry leaders, business owners, and business advocates for his advocacy of a tax relief package, signed into law on March 13. Fulfilling his campaign promise to address the priorities of Montanans by offering them the largest tax cut in the state’s history, which includes both immediate tax rebates and Read More…
Montana senator Jon Tester bills himself as “a tireless defender of rural America” who prefers a home-cooked meal to dining out in Washington, D.C.’s vibrant restaurant scene. But the Democrat’s campaign receipts tell a different story: Tester has spent more than a million dollars at swanky restaurants, including one Beltway haunt that touts its appeal Read More…
A bill that would outright ban TikTok in Montana cleared its first significant hurdle. Senate Bill 419, sponsored by State Sen. Shelley Vance (R-Belgrade), cleared the Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee on a 7-3 vote on Monday morning following its initial hearing. The legislation, which will now head to the Senate floor, would prohibit internet service Read More…
Yellowstone County Commissioners are taking steps to improve the election process. The changes come after some expressed concerns during last year’s election, including just how long it took to receive the results. Commissioners and the election administrator addressed some of those questions on Monday. The county has a plan to hire some more people to Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen says violent crime and drug trafficking is skyrocketing in the state. In an interview, Knudsen says a weak U.S. southern border is sending deadlier drugs to Montana. They’re the center of many other crime problems, and officers need to be able to keep up. “Drug use is up in Montana, Read More…
Property taxes have been a big concern for many Montanans in recent years — and they’re largely determined at the local level, not the state level. Now, a bill has been proposed that seeks to address the growth in local taxes by putting limits on how much large cities and counties can increase their total Read More…
Voters in Roosevelt County elected a new county attorney last November, but less than three months later he’s already being removed from office. It turns out, Frank Piocos doesn’t actually live in the county. A private citizen had to make the discovery. READ THE FULL STORY:https://www.kxlh.com/news/local-news/roosevelt-county-attorney-forced-to-leave-office-because-he-doesnt-live-there
Wil Wilkins of Ravalli County, Mont., acknowledges he’s a bit of a throwback. Growing up in West Virginia, he says his mother used to tell him, “You was born a hundred years too late, boy.” It’s an apt description of this self-described “mountain man.” Wilkins is a dedicated practitioner of traditional crafts such as stone Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is concerned shipping companies FedEx and UPS are tracking gun purchases made by Americans, and that those companies are possibly sharing that information with federal authorities. In a press release on Tuesday, Knudsen called upon the shipping companies to “clarify” their new policies, which allow them to track sales of firearms “with Read More…
The Montana state health department has expanded its contract with a private consulting group hired to oversee the struggling Montana State Hospital and other public health care facilities. The price tag for the amended contract with Alvarez & Marsal LLC, slated to conclude in September 2023, has also swelled to nearly $7 million dollars, up Read More…
Sandra Merchant will be the new Clerk & Recorder for Cascade County, after a recount that began on Monday and ended on Tuesday confirmed the results of the November 8, 2022, election. Merchant defeated incumbent Rina Fontana Moore by 36 votes. Joe Briggs, chair of the Cascade County Board of Commissioners, said on Tuesday that the recount Read More…
Preliminary reports from the Montana Secretary of State’s office show voters won’t see any citizen-sponsored initiatives on the ballot this November. All four qualified measures failed to garner the signatures needed to make an appearance. The failed measure that received the most signatures would have capped property tax hikes at 2%, while another sought to Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen and 16 other state attorneys general joined a lawsuit today against the Biden administration’s rules that threaten the long-held American tradition of private firearms assembly and put the livelihood of thousands of Americans at risk. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) rulemaking would regulate unfinished, non-functional firearm parts Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has led 21 other attorneys general from across the country, filing a brief in support of a lawsuit challenging a federal rule banning bump stocks. Plaintiffs, including the Gun Owners of America, have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or Read More…
State leaders say it no longer makes sense to participate in a federal program intended to provide food assistance for kids who weren’t in school because of COVID-19. However, some advocates say they’re concerned about what that’s going to mean for families in need this summer. In 2020, the federal government launched the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Read More…
Gallatin County voters will get to decide on two local options in taxes for marijuana sales during the June primaries. On Tuesday, the Gallatin County Commission voted unanimously to add a 3% local option sales tax on all recreational and medical marijuana products sold in the county. READ THE FULL STORY
It could become easier for communities to play a role in cleaning up abandoned mine sites in the coming years, if a bill jointly backed by Montana’s two senators gets traction in Washington, D.C. It could be the next significant step in dealing with an environmental problem that not only plagues Montana but the entire Read More…
Montana’s attorney general has launched a civil investigation into the popular social media app TikTok for possible violation of the state’s consumer protection act. Attorney General Austin Knudsen says the app may be misrepresenting the dangers of the platform for teens. Knudsen sent the company a letter demanding answers to 80 questions, including how the app promotes Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has started a comprehensive investigation into TikTok for allegedly serving harmful content to children and for publicly misrepresenting the “dangers” of its social media platform. “TikTok is certainly an application that should raise concerns for parents in Montana and everywhere,” Knudsen said in an interview with Fox News Digital in announcing his office’s investigation. Read More…
HELENA — A federal judge Tuesday struck down a portion of Montana’s “clean campaign act,” saying it’s an unconstitutional burden on free speech to require political committees to notify candidates about last-minute attack campaign material. U.S. District Judge Don Molloy of Missoula said the so-called “fair notice” requirement, which applies only to material distributed within Read More…
ANALYSIS — It’s been 40 years since Montana had to worry about congressional redistricting. The Treasure State was allocated a second seat in the most recent round of reapportionment — the last time that happened was after the 1980 census — and had to go through the process of bifurcating the state. Even though a Read More…
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced a Senate resolution designating today, Jan 16 as Religious Freedom Day. This resolution commemorates the 236th Anniversary of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, a landmark achievement that laid the foundations for the First Amendment. “America stands as a beacon of hope and a symbol of religious Read More…
HELENA — Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte on Monday joined GOP legislators and Montana’s Republican attorney general, in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in their dispute with the Montana Supreme Court over whether that court is improperly “prejudging proposed legislation.” Gianforte, through his chief lawyer, Anita Milanovich, filed a “friend of the court” brief Read More…
The Montana judiciary is in deep trouble. The Wall Street Journal picked up on a local story that has been exploding since last April but has just now started to get national attention. In April, the Montana judiciary was caught red-handed lobbying against bills that would lead to more accountability for judges. This comes right on the heels Read More…
HELENA — Montana Supreme Court Justice Jim Rice said Thursday he will run for re-election this year to a third eight-year term on the state’s highest court, potentially extending his tenure as the court’s longest-serving justice. Rice, 64, was appointed to the court in 2001, by then-Gov. Judy Martz. He ran for retainment in the Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Governor Gianforte will deliver infrastructure funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to the City of Dillon on Jan. 3. This will go to improving drinking water. In Septmeber, Gianforte authorized $1.9 million in competitive and minimum allocation grants to replace a waterline transmission and distribution system. The system previously had leaks Read More…
The Whitefish City Council last week unanimously voted to approve an ordinance that will put zoning requirements in place for certain rentals being rented out for periods of between 30 and 90 days. The ordinance requires rentals of 30 to 90 days that would qualify as “medium-term rentals” to be in zones classified as resort Read More…
BOZEMAN — Montana is set to kick off 2022 with the legalization of recreational marijuana sales starting on January 1. Here are some important things to know before the law takes effect in the new year. Montana Initiative 190 passed 56% to 43% back in Nov. 2020, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to Read More…
Montana’s lone voice in the U.S. House did not join the majority this week in voting to hold former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in criminal contempt of Congress. Democrats and two Republicans approved the resolution after Meadows stopped cooperating with the committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. In a tweet, Rep. Matt Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Governor Greg Gianforte has contributed a quarter of his annual governor’s salary to the Denton Fire Relief Fund which supports the community as it rebuilds. “In the wake of the West Wind Fire in Denton, Montanans have done what Montanans do best: neighbors have helped neighbors,” Gianforte said in a press release. “We’ve Read More…
The Whitefish City Council last week adopted a zoning ordinance to allow recreational adult-use marijuana sales in its downtown and secondary business districts, unanimously approving a framework for pot dispensaries to begin opening storefronts and selling their products after the new year. Council arrived at the final set of rules after careful deliberation, sending an Read More…
For decades, dozens of people spent at least one night — or morning — a month taking public comment, discussing and making decisions on city of Bozeman policies, expenditures and other matters. The vast majority of those volunteers have given up the reins over the past few weeks as most of the former advisory boards Read More…
BILLINGS – Groups on both sides of the abortion issue in Montana are closely watching a key case challenging Roe v Wade, which is currently under consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court heard arguments for a Mississippi law that would ban abortions after 15 weeks. A lower court had earlier blocked that Read More…
HELENA — A federal judge in Louisiana has granted a preliminary injunction against the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) COVID vaccine mandate following a lawsuit filed by Montana and 13 other states. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen previously told MTN that the November 5th CMS rule is not only unconstitutional, but also will Read More…
A roughly $2 trillion social spending and climate plan passed out of the U.S House Friday, without the support of Montana’s lone congressman. Montana Republican Representative Matt Rosendale opposed the so-called ‘Build Back Better’ bill. The measure narrowly passed out of the U.S. House Friday morning on a near party-line vote of 220 to 213. Read More…