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…
Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines implored “just one” Democrat to oppose the president’s “Build Back Better” agenda, which he said was a “hyperinflation bomb” that would most impact the poorest in society. “We just need one Democrat –just one– to oppose it and this bill dies in the Senate,” he said as Democrats try to Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — In a few weeks, Montana’s Governor will select two new District Court judges, one in Gallatin County and the other in Yellowstone. It will mark the second time the governor will use a new state law about mid-year election nominations. We’re working for you to explain the law that changed Montana’s constitution. READ Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – Senator Steve Daines has returned from a trip to India after meeting with India’s top trade official, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, and Indian pulse crop buyers. According to a release, Sen. Daines met with Goyal and pulse crop buyers to promote Montana pulse crops and increase market access for Read More…
The Montana Department of Revenue has come out with two more packages of proposed rules, as they prepare for the start of recreational marijuana sales in January. Marijuana advocates say they’re concerned one of the provisions is going to put too many limits on who can take jobs in the industry. The newly proposed rules Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – On Saturday, a federal appeals court temporarily halted the recently announced vaccine mandate on larger businesses, and Senator Steve Daines says he was glad to see it was blocked. Senator Daines gave the following statement: READ FULL STORY
A fourth Democrat and former state lawmaker has joined the race for Montana’s new congressional seat. Tom Winter, a former state representative from Missoula, announced his run for the U.S. House on Wednesday, saying populism and progressivism can win. Winter joins fellow Democrats Laurie Bishop, a state lawmaker, Cora Neumann, who runs a public health nonprofit, and Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. – While Americans head to the polls on Election Day during National Native American Heritage month, groups in Montana look to engage Native Americans in building political and personal power to address local community challenges. Western Native Voice, a non-profit, non-partisan organization in Billings continues to work to increase Native American participation and engagement Read More…
The differences between Kalispell mayoral candidates Mark Johnson and Sid Daoud came down to questions of small and smaller government during a virtual question-and-answer session with the Daily Inter Lake on Thursday. Johnson, the incumbent two-term mayor, and Daoud, the Ward 4 City Council representative, generally agreed in their desire to see reductions in development Read More…
As visitation to Flathead Lake’s state-managed islands continues to increase, so do the negative consequences on wildlife habitat, including an uptick in instances involving human waste, garbage, vandalism, and unattended campfires. To that end, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) has released a draft environmental assessment on a suite of proposed rule changes, which the agency crafted Read More…
The commission in charge of drawing Montana’s new political boundaries remains stuck in a deadlock over how to split the state into two congressional districts. The bipartisan Districting and Apportionment Commission failed to find consensus Thursday. Instead of putting forth a single map for consideration as planned, they advanced two. Still, commissioners are getting closer Read More…
U.S. Senator Jon Tester visited with AP government students at Hamilton High School via Skype on Monday. Educator Kiah Nisly had arranged the opportunity for her students to have a visit with the senator. “The future electorate of America sits in my classroom so I like to create as many opportunities as possible for the future voters Read More…
GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte traveled to the Texas-Mexico border as the fight to re-open the southern border continues. Gov. Gianforte joined nine other GOP governors addressing the issue of illegal immigrants and brought forth a security plan they believe will help the situation. The security plan includes 10 steps, like continuing Title Read More…
SIDNEY, M.T. — As part of his 56-county tour of Montana, Governor Greg Gianforte made a stop in Richland County, touring a local meat processing plant. Eastern Montana Meats is a family-owned plant that opened up last December. Governor Greg Gianforte met with owner Steve Lunderby and his son Dillon to see how things are Read More…
A Democratic state lawmaker Wednesday questioned the head of the state health department about whether medical experts were involved in making a controversial emergency rule issued last month regarding masking in schools. Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Adam Meier was questioned by a Democratic lawmaker from Bozeman about the origin of Read More…
BILLINGS – Whether three of Montana’s four new abortion laws will go into effect as planned next week hangs in the balance. Yellowstone County District Court Judge Gregory Todd heard arguments from the state and Planned Parenthood on Thursday morning. Judge Todd’s ruling will determine if there will be a preliminary injunction on the three Read More…
HELENA — Drawing two new, compact congressional districts for Montana in 2022 with equal populations is a piece of cake – but, when their political leaning is a consideration, things get prickly. Joe Lamson, one of two Democratic members of the five-member commission that will decide the boundary by November, says a goal should be Read More…
MISSOULA — Attention is once again turning to a legislative solution to wildfires as the Northern Rockies fire season winds down, and California’s rages on. MTN News takes a closer look at the proposals being floated by U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT). Whether it’s logging projects to thin the forest or other measures like prescribed Read More…
HELENA — The Helena City Commission says it wants to take a closer look at new ways to address homelessness in the community – including a proposal to build a new temporary shelter. During an administrative meeting Wednesday, commissioners heard about the growing impact homelessness is having and some possible responses. “The question is how Read More…
BILLINGS – At some places around the country, people can be excluded from events, employment, and buildings for not taking the COVID-19 vaccine. That can not happen in Montana because House Bill 702 prohibits discrimination against those who have not been vaccinated. The bill passed by the Montana Legislature this year covers many vaccines and has caused Read More…
Students are returning to fall classes at Montana Universities at a time when COVID cases are increasing. Mask mandates are now in place at Montana’s two largest universities. Two days after classes began at Montana State University in Bozeman, mask guidelines for inside classrooms changed from a recommendation to a mandate. The university had previously Read More…
MISSOULA — Montana’s two senators are blasting the Biden Administration, with the latest announcement that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is extending the closure of the Canadian border now until Sept. 21. While vaccinated Americans have been able to enter Canada since Aug. 9, the same isn’t true for southbound traffic. The DHS order keeps the gates Read More…
(The Center Square) – As demand and scarcity drive property values up, Montana’s property tax structure may get a second look. Attorney and former Montana state lawmaker Matthew Monforton is proposing an “acquisition-value” property tax system, the Missoula Current reported. Such a system would keep property taxes from inflating along with market property values by Read More…
President Joe Biden should keep Jerome Powell at the helm of the Federal Reserve for another four years to build confidence in an improving economy that still faces significant risks, Sen. Steve Daines said in a letter to the president on Thursday. “Changing the top leadership at this sensitive time could foster uncertainty across the financial Read More…
HELENA — Democrat Steve Bullock had an oversized influence on the Montana judiciary during his eight years as governor, appointing 28 judges and justices – half of the state’s entire judiciary. In part, that influence led to a controversial change this year in how the Montana governor can fill judicial vacancies. READ FULL STORY
If Montana voters approve a Referendum on HB273 (Rep. Skees’ attempt to expedite nuclear development in Montana), the 1978 Nuclear Vote Initiative will once more be Montana law. The referendum asks Montana voters to repeal HB273 for five reasons: In 1978, Montana voters approved Initiative-80, “Nuclear Vote” by 65% to 35%. READ FULL STORY
Montana Senate President Pro Tempore Jason Ellsworth of Hamilton has been charged with three misdemeanors, including obstruction of a peace officer, after he was pulled over for speeding in a construction zone in May. The officer reported a verbal altercation with Ellsworth in which the senator claimed he was exempt from arrest because he was Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines, R-Mont., on Wednesday introduced a bill to crack down on Big Tech and online platforms’ ability to “discriminate against users based on their political speech and beliefs.” The bill would enforce equal access to political candidates on online platforms as well as create a provision to prohibit the removal of content Read More…
Republican senators are ramping up pressure on President Biden to withdraw Tracy Stone-Manning’s nomination for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) director, citing her link to an eco-terrorist plot and her apparently misleading answers to senators about it. Every Republican on the Senate Energy Committee signed a letter Wednesday urging Biden to pull Stone-Manning’s nomination. “Ms. Stone-Manning has made false and misleading Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Cora Neumann has announced a run for Montana’s new U.S. House seat, becoming the third Democrat to join the race. Neumann is a public health expert from Bozeman. She told the Montana State News Bureau this week she would fight for good jobs and wages in Congress. READ FULL STORY
MISSOULA — Senator Jon Tester says the U.S. has been living “off our parents and grandparents infrastructure too long”, and it’s time to pass a bipartisan infrastructure package worth as much as $1.2 trillion. He’s hoping Montanans will jump on board to convince Congress to approve the deal. READ FULL STORY
BILLINGS — The question of whether to allow seven types of marijuana businesses into the Billings city limits could be up to the voters again in an election on Nov. 2, after the City Council directed staff on Tuesday to research ballot language and dates to bring back at a future meeting. Billings Assistant City Read More…
The Montana Supreme Court announced on Tuesday it will issue a final ruling on the Legislature’s subpoenas, rejecting GOP lawmakers’ request to dismiss the case. The state high court is moving forward with the case because justices say the dispute over Legislative powers is a relevant issue likely to come up again. READ FULL STORY
BOZEMAN — It was the last school board meeting of the academic year in Bozeman – and it surely went out with a bang, going on for hours. The meeting was the first in-person in almost a year, and administrators heard from dozens of people who showed up to express their concern, mainly to talk Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. – The Billings City Council will vote on the Public Safety Mill Levy at the meeting on June 28. If it passes City Council, Billings Voters will vote on it at the general election in November according to Council Member Penny Ronning. The Billings City Council meeting starts on June 28 at 5:30 p.m.. A Read More…
Montana’s first congressional redistricting in four decades provides House Democrats with an unlikely offensive opportunity after years of futility. The party’s nine Senate and governor race victories over the past 20 years always failed to translate down-ballot to the statewide contest for the lone House seat. That could change with the addition of a second Read More…
GREAT FALLS — Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter announced in a video several days ago that he plans to run for re-election – but unlike the 2018 election, which he won as a Democrat, this time he plans to run as a Republican. Slaughter defeated incumbent Bob Edwards in the 2018 Democratic primary; Slaughter then Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – Representative Matt Rosendale released a statement in response to an announcement that the Department of Veterans Affairs is moving to offer transgender veterans gender confirmation surgery. The following is Rep. Rosendale’s statement: “President Biden and Secretary McDonough advocating for taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries is an absolute disgrace. The VA should be focused on Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. — President Biden’s nominee to oversee federal lands in the U.S. West is facing Republican pressure to withdraw over her ties to environmental activists convicted of spiking trees to sabotage a national forest timber sale more than 30 years ago. U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, the ranking Republican on the Senate energy committee, said Read More…
WASHINGTON – Senator Mike Braun, Senator Steve Daines, and Senator James Lankford’s amendment to the Endless Frontier Act that would make it a crime to engage in chimera research, or the creation of animal-human hybrid organisms, received a vote on the Senate floor tonight. Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey introduced the original legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. READ FULL Read More…
HELENA — Montanan Tracy Stone-Manning, nominated to head the U.S. Bureau of Land Management under President Biden, faced some pointed questions Tuesday from Republicans at her Senate confirmation hearing. GOP senators – including Montana’s Steve Daines – grilled Stone-Manning about her past positions on natural-resource development on federal lands, suggesting she would be an opponent Read More…