(The Center Square) – The House Oversight Committee is investigating the rapid rise in value of two companies owned by Rep. Ilhan Omar’s husband, amid concerns over financial transparency and potential influence. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said Omar’s husband, Timothy Mynett, has ownership stakes in two companies, eStCru Read More…
Governor Larry Rhoden has signed six bills into law, advancing legislation that addresses ballot transparency, administrative rulemaking, education policy, and state regulatory updates. The bills signed include: SB 5, which requires disclosure of whether a ballot question was proposed through a citizen initiative or by the Legislature; SB 56, which requires state agencies promulgating permanent Read More…
Senator Sheehy (R-MT) joined Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) in introducing the Carbon Resource Innovation Act, a bipartisan bill designed to expand the 45Q carbon capture tax credit to include innovative technologies that capture carbon in solid or liquid forms. Supporters say the legislation will incentivize responsible forest management, reduce wildfire risk, and create economic opportunities Read More…
Gov. Kelly Armstrong has rolled out a new statewide effort aimed at improving soil health and expanding wildlife habitat across North Dakota’s rural landscape, announcing the Governor’s Legacy Soil Health and Habitat Program at a Capitol press conference. The voluntary, working-lands program is designed to help farmers strengthen cropland productivity and resilience by establishing perennial Read More…
Multiple political sources in Montana have confirmed that Zeno Baucus, son of former Montana Senator Max Baucus may be seeking the Democrat nomination for Montana’s lone Congressional seat. The seat will be vacant if current Congressman Ryan Zinke (R) is confirmed as Secretary of the Interior in the Trump Administration early next year. Zeno Baucus Read More…
Great Falls – State Senator Ed Buttrey has told Republicans that he would run for Montana’s lone congressional seat in a Special Election to replace Ryan Zinke. Mr. Buttrey, 51, was the primary driver of a bill in 2015 to expand Medicaid in Montana. The bill was panned by most Republicans and narrowly passed with Read More…
Republican Rep. Mick Mulvaney, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice as his budget director, is a fierce deficit hawk with a record of pushing deep spending cuts across the federal government to balance the budget. From CNBC
While many of Hillary Clinton’s top advisers have focused their post-presidential election fury on blaming alleged Russian interference and FBI Director James Comey for Clinton’s loss, some in the so-called “Hillaryland” orbit are looking inward, including pointing fingers at Clinton’s most trusted aide: Huma Abedin. From New York Post
President-Elect Donald Trump has offered the Interior secretary job to Montana’s lone Congressman Ryan Zinke, according to Washington D.C. news outlet Politico. Politico sources said Zinke has yet to accept the position and as not indicated which way he is leaning. Mr. Zinke met with Trump in New York City earlier this week. He was Read More…
As Democratic senators weigh when to fight and when to compromise with Donald Trump, Republicans on the other side of the Capitol are watching — with 2018 in mind. From Politico
When it comes to Donald Trump and James Mattis, Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke is looking forward to the future. “I’m actually excited about the next 100 days,” he said. “This election was deep in its change.” “I’m an optimist, we’ll figure it out,” From Roll Call
Once Donald Trump secured the Presidency, Montana Senator Steve Daines began compiling a ‘wish-list’ of issues he wants the new President to tackle once he settles in to the Oval Office. From KGVO
The nation’s biggest business lobbying organization is “cautiously optimistic” about the prospects of the Trump administration and a Republican-controlled Congress, though the next president himself will be “the wild card,” according to an official with the organization. From Flathead Beacon
Jon Tester, Democratic U.S. Senator from Montana, rode to national elected office on a pledge to restrict lobbying, end campaign finance violations, and the like. Despite his promises to the contrary, Senator Tester is now in the midst of a scandal, involving allegations of campaign finance violations, illicit lobbying practices, and a firm of trial Read More…
Helena – Fresh off a narrow re-election victory Governor Steve Bullock is laying out his priorities for the 2017 legislative session. Despite the gains made by Republicans on Election Day Mr. Bullock remains confident that he can secure legislative victories. Mr. Bullock told Lee Enterprises, “I don’t anticipate much different dynamics than we’ve seen in Read More…
Great Falls – HD 19 Representative Randy Pinocci has filed a lawsuit against Advanced Litho Printing and the Montana Contractors’ Association alleging that his legislative voting record led to his firing in 2015. The conservative Republican filed his suit on November 14th in Missoula District Court. Pinocci worked for Advanced Litho from 1999 to 2015 Read More…
Washington – President-Elect Donald J. Trump has tapped pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Carson previously ran for the Republican presidential nomination before dropping out of the running and endorsing Trump’s presidential bid. Carson was an early favorite for Department of Health and Human Services with his Read More…
Helena – Montana commissioner of political practices dismissed a state ethics complaint against Governor Steve Bullock and Commerce Director Meg O’Leary on Monday with no investigation. The complaint was filed by state Representative Brad Tschida of Missoula. Commissioner Jonathan Motl, who was appointed by Governor Bullock, said that trips taken by Meg O’Leary to a Read More…
When lawmakers, lobbyists and observers gather Jan. 11 in Cheyenne for the start of the 64th Legislature, they will notice even more Republicans and men in a state that already has among the fewest number of women and Democratic lawmakers in the nation. During Tuesday’s election, voters made choices throughout the state that ultimately resulted Read More…
Voter turnout last week reached a historic high in one Wyoming county – where 100 percent of registered voters cast a ballot in the general election. “I think everyone was wanting to get out and vote and voice their opinion,” said Jane Carr, deputy county clerk in Johnson County, Wyo. “I just think it’s great.” Read More…
Wyoming U.S. Sen. John Barrasso has been re-elected to serve as chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. The Republican says the committee plans to move quickly and to work closely with the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump. Barrasso says policy areas that will be high on the list for the new Congress include Read More…
A committee of state lawmakers voted on party lines Tuesday to keep the super-majority rule for removing a tabled bill from committee in the Montana House of Representatives. Six Republicans on the Legislative Council, including Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen, beat the five Democrats and squashed the recommendation that “blasting” a bill from Read More…
Native Americans in Montana expressed anger, hurt and betrayal toward Governor Steve Bullock shortly after his reelection became official, for sending Montana law enforcement to protests in North Dakota. The Governor’s decision is based on a national interstate agreement called Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), which allows states to help other state governors for assistance. Read More…
Doug Burgum, a former Microsoft executive and lifelong resident of North Dakota is now that state’s governor-elect. Burgum, a Republican, defeated a lightly funded Democrat, Marvin Nelson, and Libertarian Marty Riske by a wide margin, according to local news reports. Born into a farming family in Arthur, Burgum attended North Dakota State University then Stanford Read More…
North Dakota’s Highway Patrol locked down the state capitol on Monday as more than two dozen protested the Dakota Access Pipeline nearby, according to local media. A request for comment from Governor Jack Dalrymple’s office, which is on the first floor of the capitol, was not immediately returned. The Bismarck Tribune newspaper reported that the Read More…
Montana’s political enforcer said he plans to reach out to Gov. Steve Bullock late next week to discuss his replacement. Commissioner of Political Practices Jon Motl said he hasn’t spoken to the governor since his appointment in 2013. His term as commissioner expires Dec. 31, according to his letter of appointment. Motl told the Chronicle Read More…
Montana Republicans, who had a very good day at the polls Tuesday, have expanded their majority in the state Senate and held a 59-41 spread in the Montana House. “It was an electoral rout,” Montana GOP Chairman Jeff Essmann said of Tuesday’s results, noting that Republicans won all statewide offices except governor and didn’t lose Read More…
Senate Republicans on Monday elected a self-described “staunch fiscal conservative” in Sen. Scott Sales of Bozeman to be Senate president for the 2017 Legislature. Sales, 56, won what was described as a close race for the top job over Sen. Eric Moore of Miles City. The vote was by secret ballot, with the Read More…
For the fourth year in a row, Montana Attorney General Tim Fox and Montana’s U.S. Senator Steve Daines continue their ‘Brawl of the Wild’ wager for the University of Montana – Montana State University football game. The Cats and Grizzlies clash this Saturday in Missoula. The terms of this year’s bet: the winner will buy Read More…
The upcoming session of the Montana Legislature will focus on tightening the state budget, and there will not be much money available for new initiatives, the incoming leaders of Republican legislative majority said Monday. Republicans elected Sen. Scott Sales of Bozeman to be Senate president for the session that begins in January. Sales, a former Read More…
With just a few days left before Election Day, the battle for a pivotal seat on the Montana Supreme Court is heating up. But much of the spending in the last week isn’t coming from the candidates themselves – it’s coming from outside groups. One of those groups is Montanans for Liberty and Justice. It’s backing Read More…
Contested legislative districts in Laramie County have been flooded with mailed advertisements in recent weeks. But some of those mailers are drawing criticism that they are negative, inaccurate or both. One such case is in House District 11 in Cheyenne, where both candidates have criticized mailings distributed against their campaigns. This past week, a mailer Read More…
A Montana lawmaker sued Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl on Friday for saying the legislator faces penalties for revealing a confidential ethics complaint he filed against Gov. Steve Bullock, a lawsuit Motl said was timed to sway voters in a close governor’s race. The attorney for Rep. Brad Tschida, R-Missoula, says in the federal Read More…
Sunday night’s presidential debate was fueled by the crude Access Hollywood tape released Friday afternoon. That vulgar tape is hurting the GOP nominee. In a new NBC News Wall Street Journal National Poll taken just before the debate, Clinton’s lead widened to 11 points, 46 to Trump’s 35 percent. Republican leaders held a conference call Read More…
Three are vying for the office of Republican incumbent Adam Hamm, who chose not to seek another term. The North Dakota Insurance Department has a 2015-17 budget of more than $11.5 million and nearly 50 staff. Jon Godfread, Republican Jon Godfread, 33, aims to create an environment in the Insurance Commissioner’s office to work with Read More…
It’s been more than 30 years since a Republican won election as Montana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction. The party’s current nominee, Elsie Arntzen of Billings, is hoping her 23 years’ experience as a teacher and 12 years as a state legislator — and support for local control of schools — will change that. Read More…
In the battle for control of Montana’s next Legislature, the most important race may be the one for governor. Republicans have controlled the Legislature since 2007. In 2015, they had 59 representatives and 29 senators — making up slightly over half of each chamber. The outcome of the governor’s race will surely influence the Read More…
It appeared there would be no Democratic challenger to run against Montana Attorney General Tim Fox until the last day of candidate registration, when an eleventh-hour call from former Gov. Brian Schweitzer convinced a former state senator and Bozeman attorney to throw his hat in the ring. But now that he’s in, Larry Jent Read More…
Democratic incumbent Steve Bullock and Republican challenger Greg Gianforte aimed familiar barbs at each other during a televised debate October 8, 2015 from Great Falls. The just over 1 hour debate, sponsored by the MTN Television Network, featured criticisms Montanans have heard in television ads over the last several months. The verbal wrangling Read More…
More than $2 million from a California billionaire has been dropped into a North Dakota ballot measure aimed at elevating crime victims’ rights to the constitutional level. Only $10,000 has been raised by opponents to Marsy’s Law. The Marsy’s Law for North Dakota committee’s pre-general election finance report filed Friday though the Secretary of State’s Read More…
When our founding fathers set up the greatest nation known to man, they expected the citizens to take an active part in it by voting. Where does Wyoming stand? Our friends at WalletHub.com did a study and found that the National Voter Representation Index at 87 percent. They also found that different demographic groups are Read More…
When Steve Daines visited the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Lame Deer in 2014 to meet with tribal leaders as a freshman member of Congress, he was greeted with a traditional honor dance and an energetic performance highlighting their other customs. But it was what came next that caught his attention. “‘You’re the first Republican Read More…
Groups trying to influence the outcome of a Montana Supreme Court race are on track to set a record for the most fundraising collected for a justice seat. Lee Newspapers of Montana reports that this year’s race between Dirk Sandefur and Kristen Juras, fundraising by political action committees has reached a reported total of Read More…
Montana’s freshman congressman hasn’t shied away from the national spotlight during his brief tenure in Washington, D.C. In the past year, Republican Ryan Zinke has weighed the possibilities of being both Speaker of the House and a running mate for GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. Zinke said both positions are about leadership and Read More…