A watchdog group wants the Department of the Interior to investigate whether the National Wildlife Federation misused federal grant money tied to political spending in Montana’s 2024 U.S. Senate race. The Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) filed the complaint Thursday with the department’s inspector general. The complaint says the Bureau of Land Management Read More…
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision on Monday, ruled that states can accept and count mail-in ballots received after the federal Election Day. The decision comes out of the high court’s ruling in Watson v. RNC, a case challenging Mississippi’s acceptance of mail-in ballots up to five days after Election Day as long Read More…
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced Sen. Tim Sheehy’s bipartisan VA Home Loan Awareness Act as part of a larger package of housing legislation, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, sending the bill to President Trump’s desk. The measure is the first piece of legislation Sheehy introduced as a senator. “The VA Home Loan Read More…
Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke celebrated the release of $53,889,068 in Payments in Lieu of Taxes funding for Montana counties, an increase of more than $7.3 million over 2025 disbursements. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Zinke said he played a major role in securing the funds. “Public Read More…
Sen. Steve Daines is praising President Donald J. Trump’s executive action to move forward with the Keystone XL pipeline. “The Keystone XL pipeline will create good-paying Montana union and tribal jobs,” Daines stated. “After years of talk and political nonsense, I couldn’t be more thrilled that President Trump has heeded my call to move forward Read More…
The nation’s capital descended into inauguration madness today. Masked protesters smashing store windows. A former America’s Got Talent competitor crooning “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Our new president promising a skittish country that “I will never, ever let you down.” Quite a ways down the coast, at Miami’s Turnberry Isle Resort, politicians and progressive donors are presently Read More…
Four Republican members of the Montana House pitched four bills to the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that aim to change the state’s gun laws, including allowing anyone to carry a concealed pistol without a permit. Rep. Randy Brodehl of Kalispell said House Bill 246 reaffirms a Montanan’s right to possess firearms in a U.S. post Read More…
Helena – Montana’s state budget has been the biggest issue of the legislative session so far, that will likely continue when Governor Steve Bullock delivers the annual State of the State address this week. When he released his budget proposal in November, Bullock said in a press release that “Montanans expect our state’s leaders to Read More…
Montana musician Rob Quist is touring the state, not performing songs, but meeting with local Democrats who could grant Quist his wish to become their party’s nominee in an anticipated special election. U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, the Montana Republican tapped to become the next secretary of the interior, is expected to resign shortly after Read More…
“I ride my bike every day all year long and I do it because it makes me feel good,” said Bike Walk Montana Board Member and Montana Cycling Advocate. Taylor Lonsdale. Traveling the state on two wheels could get a little more challenging, a new proposed bill would ban cyclists on two lane roads that do Read More…
The state Senate’s Business, Labor & Economic Affairs Committee on Wednesday delayed voting on legislation that hopes to protect Montanans from exorbitant air ambulance bills so that it could consider amendments. Committee Chair Sen. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls, had substantial amendments drafted for SB 44, the bipartisan air ambulance committee bill being carried by Republican Read More…
At 12:01 p.m. Friday, Donald Trump’s aides will deploy a team of temporary political appointees into federal agencies to begin laying the groundwork for the president-elect’s agenda while his nominees await Senate confirmation, sources familiar with the plan told POLITICO. While the transition team has been building the so-called beachhead teams for months, they are Read More…
Ivanka Trump dispelled speculation that she will be filling in as a surrogate first lady or occupying the East Wing office of the White House, traditionally reserved for the president’s wife. Speculation that Ivanka Trump will fill in for incoming first lady Melania Trump started swirling after Trump transition sources said Melania Trump was not Read More…
President-elect Donald Trump will likely issue as many as five executive orders on Friday after his inauguration, the Washington Examiner reported. “He’s got a few of them, probably in the area of four to five, that we’re looking at on Friday,” incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer said. From News Max
White House press secretary Josh Earnest defended President Barack Obama’s decision to commute the prison sentence of soldier Chelsea Manning, who was convicted of leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to Wikileaks. He also accused Republicans of being hypocritical in their criticism of the move. From News Max
Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education, was met with a harsh reality check of what this role might entail. Some onlookers including teachers around the nation have criticized DeVos for her ideas on public education. Teachers across the county were wearing red Thursday to show their support for public education and sending a message Read More…
Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Interior, disputed Trump’s belief that climate change is a “hoax” and forcefully reaffirmed his opposition to the sale of public lands during his confirmation hearing Tuesday in front of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The Whitefish Republican was received amicably, for Read More…
In clearing more than $1 million in campaign debt over the past year, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker got the majority of the money by selling his donor list to other candidates. The governor racked up the debt before he dropped out of the Republican presidential primary in September 2015. He announced last week that he had paid off or otherwise resolved Read More…
Multiple retail liquor licenses across the state could be freed under a liquor law revisions bill advanced from the Senate Corporations Committee on Tuesday. Senate File 14 would tighten the time frame retail liquor license holders have to begin operations and would require license holders to be operational year-round to keep their license, instead of Read More…
Helena – Republican Senator Pat Connell (R-Hamilton) introduced Senate Bill 74 last week which would allow the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to ban the use of barbed fishing hooks on catch and release only designated waters. The bill was heard in the Montana Senate Fish and Game committee on January 12, but Read More…
Wyoming could become the 29th state to request a constitutional convention to create a federal balanced budget amendment, if a resolution moving through the House of Represen-tatives is ultimately passed by the full Legislature. House Joint Resolution 2 was advanced by the House Judiciary Committee on Monday afternoon and will go on to the full Read More…
Former Republican Party chairman and state Sen. Ken Miller of Laurel said Monday he’ll compete for the GOP nomination to succeed U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, who may resign as soon as next week. “I’m not running for Congress because I want a title; I’m running to stand up for life, liberty and property,” he said Read More…
State officials have been planning a $10 million effort over the next two years to prevent the spread of invasive mussels in waters throughout Montana, but they aren’t yet sure where all the money will come from. Officials from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks explained Read More…
President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be labor secretary has voiced second thoughts in recent days, because of a relentless barrage of criticism from Democrats, labor unions and other liberal groups, a business ally and GOP sources tell CNN. Andy Puzder is the CEO of the company that owns the Hardees and Carl’s Jr. fast food Read More…
President Obama’s first inaugural festivities stretched over five days. Donald Trump is spending barely three on his. Bill Clinton hit 14 official balls on the day he was sworn in. Trump plans appearances at three. From The Washington Post
Former U.S. Sen. Max Baucus’ son, Zeno Baucus, is considering whether to compete for the Democratic nomination for Montana’s soon-to-be-vacant U.S. House seat, MTN News has learned. The younger Baucus is an assistant U.S. attorney in Billings. He’s one of five Democrats now either considering or running for the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Read More…
Nearly 120 potential delegates that would choose the Republican Party’s nominee to succeed U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke are behind Greg Gianforte, according to a letter distributed by his supporters – appearing to give him a near-lock on the nomination. The letter, signed by 117 local and state Montana Republican Party officials and officeholders, calls Gianforte Read More…
According to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services our state ranks No. 1 per capita in the country for suicide. Bills before the legislature are aiming to help decrease that statistic. Both measures are requesting $500,000. One measure is focused on helping prevent suicide among veterans. The other measure asks for extra funding Read More…
Helena – A newly released memo shows that Montana Department of Transportation(MDT) officials and Governor Bullock knew of shortfalls in the highway fund before Election Day but kept the information hidden from the public until after Governor Bullock had been re-elected. The memo was obtained by state legislators and released to the media on Thursday, Read More…
The 2017 legislative session kicks off at noon in Cheyenne and area lawmakers revealed their goals for this year, with all three looking at tackling the thorny issue of the state’s budget. “There are a lot of budget challenges to face and one of the biggest ones of course is to meet our constitutional obligations Read More…
Montana’s attorney general and Republican lawmakers say any rulings that Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl makes this year could be challenged in court because Motl’s term of office has expired. Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock appointed Motl in 2013 and the Senate confirmed him to a term ending Jan. 1. Late last month, a judge Read More…
As awareness of human trafficking increases, so do the number of victims who are being rescued in Montana. Human traffickers use force or fraud to coerce their victims into some type of labor or sex slavery. Montana Attorney General Tim Fox says next to the drug trade, it’s the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the Read More…
Senator John McCain passed documents to the FBI director, James Comey, last month alleging secret contacts between the Trump campaign and Moscow and that Russian intelligence had personally compromising material on the president-elect himself. The material, which has been seen by the Guardian, is a series of reports on Trump’s relationship with Moscow. They were Read More…
Donald Trump plans to keep his Manhattan-based campaign headquarters open as he assumes the presidency – a move that represents a sharp break from his predecessors, and one that positions him to begin running for reelection in 2020. According to three people briefed on the plans, Trump intends to retain a skeletal campaign staff of Read More…
President-elect Donald Trump announced on Monday that he is appointing his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as a senior adviser in the White House. And funnily enough, Trump might have Hillary Clinton to thank for making the position possible. In 1967, then President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an anti-nepotism bill into law that was widely seen as Read More…
Lawmakers are scheduled to take up a bill that would require air ambulance providers and insurance companies to negotiate payments for air ambulance services, even if the provider is not in network with the patient’s insurance company. Senate Bill 44, scheduled for its first committee hearing on Tuesday, would hold patients responsible only for their Read More…
U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), has announced staff hires for the committee’s majority side for the 115th Congress. Staff members are: Richard M. Russell will serve as staff director. He previously served as Republican staff director for the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Read More…
Bullock Hires Planned Parenthood Exec as Health Policy Advisor Helena – Governor Steve Bullock announced Friday that he has hired Jessica Rhoades as his health policy advisor. Ms. Rhoades has had a long career in Democrat political circles, including time with Planned Parenthood. Rhoades was the western regional field director for Planned Parenthood of America Read More…
Helena – In late December, with only a few days remaining in his term a group of Democrats stepped in to try and keep Jonathan Motl in the Commissioner of Political Practices office for another two years by filing a lawsuit in Lewis and Clark County district court. Just days later, the fifth lawsuit involving Read More…
Washington, D.C. – This week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdrew its proposed rule that would have put new regulations on in-situ uranium recovery (ISR). In January 2015, the EPA issued a proposed rule requiring uranium recovery operators to conduct up to 30 years of groundwater monitoring following uranium production. On Jan. 4, 2017, EPA Read More…
Republican Sen. Bob Corker says he’s thrilled with the “unbelievable” access he’s getting to Donald Trump, noting that the president-elect will answer his phone calls even when he doesn’t know who’s calling. “The president [elect], as you know, still answers his cellphone number,” the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee told a group of Read More…
In order to write law, legislators need to know law. That’s why the focus of the second day of the Montana Legislature on Tuesday was “Law School for Legislators.” President of the State Bar of Montana Bruce Spencer says the session introduces lawmakers to the different types of laws. From Bozeman Daily Chronicle
At the Capitol today, Democratic Leadership failed to convince Republicans to give them some so-called “silver bullets,” like they had last legislative session. In a Rules Committee meeting, Representative Jenny Eck asked Republicans for a tool that would allow them to move bills from a committee onto the House floor with a simple majority vote. Read More…
More nonviolent felons who have completed their entire sentence – including probation and parole – would have their voting rights automatically restored under a bill introduced in the Wyoming Legislature. Under the current system, nonviolent felons who completed their sentence before Jan. 1, 2016, were convicted under federal law or who were sentenced out of Read More…