(The Center Square) – Bitcoin and digital asset bills have been field in at least 31 state legislatures, according to a Bitcoin Laws website tracking state legislative filings. The website breaks down each bill filed and its progress in its respective chamber. Digital currency bills have been filed in the state legislatures of Alabama, Arizona, Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte and Lieutenant Governor Kristen Juras marked a significant milestone in their administration’s ongoing efforts to streamline government regulations, celebrating the repeal or amendment of over 25% of state regulations in the last four years. Speaking on the success of the Red Tape Relief Task Force, Gov. Gianforte emphasized the state’s commitment to Read More…
(The Center Square) – Legislation has been introduced in Congress to repeal the District of Columbia’s Home Rule Act. U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn. have introduced the Bringing Oversight to Washington and Safety to Every Resident Act, or BOWSER Act, named after the district’s Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser. The lawmakers Read More…
Gov. Kelly Armstrong testified today in support of Senate Bill 2308, a proposal aimed at reducing the number of state boards and commissions to improve efficiency and cut government costs. The bill seeks to establish a task force to review over 150 existing boards and determine which should be consolidated or dissolved. “That’s too many,” Read More…
Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester’s reelection campaign has received substantial donations from two Chinese conglomerates that own U.S. farmland, despite Tester’s publicly expressed opposition to the sale of land to foreign adversaries. The campaign’s contradiction was highlighted when it launched a television advertisement in November, denouncing Chinese companies’ acquisition of American farmland and promoting Tester’s Read More…
(The Center Square) – With presidential primary season under way, the majority of Americans disapprove of the job President Joe Biden is doing as president, according to a new poll. The Center Square’s Voter’s Voice Poll found that 59% of likely voters disapprove of the job Biden is doing as president, while 39% say they Read More…
(The Center Square) – Money from Seattle’s tax on sweetened beverages is still below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, and city officials say they’ll push for a new revenue stream. In 2022, sweetened beverage tax revenues increased by about 11% [$2 million] from 2021 levels to approximately $21 million. The pandemic caused the tax revenue to drop Read More…
(The Center Square) – The South Dakota House Taxation Committee recommended that tax cuts enacted last year become permanent. The Legislature cut the sales tax from 4.5% to 4.2%, with the reduction expiring in four years, a move added by the Senate, according to Rep. Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, the bill’s sponsor. Karr cited a Read More…
(The Center Square) – Former director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tom Homan told Congress that President Joe Biden is the only president in U.S. history to “unsecure the border on purpose.” At the Wednesday hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Homan also reiterated what he previously told The Center Read More…
(The Center Square) – Illinois House Democrats are forming a working group to address the ongoing migrant crisis impacting the state. Republicans say it needs to be made public. Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, said the migrant crisis “provides challenges and opportunities that require thoughtful engagement and consensus building.” State Rep. Kam Buckner, Read More…
(The Center Square) – A coalition of Republican U.S. Senators called on Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday to go after the Hamas activists allegedly vandalizing veteran cemeteries. Earlier this month, a group of pro-Palestinian protesters allegedly vandalized the Los Angeles National Cemetery, where nearly 90,000 veterans are buried, spray painting symbols and phrases, including Read More…
(The Center Square) – A growing concern about progressive ideology on race and gender at all levels of the U.S. military has sparked outrage and became the center of a Congressional hearing. Critics have launched a barrage of attacks on the progressive ideology they say is infiltrating the ranks, calling it a waste of taxpayer Read More…
Scheduled for a mail-in ballot this March, the $4.6 million levy, if sanctioned, will finance the acquisition of new equipment and the recruitment of additional personnel for Kalispell’s police and fire departments. After experiencing a rise in call volumes and delayed response times over the years, Kalispell city officials are initiating an educational campaign ahead Read More…
Ian Afflerbach, University of North Georgia If you follow politics, sports, Hollywood or the arts, you’ve no doubt heard the insult “sellout” thrown around to describe someone perceived to have betrayed a core principle or shared value in their pursuit of personal gain. The term has recently been hurled at a range of well-known targets: Read More…
The Center Square) – Understanding how a home mortgage works, how credit cards and debt can pile up and how to make a budget are critical financial life skills. But many students graduate high school without ever learning those skills, then find themselves deeply in debt for years to come. If a bill sponsored by Read More…
(The Center Square) – The U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security is holding its second hearing next week as part of its efforts to bring impeachment proceedings against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The hearing will examine the human cost of the border crisis, and witnesses will testify as to how they’ve been Read More…
(The Center Square) – A bill introduced in the Washington State Legislature would ban the sale of new gas-powered small engines and equipment such as leaf blowers, which supporters say would lead to cleaner, quieter alternatives. Critics of House Bill 2051 argue that it could undermine small businesses that rely on them and inappropriately ties state Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today launched a property tax task force to provide recommendations to reform the property tax system and reduce the burden on property taxpayers. “Property taxes are too high. Our $1,350 property tax rebate helped Montana homeowners last year and will help them again this year,” Gov. Gianforte said. “We, Read More…
HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen testified Wednesday at a U.S. House of Representatives impeachment hearing against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. During the House Committee on Homeland Security hearing, entitled “Havoc in the Heartland: How Secretary Mayorkas’ Failed Leadership Has Impacted the States,” Attorney General Knudsen outlined how Mayorkas’ refusal to Read More…
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today delivered remarks at the weekly Republican Senate Leadership press conference slamming the Biden administration for the wide-open southern border that is being exploited by potential terrorists. READ MORE
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is set to testify as a witness in the impeachment proceedings against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Homeland Security will conduct a hearing on Wednesday, January 10, titled “Havoc in the Heartland: Assessing the Impact of Secretary Mayorkas’ Failed Leadership on Read More…
In a significant development ahead of the 2024 elections, Montana is witnessing a redrawing of precinct lines for legislative races for the first time in a decade. This adjustment is a consequence of substantial changes in House and Senate district boundaries, prompting counties to meticulously redraw precincts. Connor Fitzpatrick, the elections supervisor for Lewis and Read More…
Dr. Anthony Fauci’s presence in Washington on January 8 marked the commencement of a two-day closed-door interrogation by the U.S. House of Representatives Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. The 83-year-old, renowned for his pivotal role in shaping the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic, faced a rigorous session of questioning under oath—a departure from Read More…
(The Center Square) – A coalition of more than two dozen state attorneys general have voiced their support for former President Trump after the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would review the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to remove Trump from the ballot for his connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The state leaders have Read More…
(The Center Square) – The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee will be holding a hearing next week as part of its chairman’s stated plan to impeach U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Chairman Mark E. Green, R-Tenn., said the Wednesday hearing will be held to evaluate the impacts on the country of” Mayorkas’ Read More…
(The Center Square) – At a community college in suburban Philadelphia, President Joe Biden kicked off his reelection campaign by decrying Donald Trump as a threat to American democracy. “Trump talks about the blood of America being poisoned, echoing the same exact language used in Nazi Germany,” Biden said of his White House predecessor. “He proudly Read More…
(The Center Square) – U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., is seeking a second term, she announced on Thursday. “We need more strong conservatives here in the House,” Hageman said in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We need to flip the Senate and we must take back the White House.” Hageman entered office Read More…
Montana’s Attorney General, Austin Knudsen, declared his candidacy for re-election in November, emphasizing his commitment to combating drugs and crime, challenging the perceived detrimental effects of the Biden administration’s agenda on Montanans, and safeguarding the freedoms and liberties of the state’s residents. As the leader of the Montana Department of Justice, overseeing agencies such as Read More…
The Center Square) — Embattled U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez is facing new federal charges alleging that he worked as an agent for Qatar in exchange for monetary bribes. Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, was charged with receiving gifts from Qatar in a new superseding indictment made public Tuesday by the U.S. Justice Department that alleges the Read More…
(The Center Square) – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled against a Biden administration effort to require emergency room doctors to perform abortions, the latest step in an ongoing legal battle that could end up at the U.S. Supreme Court. In the case in question, State of Texas v. Becerra, the Read More…
(The Center Square) – U.S. House Republicans launched an investigation Wednesday into how scientists at the Food and Drug Administration who disagreed with COVID-19 guidance were treated. Federal watchdogs have recently released information showing that details around how experts in the Biden administration who disagree with things like COVID guidance are treated, and how their Read More…
The competition for control of the U.S. Senate in 2024 is already underway, with Republicans strategizing to flip the chamber. In the upcoming election cycle, a total of 34 Senate seats are at stake. Democrats face the challenge of defending 23 seats, while Republicans have to protect only 11. The majority of competitive seats currently Read More…
The implementation of a Montana state law scheduled to ban the TikTok app on January 1 has been temporarily halted by a federal judge pending the outcome of a lawsuit challenging the law. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has filed notice of an appeal to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, contesting the preliminary Read More…
(The Center Square) – Americans pay hundreds of dollars per year in taxes on their wireless “family plan” for their cell phones. The Tax Foundation research shows the average American household with four phones would pay about $300 per year in taxes on a family plan costing $100 per month. “Since 2012, the average charge Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Colorado Republican Party is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court in a case where the state Supreme Court ruled to remove Donald Trump from the 2024 Republican presidential primary ballot. The appeal automatically places the former president on the March 5, 2024, primary ballot when certification takes place on Jan. Read More…
(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Justice says it will sue Texas over a new law that makes illegal entry into Texas from a foreign country between ports of entry a state crime. Gov. Greg Abbott signed SB 4 into law on Dec. 18, saying its goal is to “stop the tidal wave Read More…
Efforts to convene a special session of the Montana Legislature aimed at addressing tax-related concerns have fallen short. On Friday evening, the Montana Secretary of State’s Office disclosed the outcomes of a legislative poll. Of the total votes cast, 55 were in favor of scheduling a special session on January 15, falling short of the Read More…
As the 2024 election cycle gains momentum, all eyes are on the Montana Senate race, which is anticipated to be a focal point next year. The state hosts one of three Democratic-held U.S. Senate seats up for grabs in states won by Donald Trump in the previous election, the others being Ohio and West Virginia. Read More…
In a press release, the MCV Action fund, an independent Political Action Committee aligned with the liberal environmental activist group Montana Conservation Voters, proclaimed its formal endorsement of Democrat Ryan Busse in his gubernatorial bid for Montana. Democrat political staffer Jill Lombardi, the chair of the MCV PAC board, praised Busse, saying, “Ryan Busse has Read More…
A group of people came together outside the Cascade County Courthouse Annex in Great Falls on Monday, December 11, 2023, to protest a proposal to remove election duties from the County Clerk and Recorder’s Office. “It’s our right as citizens to elect the person that takes care of our elections,” said Lisa Bennett. “If that goes Read More…
National Democrat aligned groups are actively working towards placing a state constitutional amendment on abortion on Montana’s ballot next year. The move is aimed at bolstering the re-election prospects of Democratic Senator Jon Tester, who is identified as one of the most vulnerable Senate incumbents in the upcoming 2024 elections. READ THE FULL STORY: https://politics406.com/montana-abortion-ballot-measure-aims-to-boost-tester/
Helena – A judge heard testimony in a case aiming to resolve an ambiguity regarding the interaction between the governor’s authority to veto a bill and the Legislature’s power to overturn that veto. Attorneys presented oral arguments in a lawsuit concerning Gov. Greg Gianforte’s veto of Senate Bill 442. District Judge Mike Menahan, a former Read More…
Montana Senator Steve Daines is urging a progressive fundraising powerhouse to cease processing donations for groups sympathetic to Hamas. ActBlue, the primary fundraising platform for Democratic campaigns nationwide, facilitates contributions for several organizations that either participated in or amplified rallies commemorating Hamas’ violent attack on innocent Israeli civilians on October 7, resulting in over 1,200 Read More…
A coalition of individuals, organizations, and businesses has strongly contested a Montana law that places restrictions on drag performances and prohibits drag reading events at public schools and libraries. In a recent legal development, this group has urged a federal judge to promptly declare the law unconstitutional without resorting to a trial. In the filed Read More…