South Dakota legislators and Governor Kristi Noem are engaged in a back and forth contest over tax cuts. The Governor is pushing for the elimination of state’s portion of the sales tax on groceries (4.5%), while lawmakers have backed a cut in the overall sales tax rate from 4.5% to 4.2%. House Majority Leader Will Mortenson of Pierre Read More…
North Dakota Representative Kelly Armstrong is in Bismarck to talk about the work he is doing in Washington, D.C. Armstrong addressing both the North Dakota Senate and House. He told state lawmakers about four new bills just introduced in the U.S. House including an online notary bill and Pick Sloan Irrigation bill which gives farmers Read More…
A bill introduced at the legislature about bicycles and horses might soon make a small but significant difference for some people in North Dakota. As the law currently stands, bicycles and horses are considered vehicles in North Dakota state law. House Bill 1506 would change that. Although that might not seem like a big deal, Read More…
A proposed Wyoming law geared toward making fewer sex offenders able to get their names off the sex offender registry died in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday after lawmakers said the bill’s language confused, rather than clarified, the issue. Committee Chairman Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper, said he wants to resurrect a better version of Read More…
North Dakota’s State Library has removed a Dr. Seuss children’s book discontinued by the publisher for its racist imagery. The decision came after Christopher Coen, of Fargo, suggested the library move “If I Ran the Zoo” from the children collection to the adult collection. The request was the library’s first of its kind in at Read More…
North Dakota legislative leaders on Tuesday dismissed criticism of new limits on emergency spending by a governor-led panel, saying they have no interest in repealing or amending the law. Republican Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner said in an interview that criticism that the new law could hamper the state’s ability to address emergency spending Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — Liz Cheney’s vocal criticism of former President Donald Trump and her vote to impeach him cost her not only her leadership position as the No. 3 Republican in the House but has prompted a rush to challenge her in a primary in hopes of unseating the third-term congresswoman. But the 2022 primary election is more Read More…
(Cheyenne, WY) – Governor Mark Gordon has announced that up to $6.5 million of remaining CARES Act funds will be used to fund capacity expansion at Wyoming State Parks and Historic Sites. This will expand opportunities for people to spend time outside in the state, boost tourism and address overcrowding caused by COVID-19. The funds will Read More…
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) blasted President Biden on Tuesday, accusing him of being a “hypocrite” for planning Fourth of July celebrations at the White House after her plans to hold a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore were denied. “What a hypocrite. President @JoeBiden wants “a summer of freedom” where we “mark independence from the virus by celebrating with Read More…
Wyoming’s Supreme Court has rejected a request to remove the name of a law enforcement agent from an order censuring a former Laramie County deputy district attorney. Justices, in an order responding to the request from Wyoming Attorney General Bridget Hill, said the attorney general’s office was part of the censure of David Singleton, so Read More…
On April 27, 2021, Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota signed House Bill 1032 into law, making North Dakota the latest state to enact drug price transparency measures. The North Dakota law has three main disclosure requirements applicable to drug manufacturers: (1) quarterly Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC) reporting, (2) disclosure of certain information upon a drug price Read More…
Gov. Mark Gordon announced Tuesday that up to $12 million of Wyoming’s currently remaining $67 million of CARES Act money will be put toward oil and gas projects through the Energy Rebound Program. The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission will accept applications for funding from June 15 through 25. The program, which was created in Read More…
NAMPA, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) —Transgender Democrat Melissa Sue Robinson announced on Tuesday her candidacy for governor of Idaho. Robinson says she’s running to help save the educational system in Idaho and fight fascism that has been “brought forward by Lt Governor, Janice McGeachin, Rep. Barbara Ehardt, The Idaho Freedom Foundation, Wayne Hoffman, and other far-right-wing Republicans.” Read More…
CHEYENNE — Governor Mark Gordon and Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) welcomed news that the Federal Reserve has announced the opening of a comment period for proposed “Account Access Guidelines for the Reserve Banks.” In a press release, Gordon and Lummis said this is “a critical step towards approval of Wyoming-chartered special purpose depository institutions (SPDIs).” READ FULL STORY
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has formed a federal political action committee, indicating her growing fundraising prowess and national ambitions. The Republican has insisted she is focused on getting reelected as governor next year, but her nationwide fundraising network has fueled speculation she could be eyeing a 2024 presidential bid. Last week, her campaign registered a Read More…
Governor Doug Burgum has signed on to 3 House Bills and 2 Senate Bills. The governor also signed Senate Bill 2030, but vetoed Section 5 of said bill. Senate Bill 2030 is an act to provide an appropriation to the state board of higher education for the higher education challenge matching grant program. Burgum signed the bill Read More…
Two legislators are asking North Dakota’s Health Department to end phone calls to residents that inform them of how and where to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The state health officer in a response said immunization reminders are routine, callers are state-employed and trained on federal privacy law, and people can opt out of state-issued Read More…
Anti-government activist Ammon Bundy has filed paperwork with the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office indicating he intends to run for governor in 2021, writes Idaho Press reporter Ryan Suppe. The Secretary of State’s campaign finance portal shows Bundy’s name, with a Republican party affiliation. His treasurer appointment filing is dated May 21; he sought to Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Federal Judge James Boasberg has denied the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s request to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline. This opinion will allow for oil to continue to flow through the pipeline while further environmental review continues, despite earlier rulings from the court that vacated the pipeline’s permit to cross beneath Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon has identified the areas on which he will focus to administer federal dollars awarded to the state under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery funds provided by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. According to a release, Wyoming just recently received the first half of the state’s allocation. The Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — On a prairie hill on the rolling highway into Wyoming’s capital city looms a billboard with the beaming face of the state’s lone congressional representative, Liz Cheney. In huge letters it declares: “Thank you Rep. Cheney for defending the Constitution.” Some local Republicans see Cheney’s lonesome stand against former President Donald Trump’s Read More…
Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow is pushing back against proposed federal priorities for schools to teach the theory that racism is an ingrained part of American life. The U.S. Department of Education recently proposed priorities for American history and civics education grant programs which include encouraging districts to use curriculum related to the Read More…
South Dakota Secretary of State Steve Barnett announced Thursday that the petition submitted for an initiated measure on legalizing medical use marijuana has been validated and filed. The measure, titled Initiated Measure 26, will now appear on the 2020 general election ballot on Nov. 3. Such a measure requires nearly 17,000 valid signatures to qualify Read More…
A former Wyoming state senator has been arrested in Sweetwater County for soliciting prostitution, jail records show. John Hastert, who served in the Wyoming Legislature from 2003 to 2019, was booked into the Sweetwater County Detention Center Thursday, according to the detention center’s inmate roster. He faces charges of soliciting prostitution and interfering with a peace Read More…
The group behind the 2018 Medicaid expansion initiative is adopting a two-pronged political strategy. Reclaim Idaho is planning to sue the state over a new state law that could make it much more difficult to get an initiative on a ballot. And if Reclaim prevails in court, the group will follow up with an initiative Read More…
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Wyoming News Now) – Wyoming’s congressional delegation is responding to President Biden’s Join Address Wednesday evening. In statements from all three of Wyoming’s delegates, none were impressed. Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney responded by calling the speech, and Biden’s actions, disappointing. Her statement is below: “The policies President Biden has advanced in his first Read More…
BOISE, Idaho — On Friday afternoon, all of Idaho’s living governors showed a united front behind Gov. Brad Little vetoing two bills that would trim an Idaho governor’s powers during an emergency while expanding the legislature’s. In a brief press conference, Gov. Little was joined by former Republican Idaho governors C.L. “Butch” Otter and Read More…
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has made it clear that any attempt by the federal government to move illegal immigrants to Wyoming will not be allowed. “I want to state clearly and unequivocally that the State of Wyoming will not participate in relocation or housing efforts of illegal immigrants or unaccompanied minors, and I have made Read More…
Proposals to amend North Dakota’s constitution would be limited to one subject and would need at least 60% of voters in favor, under a measure proposed for 2022. Leaders of the measure group say the state’s constitution is too easy to amend, citing proposed changes in every election cycle over the last decade. Of Read More…
President Biden has announced that the United States will fully withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, which is, of course, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack that rocked the United States in 2001, leaving hundreds dead and a nation in mourning. Though the Trump administration reached a deal with the Taliban to complete Read More…
State Sen. Mary Souza, R-Coeur d’Alene, has announced she’ll run for Idaho Secretary of State in 2022, joining a race that already includes Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane. Current Secretary of State Lawerence Denney told the Idaho Press two weeks ago that he’s probably not going to seek a third term; Denney, like both Souza Read More…
North Dakota’s Senate might revive the question of legalizing recreational marijuana, but through a ballot measure put to voters. The chamber last week soundly defeated a bill to legalize but restrict the drug for recreational use. The 50-page bill, which passed the House, came as an effort by lawmakers to head off a proposed Read More…
The Wyoming Senate voted Monday to pass a bill that would make it illegal to share explicit images or videos without the subject’s consent. House Bill 85 addresses what’s commonly known as revenge porn. As of 2019, Wyoming was just one of four states in the U.S. without any laws concerning the practice. Read More…
The Idaho legislature voted Friday to close down until early April after a coronavirus outbreak among six members of the state House. The recess, which will last until April 6, comes after five Republicans and a Democrat in the lower chamber tested positive for the virus. Several GOP lawmakers in both chambers have declined to Read More…
CHEYENNE — Wyoming’s governor urged members of Congress on Friday to back federal legislation that could help speed up carbon capture infrastructure development across the country. Gov. Mark Gordon joined governors in Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Oklahoma in drafting a letter to several lawmakers, urging them to support the SCALE Act, co-sponsored by Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney. The proposed Read More…
CASPER, Wyo. — The Wyoming Senate rejected an effort to create authority for an Interstate 80 tolling program on Friday, March 19. The Senate defeated Senate File 73 on a third reading vote of 16-13. Sen. Bill Landen (Natrona), who voted on the prevailing side, motioned for an immediate reconsideration of the bill after the third reading vote. Read More…
North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party Chairwoman Kylie Oversen announced Wednesday that she will not seek a fourth two-year term. Oversen, a Fargo attorney, said she and her now-husband made the decision two years ago that this would be her last term. Oversen in her statement touted numerous successes under her tenure, including the party improving its Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) – The Wyoming Legislature will meet throughout the day on Monday, March 8, 2021. Upon noon recess the House Corporations Committee will hear testimony on bills relating to health orders. The Senate Transportation Committee will continue to hear testimony about an effort to study tolling I-80. That meeting will happen Read More…
After the 2020 election, legislatures across the country are considering new voting laws. And while no widespread voter fraud has been proven, it has not stopped conservative lawmakers from looking for solutions and new preventive measures. Wyoming is no exception, with its legislature considering a bill that would require a voter to show an ID before voting in-person. A Read More…
Former state representative Luke Simons won’t go to court over his expulsion from the Legislature. Simons, R-Dickinson, announced his decision Thursday morning in a lengthy statement. “The legislature has effectively disenfranchised the people of my district. Unfortunately, the only way I can immediately correct this injustice is to allow someone else to serve,” he said. Read More…
CASPER, Wyo. — Wyoming currently has a 4% statewide sales and use tax. State law allows local sales and use taxes up to 3% (so-called “fifth, sixth and seventh penny”) additional sales and use taxes. The Wyoming House of Representatives are working on a bill that would potentially make the so-called “fifth penny” tax permanent Read More…
PIERRE — A Hughes County judge has ruled that a voter-approved amendment to the South Dakota Constitution ending marijuana prohibition in the state shouldn’t go forward. Circuit Court Judge Christina Klinger ruled Monday that Constitutional Amendment A violates the state Constitution on two grounds: It violates the single subject rule, meaning it encompassed more than one Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) – There are only 16 women in the Wyoming State Legislature, as a while the Equality state ranks in the bottom five of the nation for having a diverse state legislature. When it comes to representation in local offices it’s just as bad. Out of the 93 County Commissioners in Read More…
BOISE, Idaho — Legislation to prohibit mask mandates by government entities in Idaho has been introduced. The House State Affairs Committee on Tuesday cleared the way for a potential hearing on the bill put forward by a dozen conservative lawmakers. Republican Rep. Karey Hanks says requiring healthy individuals to wear masks to prevent the spread Read More…