MONTANA HEADLINE NEWS, 09/20 –
The legislative auditor’s office has identified $26.2 million in spending from the Montana Department of Health that didn’t comply with federal requirements or wasn’t supported by adequate documentation. About $21.5 million of that is attributed to the Child Care and Development Fund, the division that aims to help families earning low incomes pay for childcare and support providers in offering high-quality early education. Montana’s state health department had more audited spending in the last two fiscal years than all but one other state agency.
Montana veterans’ benefit payments scheduled to go out October 1st will do just that after the U.S. Senate approved a bill to plug a $3 billion funding shortfall Thursday with a day to spare before the payments could have been delayed. President Joe Biden is expected to sign it when it gets to his desk. If the funding wasn’t approved by September 20th VA officials warned payments scheduled to be sent out on the first could be delayed.
Fire managers at the Short Draw Fire on the Montana-Wyoming border have confirmed 36 structures have been destroyed. The fire burned nearly 35-thousand acres and fire managers are anticipating 100% containment by the end of Friday.
The Federal Trade Commission has announced a final rule prohibiting employers from entering into non-compete agreements with workers making most existing non-competes unenforceable. The decision affects workers in Montana where such agreements have been common. The FTC says eliminating them could increase workers’ earnings by nearly $300 billion every year by increasing competition and innovation in the labor market.
Soldiers will receive an extra monthly bonus starting in October ranging from $210 to $450 per month depending on rank for time away from home exceeding 30 days. The new benefit includes Montana Army Guardsmen and reservists. Deployments abroad have become more frequent, particularly with a renewed focus on Europe after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to the Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce there are 2,535 hotel rooms in the city. With various projects planned that number could balloon to 5,127 in the next five or six years. Almost 1,000 more rooms were under construction as of June.
