The House Fish Wildlife and Parks Committee recently advanced two bills aimed at reducing Montana’s wolf population. House Bill 222 initially proposed an open season for wolf hunting until numbers reached 600 but this was later amended. Another proposal House Bill 176 seeks to eliminate bag limits until population numbers drop by half. The state’s wolf figures currently stand at around 1,100 animals. Environmental groups have already sued over wolf protection decisions citing flawed population models.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is eliminating Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs across federal agencies including those in Montana. It is redirecting $8 million in spending in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order eliminating DEI programs across the federal government.
A bill on human trafficking education in Montana’s public schools is making its way through the Legislature moving its way out of committee and receiving support from the Office of Public Instruction. It would mandate human trafficking education which is particularly important for Indigenous communities which have higher rates of missing people.
The Montana Supreme Court has found state representative Bill Mercer was entitled as a legislator to review a private child abuse and neglect case file and associated communications the state health department had sought to keep him from seeing for months. The decision comes as the 2025 Legislature enters its fourth week of a 90-day session leaving Mercer with little time to get information from his review and draft any bills to address his findings.
At the end of 2024 Montana gasoline prices dropped 20 out of 22 weeks but for the first four weeks of 2025 prices went up. Gas prices in Montana are now 17.2 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and 11.3 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. Montana is currently ranked 35th in the U.S. when it comes to the average price of gas. Nationally gas fell nine tenths of a cent per gallon last week.
Yellowstone County commissioners held an opportunity for public comment Monday about a letter written by Commissioner Mark Morse last week offering the use of MetraPark in Billings to detain undocumented migrants in the region. An overwhelming majority of those that showed up denounced it.
nearly 1,100-mile trip to southern California to help contain their wildfires. So far more than 57,000 acres burned with more than 16,000 structures destroyed.
The Montana House Agricultural Committee has passed a bill to vote on creation of a new state beef cattle checkoff and a committee to handle the funds. It would be in addition to the current Montana Beef Council and $1 mandatory federal Beef Checkoff. If producers vote the checkoff down the statute would become void.
Governor Greg Gianforte praised the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Monday for its response during the 2024 fire season keeping 95 percent of fires under its direct protection to 10 acres or fewer. During the 2023 legislature it was allocated $60 million over the biennium to expand the state’s wildfire preparedness and forest management efforts.
Billings school administrators are outlining their procedures for what to do if federal immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrive in schools and ask to speak with students. Superintendent Erwin Garcia sent an email districtwide to educators stating that the school must allow judicial-warrant-carrying ICE agents in buildings but educators must also protect the rights of students.
