Montana Unemployment Claims Montana Increased Last Week
New jobless claims in Montana increased to 540 in the week ending June 13th up from 520 the week before. U.S. unemployment claims dropped to 245,000 down 5,000 claims on a seasonally adjusted basis. Connecticut saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims by 70.1%. The Virgin Islands saw the largest percentage drop of 44.8%.
Governor Gianforte vetoes subsidy for Montana child care workers
Governor Greg Gianforte has vetoed House Bill 456 that would have extended an existing childcare subsidy program to parents who work in the industry. It would have used a combination of state and federal money to subsidize tuition for childcare workers with a household income less than double the state median. That’s about $100,000 for a family of three.
Trump administration’s cuts to National Science Foundation blocked
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston has blocked the Trump administration from making drastic cuts to research funding provided by the National Science Foundation. That includes research and infrastructure money for universities like Montana State University and Montana Technological University for projects in science and engineering with a focus on areas like wildfire science environmental water systems and STEM education.
Housing aid is now available for Medicaid recipients with behavioral health needs
Montana has received federal approval to provide Medicaid-funded services to assist those with behavioral health needs find housing. Programs are available to qualifying Medicaid members who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Support includes help making applications connecting to community resources and working on building relationships with landlords.
Montana is 2025’s 5th Worst State for Summer Road Trips – WalletHub Study
With nearly 80% of U.S. adults saying they will take some sort of road trip this summer today WalletHub released its report on 2025’s Best and Worst States for Summer Road Trips comparing the 50 states based on 32 key metrics. The personal-finance website ranked Montana 46th overall but 33rd in the lowest price of camping nationally. Montana ranked 40th in access to scenic byways and 37th in the number of attractions.
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The President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Neel Kashkari will at the Delta colonial Helena Hotel in Helena Thursday afternoon from 5 to 6 to deliver brief remarks and to hear from the public and the local business community about how the regional economy is faring. The town hall–style event will be hosted by the Montana Chamber Foundation.
Last week three different mussel-fouled boats were intercepted at two watercraft stations in Montana during routine inspections. Two were heading to other states and stopped at the Wibaux Station. The third boat was headed to Whitefish and failed to stop for an inspection before a tribal warden took it to the Ravalli Station.
The current parking system in downtown Great Falls allows drivers only two hours before risking a ticket which many local business owners say isn’t working and the city’s Parking Advisory Commission is exploring potential solutions. Meanwhile the Electric City is offering free parking in the downtown north parking garage this summer to ease the burden.
A hearing before the Public Service Commission over a proposed NorthWestern Energy rate increase is moving to the next stage of opening briefs. The utility is proposing to increase the electric rate by a 4.21% increase compared to rates from last July. The natural gas rate would increase by 9.13%.
The Dawson County Government Study Commission has approved a measure to place term limits on county commissioners. The proposal will now be scheduled for public comment before being placed on the ballot for county wide voter consideration. If approved it would limit commissioners to two consecutive six-year terms followed by a mandatory one-term break before being eligible to run again. Dawson County would be the first county in Montana to set term limits on county commissioners.
