Mountain West region top lists for residential construction employment
According to an analysis from the National Association of Home Builders construction industry employment reached a record high 11.4 million people in 2023 and an estimated 4.7 million of those workers were in residential construction. Three states in the Mountain Division were at the top of the list with Montana at 5.1% of the employed labor force working in home building. Idaho led at 5.5% with Utah behind Montana at 4.9%.
Montana Extends Medicaid Expansion Amid Federal Funding Concerns
Governor Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 245 into law, extending Montana’s Medicaid expansion beyond its 2025 expiration. The program currently covers over 75,000 low-income adults, with the federal government covering 90% of its $1 billion annual cost.
Montana Unemployment Holds at 2.8% as Labor Force Hits Record
Governor Greg Gianforte announced Montana’s unemployment rate held steady at 2.8% in February, marking 44 straight months at or below 3.4%. Montana added 3,000 new jobs, with a record-high labor force of nearly 580,000 in 2024. The state’s jobless rate remains 1.3% below the national average. However, payroll jobs dropped by 2,500, with declines in construction and government employment.
Lawmakers address financial strain of Montana’s childcare crisis
Proposed Senate Bill 321 could ease the financial strain of Montana’s childcare crisis by establishing a tax credit package that focuses on families childcare workers and employers who are making investments in childcare. Thursday several people gave testimony during a Senate Taxation Committee hearing in its support sharing their own experiences. One opponent argued in opposition saying it would reduce the state’s revenue.
As measles outbreaks loom Montana lawmakers work to regain data on immunizations
A federal survey last year showed just over 86% of Montana’s 2-year-olds had recently received the measles immunization but now with more than 375 cases reported across 18 states Montana lawmakers are working to get data on immunizations. Montana is the only state that no longer collects immunization reports from local schools creating a data gap for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Montana hasn’t confirmed a case of measles since 1990.
Effort to bring increased passenger rail could get boost under new bill
Efforts to bring increased passenger rail service to Montana could get boost under House Bill 848 which would create a “Big Sky Rail Account” within the state special revenue fund and would appropriate $2 million to it annually from a tax on certain railroad cars. Rail advocates have long pushed for more options in Montana for more railroad options in Montana led by the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority whose stated goal is to expand passenger rail in the state.
Yellowstone bison slaughter hunt quarantine nears 400
The state of Montana is continuing in its lawsuit against the federal government and Park Service over the 2024 Yellowstone bison management plan. Meanwhile 260 animals have been shipped to slaughter so far this winter and another 86 quarantined for possible live transfer to tribes. In addition one male calf died after being captured. The National Park Service is only a quarter of the way toward its proposal to remove up to 1,375 animals this season to maintain a population between 3,500 to 6,000 animals which are goals of its newly minted bison management plan.
Yellowstone National Park will have a new tourist attraction when it reopens fully
A new thermal attraction venting steam into the air at Yellowstone National Park is gaining attention and when Yellowstone’s roads open to car traffic in April tourists will be able to view the new steam column from a pullout in an area about a mile north of the Norris Geyser Basin. Yellowstone’s thermal features come and go but the park’s most famous one Old Faithful Geyser is still going strong.
For the fifth consecutive year Montana State University has been recognized as a top ten military friendly school in a nationwide survey through the website Military friendly dot com. As of last fall MSU had a total of 784 students connected to the military which included 548 veterans. MSU ranked third in military-friendly schools in the survey’s Tier 2 research institution category.
NorthWestern Energy is in the middle of a yearly statewide powerline inspection looking at 72,000 miles of them before fire season begins. The company has 50 crews in the state who work on vegetation management alone. One of the biggest challenges is dealing with the destruction caused by swarms of Mountain Pine Beetles and crews look for any damaged trees that could lead to disaster if not remedied.
Rocky Mountain College in billings has announced a new academic program in Uncrewed Aerial Systems more commonly referred to as drones. This will be the third program within Aviation that the institution offers including Aviation Management and Aeronautical Science-professional pilot.
Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks is asking for public comment on what could be a new shooting range on state trust lands on the south side of I-00 along 2 Dog Road between the Logan exit and the Logan Landfill for long-and short-range firearms. The site is already used as an informal shooting range. The is asking for public comment before moving beyond the planning phase.
