Congress has two weeks to avoid a government shutdown and there is little confidence about the passage of a new farm bill. This week several Republican governors including Montana’s Greg Gianforte wrote a letter to congressional leaders pressing for a new one. The 2018 Farm Bill officially expired in September and progress on the legislation h...
U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson has ordered federal wildlife officials to decide by January 20th whether Yellowstone-area grizzly bears should be delisted from the Endangered Species Act. That could speed up a potential handover of authority to Montana Wyoming and Idaho opening the door for grizzly bear hunting. Eight Montana media orga...
Affordable housing remains a pressing issue in Montana with home prices rising significantly. The Montana Association of Realtors reports that the median home price has increased by nearly 90% over the past five years. Governor Greg Gianforte has proposed a biennium budget aimed at addressing the issue. It includes money for the Montana Housin...
Montana is one of nine states that could end Medicaid expansion coverage if the federal government cuts funding as some allies of President-elect Donald Trump have proposed. Montana’s law rolls back expansion below 90% funding but allows it to continue if lawmakers identify additional funding. Under state law Montana lawmakers must reauthorize...
The biennial legislative session starts in January and legislators met Tuesday to propose changes to the rules that will dictate how they operate over the 90-day term. Joint Rules Committee members voted not to implement a proposal that would have banned transgender women from using the women’s bathroom reserved for legislators between the Hou...
Pointing to new science suggesting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem lacks quality lynx habitat wildlife managers are proposing an 88% cut in the area designated as “critical habitat” for the rare snowshoe hare-dependent felines. The Fish and Wildlife Service proposed its revisions to critical lynx habitat in conjunction with a final recovery ...
The number of influenza cases recorded in Montana continues to rise for a fourth week. The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services recorded 29 flu cases for the week ending November 23rd up from 26 recorded the week before. COVID-19 cases were down from 330 recorded the previous week while hospitalizations from COVID went up fr...
The Montana Board of State Canvassers completed the statutorily required state canvass procedure this week. The Secretary of State’s Office served as the secretary for the meeting, where representatives from the Attorney General’s Office the Office of Public Instruction and the State Auditor’s Office completed the canvassing. The Montana...
The Montana Public Service Commission voted to approve an interim rate reduction of 7.24% for NorthWestern Energy’s residential electric customers Tuesday. It translates into a reduction of $7.96 for the typical residential customer using 750 kilowatt-hours a month. The bulk of the electricity rate reduction was due to a reduction over time to...
To help combat a teacher shortage in Montana students enrolled in teacher prep programs at Montana colleges can apply to be placed in a K through 12 classroom for a full year and continue taking classes while working hands-on in the classroom. In return the state and their district offer them a $1,400 per month stipend housing assistance and a...
