Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen submitted the state’s proposed five new Public Service Commission districts this week in response to a lawsuit claiming the current ones are unconstitutional but said it shouldn’t be adopted. MTN News Mike Dennison reports she said the lawsuit should be dismissed and the Legislature should draw the bo...
State Representatives Petitioning For Special Legislative Session
Many of Montana’s conservative elected officials are signing onto a letter requesting a special Legislative session to re-draw the five Public Service Commission districts but fewer are agreeing to also address election integrity. Representative Derek Skees.
State Republicans Calling For Special Legislative Session
Governor Greg Gianforte is open to calling a special session of the Legislature to approve new voting districts for electing members of the Public Service Commission. In a letter to lawmakers he said he would limit any special session to handling PSC redistricting only and would make the call if and when the Legislature has demonstrated ample ...
Law Firm Challenging Voting Bills Discusses Youth Engagement
Three laws passed by the Montana Legislature are being challenged in court for their potential to suppress youth voter turnout by youth civics groups which filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to stop them from being enforced before the Montana primary June 7th. Rylee Sommers-Flanagan who heads Upper Seven Law and represents them calls ...
Governor Gianforte Expresses Support For State Legislature In Pending Lawsuit
Last December, the state Legislature appealed a state Supreme Court ruling that found lawmakers overstepped their authority when they subpoenaed judicial branch records to the U.S. Supreme Court focusing on whether the justices had the authority to rule on a subpoena for their own communications. Monday, Governor Greg Gianforte argued in a bri...
New Law Affecting Business Equipment Taxes Now In Effect
The 2021 Montana Legislature passed House Bill 303 changing how Montana taxes business equipment. The new law increases the business equipment tax exemption from $100,000 to $300,000 for Tax year 2022. Businesses whose statewide market value of equipment is $3000,000 or less are exempt from the business equipment tax. After the report is submi...
Montana Lawmakers Finalize Recreational Marijuana Law For New Year
After the voters approved its legalization statewide, recreational marijuana is due to become state law at the start of the new year. State Senator Shane Morgieau recently reflected on working out the law’s details this year on Voices of Montana. https://northernbroadcasting.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/12-30_537.mp3
Montana Courts Spent 1800 Hours Disputing New Laws In 2021
According to a time and cost analysis of legal challenges conducted by the Legislative Audit Division the Montana Department of Justice has spent just more than $102,199 and 1,803 hours defending 14 cases challenging 18 different laws passed during the 2021 legislative session. In an email Legislative GOP spokesperson Kyle Schmauch said 97.5 p...
State Legislators Meet To Discuss Election Committee
Republican state lawmakers Senator Theresa Manzella of Stevensville and Representative Brad Tschida of Missoula spoke to Montana’s Legislative Council this week to reiterate an appeal made earlier this fall for the formation of a special legislative committee to investigate alleged irregularities in Montana’s 2020 election. The council did not...
Montana Legislature Appeals Subpoena Case To Supreme Court
Yesterday, the Montana Legislature and State Attorney General Austin Knudsen appealed a Montana Supreme Court decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, saying that state justices should have excused themselves from a ruling on legislative attempts to acquire internal court documents. This comes following their ruling that the lawmakers did not have ...