The Montana Legislature is asking the state Supreme Court to withdraw its opinion and order in a case decided last month where justices unanimously said the Legislature exceeded its authority by subpoenaing judicial records and ordered the immediate return of any of the emails it obtained through subpoenas or copies of those documents to the c...
Montana Municipalities Beginning To Decide On Marijuana Laws
With Montana’s marijuana market due to open up in five months, Montana towns must now figure out what legal cannabis will look like in their communities. Voters legalized general use cannabis during last year’s elections while this year’s legislature sorted out details during its most recent session, but now determining zoning districts, subje...
Supreme Court Rejects State Legislature’s Subpoeana
The Montana Supreme Court has ruled the state Legislature overstepped its authority when it subpoenaed records from the judicial branch without a legislative purpose. Legislature represented by the Republican Attorney General’s Office had argued the Supreme Court should not be able to rule on the matter of their own subpoenas. The unanim...
State Supreme Court Requested To Take Case On Governor-Appointed Judge
Two former Democratic lawmakers Tom Winter and Barbara Bessette challenging Montana’s new judicial appointment process have asked the Montana Supreme Court take their case from the District Court saying the governor’s appointment of a Cascade County District Court judge has created urgency for a decision. They petitioned the court ...
Nuclear Interest Group Pushes For Further Legislative Review
People’s Power League, the group that successfully brought a 1978 ballot referendum that put proposed nuclear power plants up to a public vote only to have it overturned by the 2021 Legislature, has filed for a ballot issue to override the bill passed by lawmakers. The ballot issue has been sent to the Legislative Services Division for r...
Board Of Regents Votes For Judicial Review Over Campus Gun Law
The Board of Regents voted unanimously today to seek a judicial review over whether the state legislature or it has the authority to regulate the possession of guns on campuses. The 2021 Montana Legislature passed a bill to allow students and staff who meet safety certifications to carry concealed firearms without a permit on campuses starting...
Second Vaccination Clinic With Cash Incentive To be Held In Billings
Yellowstone County residents who have not yet received their first COVID-19 vaccination will have another chance to get $50 this Thursday for doing so. Matching the $20,000 donated last week, a second anonymous donor wanted to keep the vaccination momentum going due to that clinic’s success. The clinic will again be at the Shrine Auditor...
Montana Legislature Chairs Auctioned Off
The old chairs that House members of the state Legislature sat in for more than 100 years have been auctioned off to current and former lawmakers. The 100 chairs which were replaced for the 2021 session were sold last week by silent auction for bids ranging from $125 to $1,100 with the proceeds going into the state’s general fund. The bidding ...
VP Of Montana Stockgrowers Association Comments On Cattles’ Effects On The Atmosphere
Only 12 of Montana’s 56 counties have a rate of broadband access equal to or higher than the nationwide average and on the state’s tribal lands only 67.2% of people living there have broadband access at all. Expanding broadband infrastructure has emerged as a top priority in the 67th Legislative Session and several bills along with hundreds of...
Recently Signed Bills May Aid Disable Voters’ Submissions
Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Troy Downing has announced a rulemaking to strengthen consumer rights in the bail bond industry A typical premium on a bond in Montana is 10%. The new rules establish how bail bondsmen maintain this premium which is not regulated in statute and is only subject to marketplace competition. The Montana Leg...