Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Sorted by date Results 1 - 20 of 20
Gov. Greg Gianforte continues to push lawmakers to pass a “homestead exemption” bill to help Montanans with rising property taxes by lowering rates for primary residences and long-term rentals. Gianforte has said the plan is projected to provide direct permanent relief to 215,000 Montana homeowners, with average cuts of 15%. During his State of the State speech in January, the governor highlighted the proposal as one of his top priorities. “In my State of the State, I asked the legislature to pass the homestead rate cut by the middle of Febru...
The third attempt at giving Montana farmers and ranchers the right to repair their agricultural equipment outside of dealerships hit the House Business and Labor Committee last week. Proponents of House Bill 390 said when manufacturers require that certain repairs only be made by dealers, they leave farmers and ranchers with too few options. But the bill also drew criticism for overstepping in what opponents said could be an easy private-sector solution. Retired Army Colonel Richard Liebert is a cattle rancher and president of the Montana...
A key Medicaid expansion bill passed the Montana House of Representatives last week, one step closer to removing the sunset date on a program that has provided insurance coverage to thousands of Montanans. A 2024 report from the Montana Healthcare Foundation shows that in 2023, about 110,000 adults were covered under the state’s Medicaid expansion program. The expansion offers healthcare for Montanans who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty line for income. The bill passed with bipartisan support on a 63-37 vote Feb. 10 following rigorous d...
A bill its sponsor called “easy-peasy” would allow retired teachers to keep their benefits while returning to tutor their replacements. The House State Administration Committee heard first testimony on House Bill 359 on February 11 and then passed the bill onto the full Senate the next day on a 19-0 vote. “This just opens the door for retired teachers to perhaps get paid to help newly hired teachers that are taking over in their past teaching role without jeopardizing their retirement distribution,” said Rep. Jamie Isaly, D-Bozeman, the bill’s...
A bill in the Montana House of Representatives aims to protect the autonomy and free speech of pregnancy centers amid controversy across the country about how these centers handle abortion conversations with patients. Crisis pregnancy centers or clinics, also known as anti-abortion centers, offer prenatal support, pregnancy testing and counseling, often as an effort to encourage mothers to carry pregnancies to term. Derek Oestreicher, chief legal counsel for the Montana Family Foundation, supported House Bill 388 at a committee hearing Feb. 1...
Under a bill in front of lawmakers in Helena, Montana plates and palates would never see a piece of lab-grown meat – a product Republican Rep. Randyn Gregg of White Sulphur Springs called “ Mary Sheldon’s Frankenstein meets Keanu Reeves in the Matrix.” Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, is carrying House Bill 401, which does not include bans on plant-based meat alternatives, but rather meat that is grown from animal cells. The bill’s long list of co-sponsors includes lawmakers from both parties. “ This bill will help promote Montana’s agr...
Montana lawmakers are attempting to add to the crime of child endangerment, including exposure to marijuana. Senate Bill 261 would make exposing a child to marijuana and other dangerous drugs, which would include fentanyl, or forcing them to consume the drugs a punishable offense. It would also criminalize assisting minors in entering marijuana dispensaries. Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, is carrying the bill. In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Feb. 12, Hertz said SB 261 gives law enforcement agents more tools to protect the safety of children...
Sen. Mike Yakawich, R-Billings, compares the state’s purchase of overdose reversal drugs like naloxone from companies that have contributed to the opioid crisis to “paying the arsonist to put out his own fire.” Yakawich is carrying Senate Bill 112, which would ban government purchase of opioid overdose reversal drugs from companies like Purdue Pharma and Hikma Pharmaceuticals. The bill passed the Senate Feb. 4 on a 49-1 vote and is now scheduled for a hearing in the House Human Services Committee on Feb. 17. Attorneys General across the count...
Montana Legislators are pushing for changes to DUI laws – laws that Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, calls a national embarrassment. Mitchell is carrying House Bill 267, known as “Bobby’s Law” in honor of 21-year-old Bobby Dewbre, who was killed by a drunk driver in Columbia Falls in 2023. The driver served the maximum 18-month sentence. Under HB 267, if a driver kills someone while registering a blood alcohol content of 0.16 or higher, twice the legal limit, they would be charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and serve no less th...
Women in Montana would be able to request child support payments starting at conception if a bill in the Montana House of Representatives becomes law. The House Judiciary Committee heard testimony for House Bill 288 Thursday. Proponents said fathers should bear part of the financial burden of prenatal care, particularly in unplanned pregnancies. Opponents, however, said Montana law already allows women to collect child support for prenatal care after a child’s birth and the bill would complicate medical decisions and put victims of sexual a...
The Montana House of Representatives will now have the chance to debate a bill that would make providing gender-affirming care to children under the age of 16 a felony for endangering the welfare of a child. The Senate passed the bill last week on a 30-20 vote. Senate Bill 164 would classify surgical procedures, puberty blockers or hormones like testosterone and estrogen provided to children for gender-affirming treatment as criminal offenses. Proponents of the bill said it would protect children from life-altering procedures while opponents...
Under current Montana law, the winner of a duel may be responsible for supporting the family of their slain opponent. Even though killing someone, in a duel or not, is illegal, that code from 1895 is still on the books. House Bill 247 would repeal it. Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Colombia Falls, is carrying the bill, which passed the House Wednesday and now moves to the Senate. “This wasn’t a bill I thought I’d be bringing this session but after working with the Lieutenant Governor on more serious red-tape relief bills, she mentioned this outda...
The Montana House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee tabled one bill and advanced two other bills that would change rules for hunting gray wolves in the state. The wolf-focused bills hit the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee Tuesday, Jan. 21, including House Bill 101, which would classify gray wolves as furbearers. The committee tabled that bill on Friday, Jan. 24. Rep. Jamie Isaly, D-Bozeman, said HB 101, recommended by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, would have put more specific protections on gray wolves while maintaining the...
Montanans could have beer and wine delivered to their doors by services like DoorDash if a bill in front of the House of Representatives passes. House Bill 211, sponsored by Rep. Katie Zolnikov, R-Billings, would require delivery drivers to be 21 years old, get a license to deliver alcohol and not have been convicted of driving under the influence in the past seven years. Tom Kerr is the general counsel for the Adult Beverage Alliance, a trade association that includes Amazon, DoorDash, Grubhub, Shift, and Uber. He supported the bill at a c...
Worries about the malicious use of AI in government work have sparked the drafting of two bills at the Montana Legislature that aim to limit its use and promote transparency, but both quickly drew criticism for their broadness. House Bill 178, carried by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, would prohibit the use of AI in surveillance and facial recognition unless used to identify a missing person, a suspect in a serious crime or to identify corpses. HB 178 also requires that the use of AI in anything the government publishes be disclosed....
Lawmakers heard first testimony last week on major property tax bills from both sides of the aisle – the Republican-backed “Homestead Act” touted by Gov. Greg Gianforte proposes wide-spread cuts, and two Democrat-backed bills target relief on lower-income households. Rep. Jonathan Karlen, D-Missoula, introduced House Bill 154 on Tuesday, Jan. 21, warning a panel of legislators that residents are being priced out of their communities. The bill aims to make property tax more affordable to low-income taxpayers through a tax credit. House Bill...
Proponents lined the walls of the House Taxation Committee room Friday in support of establishing a $1.5 million Montana workforce housing tax credit program. House Bill 21 is a state-specific version of an existing federal program. The bill would give tax credits for affordable housing projects, which proponents said would help increase much-needed supply. Don Sterhan is the president of CR Builders in Billings and a member of Gov. Greg Gianforte’s Housing Task Force. He supports HB 21 and gave examples of where the federal credit program h...
Lawmakers are considering a bill that would make local agencies ask voters for a specific dollar amount of property tax increases on ballot levies rather than rely on mills — a property tax-based increase that can help account for inflation and changes in property values. Local levies are often used for public services like libraries or fire stations. The bill would still allow mills for public schools. Supporters of House Bill 20 told lawmakers in the House Taxation Committee Tuesday, Jan. 7 that the change would stabilize local property t...
Montana Lawmakers heard an hour of what one representative called “concerning and astounding” testimony Thursday, Jan. 9 on a bill aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse in the age of artificial intelligence. House Bill 82 would update Montana law to account for the use of AI in altering photos of minors and using computer-generated images in “sextortion” cases that seek to blackmail children. “This bill is about protecting our children in an environment where predators have evolved their tactics,” said Rep. Kathy Love, R-Hamilton,...
The 69th Montana Legislature opened Monday, Jan. 6 in Helena with both Republicans and Democrats highlighting affordability as one of the issues that will dominate the 90-day session. Republicans have a 32-18 majority in the Senate and a 58-42 majority in the House this session, but after redistricting, they no longer hold the supermajority they held in 2023. At the first Senate session Monday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, said Montanans just need to look at their checkbooks to see what Republicans have done for...
