Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Sorted by date Results 26 - 32 of 32
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...
A bill protecting landowners from state seizure of private water rights on state lands has begun debate in the Senate, but not without concerns about school funding, water rights cases and public land access. Speaker of the House Brandon Ler, R-Savage, brought his House Bill 676 to the Senate Judiciary Committee after a series of tight votes in the House. Ler’s bill would prohibit the state land board from seizing private water rights used to irrigate or otherwise service state-owned, leased land. The bill would also mandate the sale of publicl...
