Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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U.S. Senator Jon Tester today urged the Biden Administration to immediately work to increase domestic energy production to protect consumers from spiking gasoline prices and reduce dependence on foreign oil and gas production in light of Russia’s unprovoked war with Ukraine. “As our nation unites to confront President Vladimir Putin’s reckless actions, strengthening our energy independence from enemies like Russia must be a priority,” wrote Tester in a letter to the Secretaries of Energy, State, and Interior. “I believe it is criticall...
A tip of my Stetson to Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Senator Joe Manchin for reminding me what political courage and a love of democracy looks like. The frontal attack on Montana’s 200,000 sportsmen and women has been unrelenting for over a year. The first legislative salvo was SB 143 which attempted to negate the Sportsman’s Initiative (I-161) passed by 189,000 sportsmen in 2010. I-161 removed the outfitter set aside for elk licenses. SB 143 expanded the number of outfitted clients to all who had applied but were not dra...
I am pleased to announce my candidacy for re-election to continue my service to the citizens of House District 71 (Madison County and parts of Jefferson and Silver Bow Counties). It has been my honor to represent and advocate for you, not just during the session, but on an ongoing basis. In 2019, I campaigned that I would bring “common-sense conservative values” to my legislature. My primary issues that I focused on were: NATURAL RESOURCES • viable and sustainable agriculture economy • keep public lands public and promote multiple use of outd...
Eighty-year-old Roger Hill used to go fishing on the Arkansas River in Colorado. But he sometimes had to duck baseball-size rocks thrown at him by landowners who insisted he was trespassing. When he got back to his car, he sometimes found notes threatening him with arrest if he returned. Worse, a fellow fisherman was shot at by a landowner, who got 30 days in jail for the attack. Rather than risking either injury or arrest, Hill sued the landowners, claiming that the bed of the Arkansas River is navigable. If that assumption is true, then Hill...
The Montana Department of Revenue has an important message to income tax filers: Keep your mailing address current with the department. This is especially true for anyone filing a Montana income tax return for the first time. That’s because the department sends refunds to first-time filers only as paper checks – not by direct deposit – due to our security measures to combat fraud. And, the Post Office will not forward your refund check to your new address. That means that if the department has an incorrect address, your refund could be delayed....
Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choices are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education. Franklin D. Roosevelt The tone of any Montana legislative session is set at the ballot box, a couple of months before the session officially gets started. It’s a full-time job keeping up with all the proposed legislation during the session; that’s why it’s best to educate yourself now, ahead of the 2022 election, so you vote for a candidate who represents your views and not just a polit...
U.S. Senator Steve Daines is calling on the Biden administration to immediately reauthorize construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. “President Biden set us on a dangerous path when he decided to kill the Keystone XL pipeline on Day One in office,” Daines said. “What’s happening in Russia and Europe is a stark reminder of the need to support American energy development, not hinder it. Energy security is national security, and a global energy dominant America is a safer world. Biden must restart the Keystone XL pipeline now.” Daines has been...
Dear Editor, When Montana Republicans tell you they are fighting for your rights and freedoms, they’re speaking out of both sides of their mouths. While presenting themselves to Montanans as champions of our rights and liberty, they have been hard at work chipping away at the very rights they pretend to hold so dear. They are undermining the independence of our judicial system, rolling back our right to privacy, interfering in our health care decisions, taking away local control for our children’s education, and weakening Montanans’ right...
With rare bipartisan support, the Senate passed landmark workplace legislation on Thursday that forbids companies from forcing sexual harassment and assault claims into arbitration. Why it matters: The secretive dispute resolution process keeps litigation out of the public eye and is widely considered to favor employers over workers. The bill is the first major piece of legislation to come out of the upheaval of the #MeToo era. It now heads to President Biden for his signature. It’s also a victory for former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson, w...
I recently sat in awe as I listened to 94-year-old Montana Constitutional Convention Delegate Wade Dahood, one of twelve remaining delegates of the original 100, talk about his convention experience fifty years ago. From his Anaconda law office, Dahood addressed a camera and a reporter for an interview, part of a series noting and celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Montana’s 1972 Constitutional Convention where the delegates drafted what is arguably the best state Constitution in the nation. Dahood, Chair of the convention’s critically importa...
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Adam Meier issued an advisory today to clarify the current status of, and Montanans’ rights and obligations, under the Parental Notification of Abortion Act of 2011. Montana Code books reflect that House Bill 391 (2013) repealed portions of this law. However, the Montana Code doesn’t account for court decisions, and these provisions are in fact current law. The Parental Notification of Abortion Act, which was approved by more than 70%...
We’ve all heard the quip, “how do you know when a politician is lying?” Answer: His lips are moving. But there’s another obvious question that begs an obvious answer. WHY do politicians lie? Answer: Because they can. The American media – or what could once be legitimately called the media – draws our attention every day to the lies they have caught their least-favored politicians saying. Often they are incredibly blatant. The furrowed brows on the left (CNN, MSNBC, and the major networks), were almost gleeful when they could trip up Trump in...
On January 31, the last day of Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, Governor Greg Gianforte announced a partnership between Town Pump, the LifeGuard Group, and the State of Montana to raise awareness and put an end to human trafficking in Montana. “Earlier this month, we brought together state and local law enforcement and nonprofit leaders to discuss strategies to end human trafficking in Montana. All of us there agreed – awareness is critical to stopping these despicable crimes and supporting victims,” Gov. Gianforte said. “With th...
Governor Greg Gianforte and Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen announced a record number of new businesses were created in Montana last year. More than 51,500 new businesses were registered with the Montana Secretary of State in 2021, surpassing the previous record set in 2020 by more than 12,000 businesses. “Montana is open for business. In the last twelve months, we’ve seen a record low unemployment rate, a record number of Montanans working, and a record number of new businesses created in the state,” Gov. Gianforte said. “We’ll continue...
U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced $6,125,000 in Department of Transportation (DOT) grant funding for Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute from the National Center for Excellence for Rural Road Safety. “Montana’s roads and bridges have been long overdue for a serious upgrade, and this funding, along with my bipartisan infrastructure law, will ensure that travel in rural Montana will be safer for years to come,” said Tester. “Montana families and businesses rely on our highways and interstate system to move across ou...
Governor Greg Gianforte and Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Director Adam Meier announced today that Montana No Kid Hungry (NKH) has awarded a total of $150,980 through grants to 11 local organizations across the state to support food access and nutrition projects. “Strengthening the local food system will help improve access to healthy and local food, support Montana’s farmers and producers, and provide a boost to the economy,” Governor Gianforte said. Montana No Kid Hungry is a public-private partnership between DPHHS...
I hope you’ve had a wonderful and safe holiday season thus far! Since 2021 has come to a close, I wanted to take a moment to round it out by sharing some of my highlights for the year. We’ve had quite a year here in the United States Senate, and all along I’ve been focused on delivering real results for Montanans. 1. The signing of my bipartisan infrastructure package into law.No surprise here, my top highlight is the bipartisan infrastructure package, which delivers urgently-needed investments to Montana that will support our small busin...
5 was a year of ups and downs in the minds of the American public. The year began with public concern about the state of U.S. democracy, yet positive ratings for newly-elected President Joe Biden; ratings that would turn more negative over the course of the year. In the spring, there was some optimism about the pandemic as vaccine rates rose and then some concern as a new COVID variant emerged at year's end. Many of the political divisions we've seen in recent years endured throughout 2021...
Governor Gianforte provided guidance to Montana employers and employees impacted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule mandating vaccines for employers with 100 or more employees nationwide. “Montana law is unequivocal: employers are prohibited from discriminating based on vaccination status,” Gov. Gianforte wrote in guidance to Montanans. “While employers may encourage employees to vaccinate, they may not tie or modify any terms of employment based on vaccination status.” On November 5, 2021, OSHA published the “CO...
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) announced today an investment of $3.7 million over the next 18 months to provide a financial boost to over 1,300 Montana Medicaid recipients with significant medical needs. “This investment puts money back in the pockets of over 1,000 vulnerable Montanans with challenging health care needs,” Governor Greg Gianforte said. “This will not only help these individuals with their health care costs but will also ease everyday living expenses for those who need it most.” Montanans who w...
As I write this, the quarters of a white-tailed buck deer I harvested over the Thanksgiving weekend hang in my garage. It’s not that I couldn’t find time in the last 10 days to get the cutting, grinding and packaging done. I won’t butcher it until I get back the testing results for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD is an always-fatal neurological condition that’s spreading rapidly in our country’s deer herds. It also affects elk and moose. Much of its workings are still a mystery to researchers. CWD is not caused by bacteria or a virus. Ra...
Governor Greg Gianforte announced Montana’s unemployment rate decreased 0.3% in November to 2.8%, tying the lowest unemployment rate ever recorded in the state. Strong job growth continued in November, with over 3,000 jobs created. “Montana is closing out the year with yet another month of record-setting employment and strong growth in our labor force,” said Governor Greg Gianforte. “As we enter a new year, we’ll continue enacting our pro-jobs, pro-growth agenda to complement the unmatched work ethic of Montanans.” Since Governor Gianforte w...
You may apply for assistance at any time during the year by contacting the local eligibility office or Tribal LIHEAP office serving your community. Click on “local eligibility office” to access phone numbers. If you cannot reach your local eligibility office, call Montana’s toll-free number at 1-833-317-1080. The State of Montana, through the Department of Public Health and Human Services, offers three programs aimed at helping eligible Montanans. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) pays part of winter energy bills and may b...
People recruited to run for the legislature are told it is for three months, every other year. Truth is that it is for 90 days spread over four months; and constituent interaction never stops. Lately vaccine mandates/exceptions, real and imagined, fill my inbox. Here is where we are with state law. HB 702, sponsored by Rep. Jeniffer Carlson (R) Manhattan Mt. passed the House 63-33 with one Republican, Geraldine Custer, voting “no”; no democrats voted yes. HB 702 clarifies that persons providing employment or services may not discriminate bas...
I own a closet full of guns. But nowhere in that closet is ammunition. That is locked up elsewhere, reflecting a rule I was taught in childhood. Guns are powerful, even deadly, tools. If you own one, it’s on you to keep it safe. That is what the parents of a Michigan teenager failed to do, and their son murdered four of his fellow high school students. Not long ago, safety seemed gospel for gun owners and the gun industry alike. But something has changed. Responsibility has been discarded in a twisted form of gun idolatry. That change is d...
