Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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Everyone is invited to the Capitol rotunda Friday, Sept. 17, at 1 o’clock for a Constitution Day ceremony featuring Lt. Governor Kristen Juras, Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen, and Dept. of Justice Solicitor General David Dewhirst, all speaking about the meaning and defense of the U.S. Constitution, and presenting a Governor’s Proclamation. Music will be provided by Kaylee Rose Lian, Clancy Elementary School sixth grade student, singing “The National Anthem” and “This Land is Your Land...
Governor Greg Gianforte announced that 10 Montana National Guardsmen have volunteered to assist the Billings Clinic in its COVID-19 response. “Over the last year, soldiers in the Montana National Guard have consistently stepped up to the plate, and today is no different,” Gov. Gianforte said. “We’ll continue working with hospitals to address their individual needs as the state responds to COVID-19.” “Billings Clinic is incredibly grateful to have support from the Montana National Guard to help with immense capacity and staffing challenges...
As a part of his years-long push to improve market transparency and ensure fairer prices for Montana producers, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced bipartisan legislation, the American Beef Labeling Act, which would ensure that beef raised in the United States is labeled as a product of the USA. The legislation is also sponsored by Senators John Thune (R-S.D.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and will be introduced next week. “Montana ranchers raise the best cattle in the world, and it’s time American families are gua...
U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, announced more than $5.8 million in federal funding to help end veterans homelessness in Montana. Tester secured these funds as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The $5,825,234 grant comes from the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the Volunteers of America Northern Rockies, a service organization based out of Billings. Since 2012, the Volunteers of America Northern R...
Governor Greg Gianforte today announced Montana’s unemployment rate decreased by 0.1% in July to 3.6%, while the unemployment rate for the U.S. was 5.4% for the month. The labor force also had strong growth over the month. “Montana continues to attract workers back into our labor force, helping to alleviate pressure on employers who are looking to hire,” Governor Greg Gianforte said. “This report is good news for Montana businesses in the midst of the summer travel season and good news for workers who are enjoying higher wages as our economy...
U.S. Senator Steve Daines is urging the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to withdraw the mask mandate on school buses that infringes on the authority of Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to make their own decisions regarding the safety and health of their students. “This fall, a significant proportion of Montana students will return to their classrooms without masks. Forcing young children to wear masks on the school bus, only to arrive at school and remove them makes no sense. Furthermore, it exposes an intrusion of the federal go...
This Secretarial Natural Disaster Designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability....
A dual degree student, Orion McKinney of Great Falls completed a Certificate of Applied Science Degree in Welding from Great Falls College-MSU before graduating from CMR High School. “In high school I never thought I’d go to college, but then realized I could afford it,” he says. A Gianforte Trades and Technology Scholarship through Reach Higher Montana made this possible. “The scholarship helped me a lot. It was the biggest thing that paid for my college.” McKinney went on to earn his Associate of Applied Science Degree this past spring. A...
After a public comment period that drew more than 26,000 comments, the Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted several changes to the 2021/2022 wolf hunting and trapping regulations at its meeting on Aug. 20. Changes include eliminating quotas, increasing the number of wolf trapping and hunting licenses allowed for individual hunters, extending wolf trapping seasons and the allowance of snares for trapping wolves. Wolf regulations were adopted as follows: A harvest of 450 wolves shall initiate a commission review with potential for rapid...
This year FWP will continue CWD surveillance in specific areas known as Priority Surveillance Areas in northwestern, northcentral, southwestern, and southcentral Montana. Carcass Disposal Requirements: In 2021, carcass parts, such as brain, eyes, spleen, lymph glands, and spinal cord material, should be left at the kill site. If the animal is transported for taxidermy or meat processing, then the brain and spinal tissue must be bagged and disposed of in a class II landfill. A carcass may be within the state regardless of where it was harvested...
Are you ready for hunting season? FWP can help. In addition to the following hunting forecast, FWP provides online information about hunting access, including our popular Block Management Program. Through the program, we coordinate with landowners to provide hunting access to more than 7 million acres of private land. The interactive Hunt Planner map allows users to look at information for various species, including hunting districts and regulations. The hunt planner interactive map is a great way to access our block management information, so...
Montana agricultural operations have been significantly impacted by the wildfires and ongoing, severe drought. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover. Impacted producers should contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure and livestock losses and damages. “Production agriculture is vital to the Montana economy, and USDA stands r...
U.S. Senator Jon Tester released a statement Tuesday, August 10, following the Senate’s passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill that he and a core group of his colleagues negotiated with the White House. The bill will create good-paying jobs by making urgently-needed investments in Montana’s roads, bridges, high-speed internet, water, and more. “Today a large, bipartisan majority of the Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass my historic legislation that will make critical infrastructure investments in Montana and across the country. I worke...
Representative Rosendale (R-MT) along with Representative Khanna (D-CA) introduced the USA Beef Act to support American ranchers. This legislation is a companion bill to Senator Rounds’ (R-SD) legislation introduced today in the Senate. This bipartisan bill would amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to ensure that any beef labeled a “Product of U.S.A.” is in-fact a product exclusively born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States. Under current law, meatpackers are allowed to import cattle raised in foreign countries, slaughter and packag...
U.S. Senator Steve Daines announced he will vote against the $1.2 trillion package moving through the Senate after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released its analysis showing the bill will increase the federal debt by $256 billion. Daines’ announcement comes after Montanans and the American people were promised the bill would be fully paid for and not increase the debt, during and after negotiations. “Montanans were told and promised that this massive, 2,700-page bill would not increase the debt. Unfortunately, according to Con...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced August 30th the extension, through Sept. 30, of the eviction moratorium for homeowners of properties financed or guaranteed by USDA. “The United States is still reeling from a nationwide housing affordability crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. USDA is taking this important action today to allow individuals and families who face eviction from homes purchased with USDA Single-Family Housing loans more time to maintain safe and stable housing, whether it’s in their current homes, or by...
After weeks of negotiations with the White House and a bipartisan group of nine other Senators, U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that he had secured a deal on historic infrastructure legislation that would create good-paying jobs and boost Montana’s economy by making urgently-needed investments in Montana’s roads, bridges, broadband, water, and more. “I’m pleased to announce that we have reached a bipartisan deal on a historic bill that will upgrade Montana’s aging infrastructure, create-good paying jobs, and help us maintain our competitive e...
At a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing, U.S. Senator Steve Daines urged Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to listen to the science of her own agency officials, delist the grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) and the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE), and return management back to the state of Montana. “While these two recovered populations languish on the Endangered Species list, conflicts with grizzlies are on the rise—Montana has seen two tragic fatalities already this year,” Daines said. “Montana has...
Governor Greg Gianforte today issued an executive order declaring a statewide wildland fire emergency in Montana. “Montana faces critical fire conditions that pose significant threats to our communities, infrastructure, first responders, and way of life,” Gov. Gianforte said. “As our firefighters battle active fires across the state with more to come, this executive order helps ensure they have the suppression resources, supplies, and fuel they need to safely and aggressively respond.” As of July 14, nearly 1,400 wildland fires have burned...
Amid a historic drought gripping Montana, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced that impacted Montana farmers and ranchers will begin receiving financial and technical assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA also announced that, following a Tester push, emergency haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres may be authorized to provide additional relief to producers. “Montana is experiencing one of the worst droughts in my lifetime—Sharla and I see it on our farm and I’ve heard from family farme...
Amid a dangerous start to an early fire season, U.S. Senator Jon Tester this week introduced his bipartisan Volunteer First Responder Housing Act to expand eligibility for qualified volunteer first responders to participate in certain federal housing assistance programs and provide a greater incentive for more volunteers to stay and continue to serve their communities. In Montana, more than 93% of fire departments are made up of volunteer or mostly volunteer firefighters. These fire departments rely on volunteers to provide a wide array of...
Following his direct appeal to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last month urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make investments in new meat processing facilities, U.S. Senator Jon Tester celebrated the USDA announcement that it would invest $500 million in meat and poultry capacity building with the goals of increasing choice and negotiation options for producers as well as $100 million in relief through a fee waiver for inspection and overtime fees for small and medium processors. This funding is provided through the American...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is holding a targeted signup to support climate-smart agriculture and forestry through voluntary conservation practices in 10 states, including Montana. This assistance, available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), will help agricultural producers plan and implement voluntary conservation practices that sequester carbon, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change on working lands. Signup in Montana opens on July 1, 2021, with an application...
Governors Greg Gianforte of Montana and Brad Little of Idaho urged President Biden to commit to an “active, responsive” partnership with states in wildfire response, wildfire preparedness, and active forest management. Govs. Gianforte and Little sent their message to the president ahead of his meeting with some western governors to discuss the federal government’s response to wildfires. Despite facing severe wildfire seasons, Montana and Idaho are two of three western states President Biden did not invite to participate. The Biden admin...
The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the potential environmental impacts from a proposed tailing reprocessing project at the Golden Sunlight Mine (GSM). GSM is located approximately five miles northeast of Whitehall, Montana in Jefferson County. The draft statement is available for review at the Whitehall Community Library during regular business hours. Public comment is open from June 15, 2021 to July 2021. The DEQ hosted a public meeting on Tuesday, June 29th where...
