Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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As the top Republican on the U.S. Senate Finance Subcommittee on Heath Care, Senator Steve Daines, on Wednesday, May 12th, led a hearing on improving mental health and addiction services in our communities, where he highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Montana. “May is Mental Health Awareness Month – an issue at the top of my mind and many others following a year of isolation for Montanans and Americans across the country,” Daines said. “Since the pandemic, lockdowns, economic hardships, and social isolation have only helped...
Governor Greg Gianforte signed a pro-consumer bill to bring transparency and accountability to pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) and help reduce the costs of prescription drugs. “A lack of transparency into PBMs’ practices has long contributed to the rising costs of prescription drugs,” Gov. Gianforte said. “By increasing oversight of the middlemen in the pharmaceutical supply chain, we’ll bring generic drugs to market faster, increase drug pricing transparency, and promote accountability. I thank Commissioner Downing for spearheading this effo...
At the May meeting of the Whitehall Town Council new town councilors Bill Lanes and Linda Jung were approved and seated. Lanes, who was mistakenly serving for the wrong ward, now serves in Ward 1 (replacing Logan Reiff) and Jung will serve Ward 2. Jason Crawford, engineer from Triple Tree Engineering, gave a report on the town’s upcoming water treatment facility, breaking the news to the Council that the Town Hall will not be a suitable match for the facility, as it is not large enough to house the entire system. The backup location since t...
Montana businesses are applauding Governor Gianforte’s recent “Return-to-Work Bonus” initiative. The plan is bold, innovative and a welcome bump to our economic recovery. Early last winter, the Montana Chamber Board, led by Chairman Paul Hopfauf of Montana-Dakota Utilities, a subsidiary of MDU Resources Group, Inc., met with Montana’s congressional delegation to express concerns about new labor challenges beginning to develop as businesses were navigating through the COVID-19 shutdowns. Recently, moderate concern has grown to a near crisis...
The Montana Department of Revenue reminds taxpayers that payment options are available for people unable to pay their 2020 Montana income taxes in full. Montana taxpayers can request a payment plan using the department’s TransAction Portal (TAP) at tap.dor.mt.gov or by calling the department’s Collections Bureau at (406) 444-6964 once their return has been filed and processed. “We understand that 2020 was a tough year for a lot of Montanans, and some of us may be facing a larger tax bill than we expected,” said Brendan Beatty, director of the...
Governor Greg Gianforte visited Missoula College to tout the state’s growing cybersecurity workforce through the college’s National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Two-Year Education. (CAE2Y) “Missoula College is nationally recognized for its cybersecurity program that is training Montana’s future cybersecurity leaders,” Gov. Gianforte said. “We’re focused on developing a talented cybersecurity workforce in the state to ensure Montanans’ personal information and data are safe, secure, and protected.” At the college, the governor...
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that agricultural producers in the Prairie Pothole states can now sign up for the Soil Health and Income Protection Program (SHIPP), which provides a short-term option to plant cover on less productive agricultural lands while improving soil health and carbon sequestration. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made improvements to this pilot program available in South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota and Montana, and signup runs from today to July 16, 2021. “SHIPP is part of a suite of r...
Governor Greg Gianforte announced two measures to address the state’s severe workforce shortage and incentivize Montanans to reenter the labor force. The State of Montana will launch a return-to-work bonus program, utilizing federal funds authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act. Return-to-work bonuses will be paid to unemployed individuals who rejoin the labor force and accept and maintain steady employment for at least one month. The governor also announced the State of Montana will end its participation in federal pandemic-related u...
Montana Farmers Union appreciates the efforts of two state law makers whose work to amend HB 2, a budget bill, which will allow the state to explore more opportunities for meat processing as well as level the playing field for custom butchers. The two bills, sponsored by Rep. Brandon Ler and Sen. Ken Bogner, proposed significant changes to state and custom exempt meat inspection for sale of meats. The USDA threatened to refuse funding for meat inspection if these bills passed in their original form. Montana Farmers Union President Walter Schwei...
Montana will regain its second congressional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the 2020 Census state population count released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. The count reveals that Montana’s population grew from 989,415 people in 2010 to 1,085,407 people in 2020 – an increase of 95,992 residents over 2010, or nearly 10 percent. “Thanks to the efforts of Montanans across the state, the 2020 Census shows what we’ve known to be true – Montana is a great place to live, work, and raise a family,” Gov. Greg Gianforte s...
The Office of the Governor released the 2021 Montana Water and Supply Drought Outlook Report. According to data in the report, 42 percent of the state is classified as abnormally dry, with another 18 percent of the state in severe to extreme drought conditions. May and June are historically the two wettest months of the year in Montana. “Following an unusually mild winter, the conditions we see for the next eight to ten weeks are going to be critical as we head into growing season in Montana,” Gov. Gianforte said. “I am tasking state agenc...
During the last year, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offered hunter and bowhunter education classes online due to COVID concerns. Since last spring, more than 17,000 Montanans completed the online courses, which is nearly double the number of students in a typical year. “The biggest increase we saw was among adult bowhunter education students,” said FWP outdoor skills and safety supervisor Wayde Cooperider. “It seems the online courses were popular with our students.” Because of the popularity of the online classes and to meet customer expecta...
Governor Greg Gianforte signed two bills to help address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) in Montana. “Montana faces a tragic trend of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons, and we must bring all resources to bear in state and tribal government as well as law enforcement to end it,” Gov. Gianforte said. “These new laws equip the state with the tools needed to track data, raise awareness, and strengthen interagency collaboration to protect Montana’s indigenous persons. I’m grateful to Representative Stewart-P...
U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced a bipartisan bill, the “Wildland Firefighter Recognition Act,” to support wildland firefighters. The bipartisan bill would require the Office of Personnel Management to create a job series for wildland firefighters that would help with recruitment efforts and boost morale. “In recent years Montana’s wildland firefighters have faced more intense challenges,” Daines said. “This bill will strengthen our preparedness for future wildfires and ensure we are recruiting...
Montana’s unemployment rate declined in March to 3.8%, the state’s third consecutive month of lower unemployment rates. Nationwide, the unemployment rate was 6.0% in March. “For the third consecutive month this year, Montana has seen the benefits of a safe reopening as our unemployment rate continues its downward trend,” said Governor Greg Gianforte. “As we continue to reopen and get back to normal, too many of our businesses struggle to find workers, and I remain committed to getting more Montanans back into the workforce with good-payi...
Representative Rosendale and his colleagues introduced the “No Taxpayer Funding for Vaccine Passports Act.” This bill would prohibit any federal funds from being used to implement, enforce, or assist in the establishment of a COVID–19 vaccine passport system. The legislation would also prohibit any COVID-19 relief bill funding from going to any state or locality that implements, enforces, or assists in the establishment of a COVID–19 vaccine passport system — putting pressure on state and local governments not to adopt these restricti...
Governor Greg Gianforte announced that the Montana Emergency Rental Assistance program is taking applications from Montanans who have lost income and are at risk of housing instability due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The last year has brought real, serious challenges to hardworking Montana families through no fault of their own,” Governor Greg Gianforte said. “Emergency rental assistance will help Montanans, who have struggled financially through this pandemic, get back on their feet and remain secure in their homes.” Funded through the Federal...
Senate Bill 379 is a bill that is anti-jobs and anti-economic development. For a legislature supposedly focused on the Governor’s rightful concerns for entrepreneurship, it’s a real step backward. Higher electricity bills will harm efforts to attract businesses to Montana. I support helping Colstrip, but not at the expense of every other business in Montana. I have been part of the Billings’ business community for more than 40 years and have served a half dozen Governors, both Republicans and Democrats. In the early ’80s, I was Montana...
By now I am sure that anyone who watches the news has seen the spat about the revamping of Georgia’s voting laws. I listened as the President stood at the podium and made many claims about the bill – calling it Jim Crow on steroids. That is anti-American. I see now that the MLB has pulled the “All Star Game” because of it. It that warranted? Major companies are squawking. Warranted? I heard a lot from both sides, so I decided to look at the bill for myself. All 94 boring, word salad pages. Let’s look at the questions one at a time. CLAIM: Po...
On April 20, 1999, Americans witnessed a once unthinkable and no unforgettable tragedy at Columbine high School. We watched in horror as frightened children fled with their hands up, frantic parents tried to reunite with their children, and traumatized survivors told reporters about the violence they witnessed. It was the first time many of us saw these terrifying scenes. But it was far from the last. Since Columbine, an entire generation of children has suffered these sudden and terrifying...
Governor Greg Gianforte signed a bill into law that bans sanctuary cities in Montana. “We are a nation of laws, and immigration laws will be enforced in Montana,” Governor Greg Gianforte said. “HB 200 ensures drug dealers, human traffickers, and other criminals who are in our country unlawfully will have no refuge in our state.” House Bill 200, sponsored by Rep. Kenneth Holmlund (R-Miles City), prohibits state agencies and local governments from adopting sanctuary policies that endanger communities and the law enforcement officers that serve t...
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed their 5 year status review of the grizzly bear in the lower 48 states and announced that they will recommend the species retains their threatened status under the “Endangered Species Act.” Senator Daines released the following statement in response to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announcement: “The Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed once again what Montanans know all too well—the grizzly bear is continuing to recover nationwide and has fully recovered in Montana’s two largest ecosystem...
In response to a request for feedback by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) on the development of coronavirus response programs, the United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) submitted specific recommendations the Department could implement in a food purchase and distribution program to truly benefit American livestock producers and processors. Current beef and pork labeling regulations allow for imported product to be labeled “Product of U.S.A.” if the beef or pork product is trimmed, repacka...
Governor Greg Gianforte announced March 29th that Montana is one of four states selected to participate in the National Governors Association’s (NGA) 2021 Policy Academy to Advance Whole-of-State Cybersecurity. In the new policy academy, Montana will work with the NGA on developing and implementing cybersecurity workforce development plans. “As one of four states selected for this critical project, we’re focused on building a talented cybersecurity workforce as well as ensuring Montanans’ personal information and data are safe, secure, and pro...
As the regulatory agency for the insurance industry in Montana, we are tasked to review health insurance rates offered by commercial plans, like Blue Cross or Pacific Source. One clear and unchanging trend is that health insurance plans spend a tremendous amount of money paying for prescription drugs for enrollees. CMS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has projected that spending on retail prescription drugs is growing faster than any other health category and will continue to do so for the remainder of this decade. During the la...
