Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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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...
One year into this pandemic, Montanans are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our vaccines are safe and effective, COVID cases are falling thanks to the tireless efforts of our frontline health care workers, and Spring is on the horizon. But even with this good news, we still have work to do before we get through the worst public health and economic crisis in generations. Over the past year I’ve had hundreds of conversations with families, workers, doctors, educators, veterans, farmers, Tribes, and small businesses f...
On March 24th, U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced a bill to require each U.S. meat processing facility that slaughters over 125,000 head of cattle each year to purchase fifty percent of their weekly volume of beef slaughter on the open or ‘spot’ market. Other co-sponsors of the bill include Senators Tina Smith (D-MN); Ron Wyden (D-OR); Cory Booker (D-NJ); John Hoeven (R-ND); Joni Ernst (R-IA); Mike Rounds (R-SD); and Steve Daines (R-MT). United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) President Brooke Mille...
Montana’s unemployment rate dropped in February to 3.9%, after falling to 4.0% in January. The unemployment rate for the U.S. was 6.2% in February. “Montana’s unemployment rate continues its downward trend, but too many of our businesses are struggling to find workers,” Governor Greg Gianforte said. “Getting Montanans back to work in good-paying jobs and improving access to trades education and apprenticeships are top priorities as we get Montana open for business.” Governor Gianforte has worked with the legislature to address the growing ski...
Every election cycle, you can count on Republican candidates promising to reduce the size and cost of government, and in general, getting government out of our businesses and out of our daily lives. Yet as every session of the legislature demonstrates, that pledge – for the majority of Republican lawmakers – has a distinctly hollow ring. Not unlike their Democratic counterparts, the GOP’s commitment to controlling government and reducing welfare dependency is highly selective. For their friends, the free money game continues unabated. One o...
Over the course of 2020, Congress passed five bipartisan COVID-19 relief packages. Republicans were in the majority in the Senate and President Trump was in office. As Republicans, we committed to working in a bipartisan manner to deliver needed relief to Montanans and all Americans struggling because of this historic pandemic. We thought President Biden was on board with this mission. He campaigned on a promise of bipartisanship and unity, but he threw that out the window as soon as he finished his inaugural address and chose to jam a $1.9...
Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) officials announced today the state now has 19 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 virus variant strains. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notified DPHHS late yesterday (March 16) and today (March 17) of 11 additional variant cases that match two California variant strains and a New York variant strain. These cases involve specimens of Montana residents that were submitted for testing dating back from January to early March 2021. These 11 cases are from Beaverhead,...
Montanans who purchase their health insurance through healthcare.gov may be eligible for premium savings. Montana Insurance Commissioner Troy Downing advises anyone enrolled in these health plans to review their policies following the recent passage of the American Rescue Plan. “Individuals enrolled in a healthcare.gov plan will not automatically receive the additional subsidies in their monthly premium unless they update their application to receive a reduction of their monthly payment.” said Downing, “If the enrollee does not update their...
Passage of SB 215, with a shadow title of “Establish the Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” opens the door for advancing discrimination in Montana, changing us from a courageous and tolerant state to one of bigotry and intolerance. Let’s look at history. Twenty-nine years ago, Billings set the standard for rejection of hatred and bigotry by saying “NO” to racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic ultra-right-wing extremist behavior. Billings’ actions made me proud of them and Montana. The Northwest United Skinheads and elements of the Ku Klux Kla...
Picture yourself standing on a scenic overlook, overlooking the Rio Grande at four in the morning in the Texas town of Roma. Next to you is a Counterterrorism Specialist. Across the river is the town of Miguel Aleman, Mexico and you can hear the rapid fire of automatic weapons, the boom of grenades and smaller caliber weapons mixed in. It is a war zone. It sounds intense and long lasting. This a is a battle for control between two rival cartels, The Gulf Cartel and the Las Zeta Cartel. This is not the scene from a movie. This is a segment from...
For the 2021 fire season, the writing is on the wall. The West, despite a few days of intense winter, is far drier than it was leading up to last year's record-breaking fires. As a hotshot crewmember, the reality of what's to come fills me with two distinct thoughts: money and dread. With my financial stability tied to overtime pay, I know that my pockets will be full when I am laid off next winter. But the unrelenting fires that stand between now and then make me nervous. I also know that I am...
In his first prime-time presidential address, President Joe Biden said on March 11th that he would order states to make coronavirus vaccines available to all American adults by May 1, in an effort to accelerate the mass vaccination effort critical to ending the pandemic. Coming on the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic, Biden used the speech to pay tribute to those affected — nearly 530,000 lives lost and countless more impacted — while pointing to the United States’ success in ramped-up vaccinations and looking forward to what...
