Montana Politics: Latest News

Montanan Tracy Stone-Manning was ceremonially sworn in Wednesday as Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.

The first day of adult-use marijuana sales in Montana will be January 1, 2022.

Montana’s top Republican legislative leaders have agreed to Democrats’ request to have a special counsel investigate a dispute between Attorney General Austin Knudsen and St. Peter’s Health.

Montana’s Democratic legislative leaders have asked that the Legislature’s new special counsel investigate reports that Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen used his office to “harass and intimidate” medical staff at St. Peter’s Hospital over their treatment of a Covid-19 patient.

Former Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) Director Martha Williams has been nominated by President Biden as director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

Montana’s Districting and Apportionment Commission was expected to bring out a single draft map for the state’s two new congressional districts Thursday. However, enough disagreements remained that they instead moved forward two proposals for the public to weigh in on.

For the second time in three weeks, a state district judge has denied a request from a group of parents to block school face-mask mandates for students – this time in Gallatin County.

Two Republicans running for Montana’s two new congressional seats in 2022 are crushing it on fundraising so far – but they’re getting a majority of their money from outside the state.

The ruling that blocked three new laws restricting abortion in Montana is now before the state Supreme Court, as state Attorney General Austin Knudsen appealed the order.

Partisan political factions lined up Tuesday at the Capitol to lampoon or support proposed new 2022 congressional districts for Montana, pitching their arguments two days before a state commission will choose a tentative final map.

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester Monday asked the U.S. Postal Service to “immediately replace” four mail-collection boxes removed from central Bozeman last year, saying it inaccurately claimed the boxes have “low density” use.

Republican legislative leaders don’t have the power under current rules to create a special House-Senate panel to look into “election security” in Montana, a memo from a legislative attorney says — but a state senator pushing for the panel said Monday other alternatives may exist.

Gov. Greg Gianforte and his administration say they’ve consistently advised Montanans to do what they regard as the best “ticket out” of the latest Covid-19 crisis: Get vaccinated. But former and current public-health officials say that message isn’t being made as forcefully as it could.

As Montana grapples with another deadly surge of Covid-19, with hospitalizations and caseloads among the highest per-capita in the nation, Gov. Greg Gianforte’s administration says it’s responding by doing all it can to support struggling hospitals and medical facilities.

Another lawsuit was filed Tuesday challenging Montana’s new ban on political activity on certain parts of state college campuses, calling the Republican-passed ban a “surgical attack” on the increased political power of young Montana voters.

In the GOP primary race for Montana’s new congressional seat, former Congressman Ryan Zinke said Monday he raised about $600,000 for his campaign during the past three months – or twice the amount of his opponent, former state Sen. Al Olszewski.

The news website Politico Friday dove into the race for Montana’s new congressional seat, running a lengthy piece suggesting that Republican Ryan Zinke – a leading candidate in the contest – may be only a part-time resident of Montana.

A state district judge Thursday extended his order blocking three new laws restricting abortion in Montana, and indicated he believes all three are unconstitutional.

Democratic candidates in the crowded race for Montana’s new U.S. House seat began reporting their first fund-raising numbers Thursday, with Missoula attorney Monica Tranel leading the pack so far.

Gov. Greg Gianforte joined a group of 11 GOP governors on the U.S.-Mexico border Wednesday, to decry what his office called “President Biden’s ongoing crisis at the southern border.”

A second, broader lawsuit has been filed to strike down Montana’s controversial law that bars businesses or other employers from requiring employees to be vaccinated.

A Montana commission has advanced nine proposals for what the state’s two future congressional districts could look like – but Republicans and Democrats remain far apart in their ideas.

Seven months after Democrats in Congress approved nearly $2 billion in Covid-19 relief funds for Montana state officials to spend, less than 3 percent of the money has gone out the door.

Montana Congressman Matt Rosendale introduced a bill this week he says would lower the cost of prescription drugs dispensed by hospitals, and other medical facilities, for certain patients.

A state district judge has denied a request from a group of parents to block face-mask mandates for students in Missoula schools, saying the mandate doesn’t appear to violate any fundamental rights.

On Saturday, about 400 people came to the Montana State Capitol to rally against restrictions on abortion rights.

On Friday, two groups of parents gathered at the Montana State Capitol, taking part in a pair of events on opposite sides of the debate over school mask requirements.

All but a dozen of the state’s 98 Republican state lawmakers have signed a letter asking GOP leaders to form a special legislative committee to examine election laws and the “security of Montana elections.”

District Judge Michael Moses of Billings blocked the laws until he rules on a request by Planned Parenthood of Montana