Montana Politics: Latest News

Senator Jon Tester says the proposed bipartisan Infrastructure Package could also help to fund the massive improvements outlined in the Flathead Water Compact

Members of a legislative committee can hold a closed meeting to discuss votes or other subjects, as long as the number of lawmakers in the room is less than a quorum, a state judge has ruled.

For years, law enforcement agencies across Montana have used trained drug-sniffing dogs to search for illegal narcotics. Now, though, possession of small amounts of marijuana – one of the drugs they’ve been detecting – is no longer illegal in the state.

Missoula attorney Monica Tranel has become the second Democrat to enter the 2022 race for Montana’s new congressional district, officially launching her campaign this week.

While Montana legislators wrapped up their 2021 session in April, many of the new laws they passed have just taken effect, as of Thursday, July 1.

Another Republican is joining the 2022 race for Montana’s new congressional district – former state Sen. Al Olszewski of Kalispell, who ran unsuccessfully for governor last year.

Governor Greg Gianforte has issued an executive order declaring a statewide drought emergency in Montana.

State Rep. Laurie Bishop on Thursday became the first Democrat to jump into the 2022 race for Montana’s new congressional district, saying she’s someone who can work on bipartisan solutions that boost the economy.

A unanimous Montana Supreme Court Tuesday rejected legislative Republicans’ attempt to dismiss a case that could define lawmakers’ power to obtain internal court documents, saying it’s still a case of “great public interest.”

A state judge has blocked portions of a new law that ban voter-registration drives and other political activity on state college campuses and would require judges to recuse themselves from cases involving attorneys who are political donors.

Republicans at the Montana Legislature are withdrawing their request for internal communication documents from the state Supreme Court, attempting to end legal action over the issue, state Sen. Greg Hertz of Polson said Tuesday.

Tax cuts enacted by the 2021 Montana Legislature will total $50 million to $60 million a year, once fully in place – but the direct benefits vary wildly, from taxpayer to taxpayer, and won’t be felt by all.

Supporters of a federal voting-rights bill rallied at the state Capitol Monday, calling on Congress to pass it – and said efforts by Republicans to restrict access to voting is an affront to democracy.

Gov. Greg Gianforte’s vetoes of eight bills after the 2021 Legislature adjourned have been upheld, as a poll of state lawmakers failed to override the vetoes.

A compromise infrastructure proposal that’s half the amount initially proposed by President Biden should be introduced in the U.S. Senate early next week, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., told MTN News Thursday.

Matt Rosendale voted "no" Wednesday on the bill to make June 19 a national holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

Montanans who spent years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit now have a new path to get compensation for being wrongfully locked away – but those who fought for the law are less-than-thrilled about the final product.

Montana Supreme Court Justice Jim Rice used his concurrence in judicial-appointment case to blast two leading supporters of the law: Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen and the GOP-led Legislature.

In a 6-1 decision, the Montana Supreme Court late Thursday upheld the controversial new law that wipes out a 50-year-old process for filling state judicial vacancies in Montana and gives Gov. Greg Gianforte more discretion to appoint new judges.

Montanan Tracy Stone-Manning, nominated to head the U.S. Bureau of Land Management under President Biden, faced some pointed questions Tuesday from Republicans at her Senate confirmation hearing.

As broad swaths of Montana still have substandard high-speed Internet or cell-phone service – or, none at all – the Gianforte administration is launching a federally funded $275 million-plus effort to improve that picture.

For Helena restaurant and inn co-owner Paul Mabie, federal Covid-relief loans probably saved his businesses, which launched just months before the pandemic began in early 2020.

Former U.S. Interior secretary and GOP Congressman Ryan Zinke told MTN News Thursday that he’s running for Congress in Montana in 2022 – in whatever district he lives in, after lines for new districts are drawn in the state.

While the 2021 Montana Legislature has left town, one of its biggest projects is just getting under way: The distribution of more than $1.6 billion of federal Covid-relief funds, from the American Rescue Plan.

Another lawsuit was filed Tuesday to strike down a law passed by Republican majorities at the 2021 Legislature – this time taking aim at language the suit says was unconstitutionally inserted into a bill in the closing hours of the session.

The Gianforte administration has directed state agencies to bring at least 50 percent of their employees back to the office by June 14 and says no new “telework” agreements will be granted for now.

A state court in Helena Friday stopped a law from taking effect next Tuesday, that would have overridden the Board of Regents’ policy banning firearm possession on state college campuses.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen Thursday declared that some “anti-racism” programming in schools is a violation of federal law and the state constitution and should not be taught in Montana schools.

The Montana Supreme Court Wednesday declined to take jurisdiction over a pair of lawsuits challenging four Republican-passed laws affecting the state university system, saying they’re better heard first in state District Court.