Montana Politics: Latest News

Montana’s Republican U.S. senator, Steve Daines, persistently questioned Interior secretary nominee Deb Haaland at her confirmation hearing Tuesday, asking her to explain her positions on oil, gas, pipelines, fracking and grizzly bear recovery.

A bill making it more difficult to request and receive absentee ballots in Montana ran into a wall of opposition Monday, as opponents called it unnecessary and an “another attempt at voter suppression.”

The Montana Legislature is fast approaching its halfway point, and lawmakers are now rushing to meet the first major deadline of the 67th Legislative Session.

A Republican lawmaker wants to delay the sale of voter-approved recreational marijuana in Montana until 2023, saying he doubts the state can be ready to implement the massive new program by late this year.

A bill to compensate those imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit is stalled in a Montana legislative committee, as supporters try to address concerns about its potential cost.

Permitless concealed carry of firearms-- also known as constitutional carry-- is now legal in Montana following Gov.Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, signing House Bill 102 into law.

Bozeman state Sen. J.P. Pomnichowski says she began hearing last year from constituents being charged substantial fees just to apply to rent, or even view, an apartment or home in the city’s tight – and expensive – rental market.

A legislative budget panel Thursday authorized an additional $27 million in federal rent and utility assistance to Montanans harmed financially by the Covid-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday Governor Greg Gianforte held a press conference to provide the State’s assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination efforts in Montana.

The Montana House Republican majority Wednesday endorsed a bill that says businesses cannot be required to enforce local public-health orders, such as mandates to wear a face-mask or limit customer numbers.

Montana lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow stores to sell beer and wine earlier in the morning.

The Montana House has endorsed a bill intended to let the state resume executions, by changing the law on what drug it must use in a lethal injection.

Montana lawmakers heard testimony Tuesday on a bill that supporters say would ensure the right of religious freedom, but opponents said could open the door to discrimination.

Union members – and some big corporations employing union workers – lined up Tuesday to oppose a bill to make Montana a “right-to-work” state, arguing it would lower wages and needlessly undermine organized labor here.

The sponsor of a bill to prohibit certain medical treatment for transgender youths – a bill defeated last month in the Montana House – introduced a new, similar measure Tuesday to ban “gender transition” surgical procedures for those under 18.

The Gianforte administration is updating a program to distribute at least $44 million in federal rent assistance to Montanans harmed financially by the Covid-19 pandemic – but the money has yet to be authorized by the Legislature.

A bill meant to set aside a portion of non-resident hunting licenses for outfitters’ clients in Montana advanced Monday in the state Senate – but not before the set-aside was amended out of the bill.

State Medical Officer Greg Holzman, who was often the face of the state’s Covid-19 policy and response under former Gov. Steve Bullock, has submitted his resignation.

A coalition of Montana media organizations filed suit this week, challenging as unconstitutional the practice of Republican committee chairs holding closed meetings of GOP members before the panels vote on bills.

The centerpiece of Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte’s tax-cut plans – a series of current and future cuts in the state income tax – had strong support from the business community as its first hearing Thursday.

Montana’s only congressman, Rep. Matt Rosendale, has been tapped as the top Republican on the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization – an appointment he said will help Montana veterans better access their benefits.

Montana Republicans, who control the governor’s office and the Legislature, are now pushing bills to give the GOP and conservatives more influence over choosing the state’s judiciary.

Gov. Greg Gianforte says he will let Montana’s statewide mask mandate expire as of Friday. He made the announcement Wednesday, at a bill-signing ceremony for Senate Bill 65. Gianforte had previously identified the bill as a necessary first step before he’d consider lifting the mandate.

Legislators are discussing three bills that spotlight Missing Murdered Indigenous People, as well as funding a grant program to educate those communities.

As former President Trump’s second impeachment trial began Tuesday in the U.S. Senate, Montana’s two “jurors” – Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester – have decidedly different takes on the proceedings.

States that have adopted “right to work” laws, which prohibit union contracts from requiring non-member workers to share in the cost of bargaining efforts on their behalf, lag behind other states in a broad range of social and economic indicators, a study released this week says.

Bills making it harder for labor unions to collect dues or fees – including “right to work” measures – have been defeated in Montana for many years, by organized labor and their allies. But this year, right-to-work supporters and foes of unions are hoping for a different outcome.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte wasted no time in his new position, lifting COVID-19 business restrictions one week into office. The next three haven't been much slower. Gianforte sat down with MTN to discuss Montana's shifting economy, vaccine distribution, and the immediate future.

Republicans in the Montana House Thursday endorsed a bill to end Election Day voter registration, saying it will take pressure off local election officials that day and still allow people to register and vote up to the previous day.