Articles written by Shaylee Ragar
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Lawmakers Pass $10 Billion Budget
HELENA - On the final day of the 66th Montana Legislature, lawmakers completed their only state constitutionally mandated task by passing the bill that sets the budget for state agencies. House Bill...
Montana Legislature Passes Infrastructure Bonding For First Time In Nearly A Decade
On a cold, January afternoon last year, Wendy Gerky got a call that someone could see water rising in her downtown Havre quilt shop. She thought it was joke. By the time Gerky got to her store,...
Montana House Advances Medicaid Expansion
HELENA -- The Montana House of Representatives voted 61-37 Saturday to pass a controversial bill to extend Medicaid expansion. The expanded program has enrolled nearly 96,000 Montanans to receive...
Montana Lawmakers Consider New Ways To Protect Against Aquatic Invasive Species
A prolific alien organism is closing in on Montana's ecosystem and could have dire consequences for food production, outdoor recreation and the economy if it crosses the state's borders. Aquatic...
Budget Hearings Kick Off Second Half of Session
The Montana House Appropriations Committee opened public testimony last week on House Bill 2, the bill that sets the budget for state agencies. Some of the most controversial changes come from the subcommittee that deals with the budget for the...
Profile: Rep. Kimberly Dudik Brings Legislative 'Street Smarts' and Piles of Bills, on Topics From Child Protection to Taxes, to Montana House
On a Friday during the 66th Montana Legislature, Rep. Kimberly Dudik, D-Missoula, joked on Twitter she might need to clone herself. But, in reality, it may have come in handy. That morning, Dudik had five bills scheduled for hearings in three...
Lawmakers debate fire suppression, local gun ordinances
The Montana House of Representatives last week advanced legislation that would require a two-third vote majority for the Legislature to transfer funds out the state's fire suppression account. The governor would still hold the authority to pull from...
Bill Would Use Coal Money for Affordable Housing
The Montana House of Representatives has passed a bill that would use money from the coal severance tax trust fund to pay for low- and moderate-income housing projects. House Bill 16, carried by Rep. Dave Fern, D-Whitefish, passed the House on a 71-2...
Montana Lawmakers Debate Infrastructure Funding, DUI's
Lawmakers in Helena are beginning discussions on how to build and maintain the state's infrastructure, including roads, bridges, wastewater systems and state buildings. Again, the debate will come down to which projects get funding and whether that...
State Legislators push legislation to address Montana's mental health crisis
When Brandi King finished a 14-month deployment with the United States Army, she returned home to Montana's Fort Belknap Indian Reservation to heal. King carried with her the trauma she experienced during combat in Mosul, Iraq. She began to feel...
House Rules, Medicaid and Public Lands Dominate First Week of Montana Legislature
The 66th Montana Legislature opened for business Jan. 7 and lawmakers spent much of the first week discussing what they hope to see for hot topic issues and bills, like public lands and Medicaid expan...
