Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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It’s now up to Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte to pick between two conservation-focused models for distributing state marijuana revenue — an account that drew in nearly $60 million in 2024. Billings Republican Sen. Daniel Zolnikov’s Senate Bill 537 allocates 31% of that fund to law enforcement grants and 14% to a state behavioral health and disabilities program. Twin Bridges Republican Rep. Ken Walsh’s House Bill 932 sends the money to the state’s general fund. The original ballot measure that Montana voters approved in 2020 included setting a...
SUNDAY, APRIL 27 00:06:40 Traffic Stop: Hwy 55 00:31:06 Traffic Stop: Hwy 55 10:24:59 Reckless Driver: I-90 11:01:52 Medical: Skyline Dr 11:13:34 Medical: Sun Valley Dr 15:40:18 Stranded Motorist: I-90 18:08:55 Traffic Stop: W Legion/Noble 19:00:57 Traffic Stop: W Legion St 19:47:43 Traffic Stop: Brooks/Legion 20:37:30 Traffic Hazard: I-90 22:19:21 Traffic Stop: W Legion St MONDAY, APRIL 28 02:59:17 Traffic Stop: I-90 03:07:56 Traffic Stop: I-90 07:40:56 Traffic Stop: N Whitehall St 07:56:52 Traffic Stop: W Legion St 12:27:06 Citizen Assist:...
Fifteen concerned citizens met last week for the Whitehall Indivisible meeting and discussed Montana legislation, the federal government, and the ongoing issue of Head Start in Whitehall. HB740, brought by Rep Bertoglio, is a bill that would set a floor for prescription payments, critical to the survival of small pharmacies like Whitehall Drug. This bill has passed to the governor’s desk. HB932 is brought by our own Rep Ken Walsh and clarifies and secures some existing public lands funding. This much-amended, complicated bill passed with b...
A bill that would allow for the creation of experimental treatment centers in Montana has perked the ears of venture capitalists and biotech companies nationwide, but legislators on both sides of the aisle remain skeptical. Senate Bill 535 is an extension of the federal Right to Try Act, which allows terminally ill patients to try experimental treatments that have passed phase one of clinical trials but are not yet accepted medical practice. Patients are also only eligible if they have exhausted all FDA-approved treatment options. The bill...
After heated debate, a bill that will lower property taxes for primary residences while raising taxes for second homes and short-term rentals awaits final approval from the House before hitting Gov. Greg Gianforte’s desk. House Bill 231 is one of a series of property tax bills up for debate this week as lawmakers count down the days to the end of the legislative session. Sen. Shane Morigeau, D-Missoula, said Montana’s housing crisis needs attention, and House Bill 231 could help mitigate the impacts of out-of-state owners who profit off of pro...
As federal headwinds continue to swirl, state legislators are considering a study on how shifting funding will affect Montana’s largest state agency, the Department of Public Health and Human Services. House Resolution 66, proposed by Rep. SJ Howell, D-Missoula, would set aside time before the next Legislature convenes in 2027 to examine the impacts of federal funding changes to the healthcare system. Howell said the study is a proactive step to address the turbulent federal climate. Federal funding makes up 68.3% of the Montana DPHHS budget a...
The House of Representatives is advancing legislation that will create a study of early literacy rates in Montana’s children, a move proponents say will help address low rates of reading proficiency in young kids. Rep. Linda Reksten, R-Polson, said House Resolution 63 will provide data to inform the next Legislature about whether early literacy intervention programs created in 2023 and 2025 are working. “The reason to follow this data is because we can make the strongest improvement in our student achievement in accessing skills of reading and...
As we approach the final weeks of the legislative session and reflect on the Easter season, I find myself grateful for the opportunity to serve you, the progress we have made, and the values that guide our work here in Helena. We have sent hundreds of bills to the Senate, each a reflection of the concerns I hear from constituents back home. Whether it’s keeping rural pharmacies open, supporting our teachers, or delivering real property tax relief, the focus remains clear: support working f...
The Montana Senate has amended and advanced a draft of the state’s two-year budget, with some disappointed Republicans saying “the cake was already baked” and that they saw the vote from a mile away. The vote board was a near-constant 27-23 during the entire debate on House Bill 2 and the Senate’s amendments to it. A group of nine Republicans that have aligned with Democrats since day one again joined forces to pass the bill, while the other 23 Republicans voted against. Republican Senate President Matt Regier said before the session started, t...
As the 2025 legislative session comes to a close, lawmakers are moving to set themselves up for next session with a series of bills that would start studies analyzing the efficacy of public school programs like special education, media literacy, school safety and counselors. Jessica Reynolds is a speech pathologist for Helena Public Schools and supported the special education study, representing Montana Speech Language Hearing Association. “I’m ending my 11th year with Helena School District, and I can tell you that the needs faced by special e...
SUNDAY, APRIL 13 07:32:49 Traffic Stop: W Legion St 07:46:27 Traffic Stop: W Legion St 07:58:58 Traffic Stop: Hwy 2 W 12:11:36 Citizen Assist: W Legion St 13:21:05 Stolen Vehicle: Whitetail Dr 16:08:57 Traffic Offense: I-90 17:15:55 Disorderly Conduct: Stanley St 18:14:39 Fire/Smoke Report: Hwy 55 19:55:06 Suspicious Vehicle: Tebay Ln 20:41:03 Animal: W Legion St MONDAY, APRIL 14 00:33:23 Welfare Check: Forcella Rd 08:04:09 Traffic Stop 08:39:46 911: Whitetail Rd 10:03:38 Fraud: Jack Rabbit Ln...
Montana lawmakers are considering a proposal to unwind parts of a 2023 bill that guaranteed large nonresident landowners access to a big-game hunting license. House Bill 907 strikes portions of House Bill 635, which narrowly passed the Legislature two years ago. HB 635 established a new nonresident preference pool program that effectively guaranteed nonresident landowners with 2,500 acres of land access to a big-game combination license good for one elk and one deer. Proponents of HB 907 say that it preserves the desirable portions of HB 635 ...
A draft of Montana’s state budget for the next two years continues to push through the Legislature, now heading to its last major round of debate on the Senate floor this week. The current version sits at around $16.6 billion in spending, with a large portion going toward healthcare and education. Now, with about 15 days left in the session, lawmakers, organizations and Montana citizens are scrambling to make sure all of their bases are covered for the next two years, all with the backdrop of a chaotic federal funding picture and questions abou...
The House of Representatives passed a bill on April 8 that would provide continuous eligibility for two years for kids younger than six enrolled in the Healthy Montana Kids program. The sponsor says it will address gaps in health insurance coverage for children. The current system for the free or low-cost health insurance program for low-income families requires families to reapply for eligibility every year. Rep. Ed Stafman, D-Bozeman, said this can be difficult for busy families, leaving children in a back-and-forth of losing and regaining...
A bill that would ask voters to vote on a constitutional amendment to define personhood as starting at conception sparked contentious debate in the Senate Judiciary Committee before ultimately advancing to the full Senate. Sponsored by Rep. Lee Deming, R-Laurel, House Bill 318 is one of the few surviving bills seeking to restrict abortion access in the state. The bill would start the process of amending Montana’s Constitution to define a fetus as a living being by putting the issue to voters via ballot in the November 2026 election. Erin L...
A bill to add vaping as prohibited under the Clean Indoor Air Act is on to the Senate after passing the House last week, with proponents saying it will help to address an issue in Montana’s youth, and opponents saying the bill will not be effective in preventing vaping in kids. Carrier of Senate Bill 390, Rep. George Nikolakakos, R-Great Falls, said the number of children and health organizations who came to testify in support at the bill’s committee hearing showed the need for the addition. He said the issue of vaping in Montana is two...
Legislators in the House and Senate passed bills this week that define sex as a binary and reduce any punishment of individuals at schools for not acknowledging pronouns and chosen names other than those assigned at birth. Senate Bill 437, which earlier passed in the Senate with a 31-18 vote, is one of a series of bills passed this session that proponents say are clarifying definitions under law, and opponents say are reducing the rights of the transgender community. SB 437 passed the House with a 55-44 vote last week and now heads to the gover...
The Senate debated and passed a bill last week that would tighten residency requirements for voters, which proponents say will make sure that each county’s voters are a permanent part of the community. But, opponents say the measure will unfairly restrict student voters. House Bill 413, sponsored by Rep. Jane Gillette, R-Three Forks and carried by Sen. Shelley Vance, R-Belgrade, would mean that a person could not be considered a resident in an election if they live in a community for “temporary work, training, or an educational program,” unles...
SUNDAY, APRIL 6 00:44:43 Traffic Stop: N Whitehall St 01:36:33 Motorist Assist: Hwy 2 E 06:51:20 Extra Patrol: W Legion St 07:43:09 Medical: Hwy 55 12:11:04 Vicious Dog: N Jefferson St 12:32:59 Reckless Driver: I-90 13:27:42 Welfare Check: N Jefferson St 15:08:14 Domestic Violence: Sowden Ln 15:23:51 Vehicle Accident (Injury) 17:52:41 Vehicle Fire: I-90 18:31:57 Citizen Assist 20:33:59 911: Upper Rader Creek Rd 21:11:13 Vehicle Accident (Non-Injury): I-90 MONDAY, APRIL 7 01:50:18 Suspicious...
Since she lost her home, the four walls of Chloe Carlson’s tent have served as her sole source of shelter. Carlson’s two cats serve as her heaters during winter storms. She pitches her tent on a slight incline to prevent flooding in rainy weather. She knows a thing or two about surviving in harsh conditions. “I like when it is actually snowy, because it tends to be warmer out,” Carlson said. “Because those clouds trap a lot of the daytime heat.” In 2022, Carlson joined the swelling ranks of people without homes in Montana after losing her job i...
The April 2nd meeting of Whitehall Indivisible had 17 people present with one new face (welcome!) First up was the big item of the week that stood out in people’s minds: Senator Cory Booker’s 25-hour filibuster, Washington State Rep Pramila Jayapal’s work with resistance and protest, the Signal app chat, law firms caving to Trump’s targeting, proxy voting victory in in the US House of Reps with bipartisan support, more executive orders, massive cuts to Health & Human Services, elimination of due process for legal and possibly illegal (who kn...
Montana Judges could be required to take child abuse and domestic violence training if a bill in the Montana Legislature passes the House. Sen. Dennis Lenz, R-Billings, is carrying Senate Bill 318, which supporters are calling “Brody’s Law.” Lenz said the bill will help judges deal with the suspects in abuse cases, whose personalities he said are frequently manipulative. The bill is named after a Bozeman child who took his life in 2023 after what his mother, Jody Hill, described as continued abuse. Hill said at a hearing on April 1 that her s...
Parents, guardians and teachers could have been reimbursed for education expenses through a new income tax credit that died in committee last week. Senate Bill 549 would have reimbursed up to $1,250 for tuition, materials, exam fees, transportation and other services like tutoring and therapies, among others. The fiscal note on the bill estimated a yearly $45 million in state funds being used for these credits starting in 2027, when estimated payouts would have started. Sen. Jeremy Trebas, R-Great Falls, who is carrying the bill, said that...
Legislators are considering a proposal to invest in suicide prevention for Montana veterans, an effort proponents say will help to mitigate high rates of suicide in the veteran population. Sen. Mike Yakawich, R-Billings, is the sponsor of Senate Bill 95. He said the bill has had a long journey to pass the Senate and arrive at the House for deliberation. The final proposal includes a request for $300,000 to implement a three-pronged approach: screening services, educating providers, and peer support. Jestin Dupree, a tribal council member for...
mittee voted down two major tax bills backed by Gov. Greg Gianforte Wednesday, killing a measure that would have cut a full percentage point off the state’s primary income tax rate and another that would have increased property taxes on second homes as part of efforts to lower homeowner tax bills. The Republican-controlled committee, chaired by Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, also voted down an income tax credit-based property tax relief bill that minority-party Democrats had pushed through the House. Separately, the Senate Finance and Claims Commit...
