Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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Sen. Mike Yakawich, R-Billings, compares the state’s purchase of overdose reversal drugs like naloxone from companies that have contributed to the opioid crisis to “paying the arsonist to put out his own fire.” Yakawich is carrying Senate Bill 112, which would ban government purchase of opioid overdose reversal drugs from companies like Purdue Pharma and Hikma Pharmaceuticals. The bill passed the Senate Feb. 4 on a 49-1 vote and is now scheduled for a hearing in the House Human Services Committee on Feb. 17. Attorneys General across the count...
Property tax relief is a top priority for Senate Republicans this legislative session. I’m sponsoring one such bill, SB 2, which reforms how tax increment financing (TIF) districts sunset – if they ever do – in order to lower property taxes for all local taxpayers. Essentially, the bill rewards taxpayers who contribute to economic development over the span of a TIF project. TIFs are subsidized by taxpayers outside the TIF district over the decades-long life of a project, which increases residents’ taxes and takes money away from schools...
Montana Legislators are pushing for changes to DUI laws – laws that Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, calls a national embarrassment. Mitchell is carrying House Bill 267, known as “Bobby’s Law” in honor of 21-year-old Bobby Dewbre, who was killed by a drunk driver in Columbia Falls in 2023. The driver served the maximum 18-month sentence. Under HB 267, if a driver kills someone while registering a blood alcohol content of 0.16 or higher, twice the legal limit, they would be charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and serve no less th...
Women in Montana would be able to request child support payments starting at conception if a bill in the Montana House of Representatives becomes law. The House Judiciary Committee heard testimony for House Bill 288 Thursday. Proponents said fathers should bear part of the financial burden of prenatal care, particularly in unplanned pregnancies. Opponents, however, said Montana law already allows women to collect child support for prenatal care after a child’s birth and the bill would complicate medical decisions and put victims of sexual a...
The Montana House of Representatives will now have the chance to debate a bill that would make providing gender-affirming care to children under the age of 16 a felony for endangering the welfare of a child. The Senate passed the bill last week on a 30-20 vote. Senate Bill 164 would classify surgical procedures, puberty blockers or hormones like testosterone and estrogen provided to children for gender-affirming treatment as criminal offenses. Proponents of the bill said it would protect children from life-altering procedures while opponents...
Under current Montana law, the winner of a duel may be responsible for supporting the family of their slain opponent. Even though killing someone, in a duel or not, is illegal, that code from 1895 is still on the books. House Bill 247 would repeal it. Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Colombia Falls, is carrying the bill, which passed the House Wednesday and now moves to the Senate. “This wasn’t a bill I thought I’d be bringing this session but after working with the Lieutenant Governor on more serious red-tape relief bills, she mentioned this outda...
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 00:39:43 Traffic Stop: W Legion St 02:08:01 Traffic Stop: Hwy 55 10:19:52 Vehicle Accident (Non-Injury): N Whitehall St 15:18:29 Vehicle Accident (Injury): I-90 16:12:21 Vehicle Accident (Non-Injury) Hwy 2 E 16:54:26 Traffic Hazard: I-90 17:19:08 Stranded Motorist: I-90 17:54:28 Citizen Assist 018:22:52 Vehicle Accident (Non-Injury): I-90 19:30:15 Traffic Hazard: I-90 22:37:40 ATL: Madison County MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3 10:25:22 Gas Leak/Odor: Kelly Rd 13:29:35 911 Hang Up...
The Whitehall Study Commission will be mailing out questionnaires to all postal patrons in the Whitehall Post Office area. Originally these questionnaires were planned to be released this week; however, they will now be mailed in March. Each questionnaire will be addressed to the postal customer registered to that post office box. The Local Government Review process is complicated; its scope and intent are easily misunderstood. But it’s important to know that the review is not a platform for airing discontent or mobilizing change in the ways t...
The Montana House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee tabled one bill and advanced two other bills that would change rules for hunting gray wolves in the state. The wolf-focused bills hit the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee Tuesday, Jan. 21, including House Bill 101, which would classify gray wolves as furbearers. The committee tabled that bill on Friday, Jan. 24. Rep. Jamie Isaly, D-Bozeman, said HB 101, recommended by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, would have put more specific protections on gray wolves while maintaining the...
The House of Representatives has passed House Bill 169, a bill that would allow judges to attend partisan events, seek or accept partisan endorsements, make speeches, publicly endorse, and publicly self-identify with partisan organizations. The bill hinges on the approval of House Bill 39, which would attach party labels to candidates for judicial positions. HB 39 has passed the House and is awaiting judgment in the Senate. Proponents of HB 169, which the House passed on Thursday, Jan. 23, argue it is a realistic move that will allow judges to...
SUNDAY, JANUARY 26 02:15:41 Medical: Paul Gulch Rd 09:49:10 Traffic Stop: Hwy 359 10:09:02 Traffic Stop: County Line 15:04:37 Reckless Driver: I-90 18:56:45 Traffic Hazard: I-90 MONDAY, JANUARY 27 02:54:19 Burglar Alarm: Hwy 55 10:33:51 Traffic Stop: W Legion St 14:52:21 Transport: Billings Clinic 16:05:12 Hit & Run: W Second Ave 18:25:57 Suspicious: Parrot Castle Rd 20:03:08 Civil: Fish Creek Rd 21:30:34 911 Misdial: E Legion St TUESDAY, JANUARY 28 07:55:37 Medical: Skyline Dr 08:41:11 VIN Inspection: Hwy 55 10:18:41 Welfare Check: Hwy 69...
Montanans could have beer and wine delivered to their doors by services like DoorDash if a bill in front of the House of Representatives passes. House Bill 211, sponsored by Rep. Katie Zolnikov, R-Billings, would require delivery drivers to be 21 years old, get a license to deliver alcohol and not have been convicted of driving under the influence in the past seven years. Tom Kerr is the general counsel for the Adult Beverage Alliance, a trade association that includes Amazon, DoorDash, Grubhub, Shift, and Uber. He supported the bill at a c...
The Whitehall Town Council held a quick catch-up meeting on Monday, January 27th, after they did not have a quorum during their regularly scheduled monthly meeting for January (which was also moved to a day later due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.) A business license was approved for Highway 55 Auto & Truck Repair, though StarrBuds' request for a cannabis dispensary business license was tabled, as a variance from the required 500 feet from a public building will need to be submitted. The proposed location (13 E. Legion) is roughly 80 feet...
The Montana Healthcare Foundation released three new reports analyzing Montana Medicaid. The reports found that the HELP Act – or “Medicaid expansion” – continues to expand healthcare access, improve health outcomes, and control healthcare costs. New findings from “2025 Medicaid in Montana” show that in addition to the program’s benefits for the health of enrollees and the state’s economy, Medicaid expansion has had a substantial impact on the healthcare system, particularly in rural areas. Specifically, reimbursement from Medicaid expans...
The State of Montana is currently holding approximately $148 million dollars in unclaimed or abandoned property that belongs to state citizens. “That $148 million dollars is real money that belongs to Montanans. It could be you, your family, your friends, or your neighbors. We want to get that money back to our citizens and one way to do that is to search on mycash.mt.gov or Missingmoney.com which is a national database,” said Brendan Beatty, Director of the Montana Department of Revenue. Nearly 33 million people in the United States – 1 in ev...
Worries about the malicious use of AI in government work have sparked the drafting of two bills at the Montana Legislature that aim to limit its use and promote transparency, but both quickly drew criticism for their broadness. House Bill 178, carried by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, would prohibit the use of AI in surveillance and facial recognition unless used to identify a missing person, a suspect in a serious crime or to identify corpses. HB 178 also requires that the use of AI in anything the government publishes be disclosed....
Lawmakers heard first testimony last week on major property tax bills from both sides of the aisle – the Republican-backed “Homestead Act” touted by Gov. Greg Gianforte proposes wide-spread cuts, and two Democrat-backed bills target relief on lower-income households. Rep. Jonathan Karlen, D-Missoula, introduced House Bill 154 on Tuesday, Jan. 21, warning a panel of legislators that residents are being priced out of their communities. The bill aims to make property tax more affordable to low-income taxpayers through a tax credit. House Bill...
There is an empty space in Diana Burd’s life where her son used to be. She sees him in the plants he gave her, the movies they watched, the trips they had yet to take. She couldn’t understand how he was feeling until he was gone. Looking back, Burd said the signs were there. Her son told his brother to leave his stuff alone. But, he also told his brother that when he was gone, everything he owned would be his. “I remember, I was like, ‘Oh, Wyatt,’” Diana said. “And he said, ‘No, Mom, everything that I own is Thunder’s.” Wyatt Madplume took his...
SUNDAY, JANUARY 19 05:28:41 Death: Parrot Castle Rd 08:23:22 Traffic Stop: Sheep Camp Rd 09:13:28 Traffic Stop: N Main St 12:14:34 Welfare Check: Lost Moose Bend Rd 15:17:20 Traffic Hazard: I-90 17:44:36 Citizen Assist: N Whitehall St 20:18:33 911 Hang Up: E First St MONDAY, JANUARY 20 07:36:58 Traffic Stop: W Legion St 11:18:16 Larceny/Theft: Leppala Ln 11:58:27 Fraud: Hwy 2 W 14:56:47 Stolen Vehicle: Yellowstone Trl TUESDAY, JANUARY 21 02:03:51 911 Misdial: Hwy 2 W 04:56:38 Fire/Smoke Report:...
One week before Gov. Greg Gianforte was scheduled to give his State of the State address to the Montana Legislature, a panel of lawmakers tabled and then revived one of the flagship bills in his tax package, which would spend a quarter of the state’s nearly $2 billion surplus on property tax relief for homeowners. In the Legislature’s third week in Helena, two key property tax bills got hearings in the House Taxation Committee – House Bills 222 and 189. Rep. Tom Welch, R-Dillon, is sponsoring House Bill 222, which would deliver $500 milli...
Lawmakers who want to offer Montana residents substantial immediate property tax relief face an inescapable mathematical reality: Unless they want to force local governments to lay off cops and teachers, the money to lower residential property tax bills has to come from somewhere. That somewhere, for one of the first major tax relief proposals to get a hearing before a legislative committee this year, is the state’s current pair of bed taxes: a 4% lodging facility use tax and a 4% lodging sales tax. Together, those taxes collect about $120 m...
There’s no question in Bruce Spencer’s mind that, in America, it’s the courts who get the last word on what laws are constitutional. It’s been that way for 222 years. But no matter how the lobbyist for the State Bar of Montana baited his argument for Republican lawmakers this week, he just couldn’t set the hook. Republicans have roughly 30 bills in the works at this year’s legislative session that propose changes to the courts, including one revising laws concerning the separation of powers doctrine. The change aims to give the legislative...
Supporters of a bill that aims to allow more Montana students to access so-called “proficiency-based learning” say it is essential to keeping students interested in school. Sen. Shannon O’Brien, D-Missoula, is sponsoring Senate Bill 8 on behalf of the Education Interim Committee. The bill would add definitions of proficiency-based learning, which O’Brien said will help guide administrators and school employees using the program. The bill defines “proficiency-based learning” as an “education system in which student progress is based on a st...
The House Judiciary Committee listened to testimony Thursday, Jan. 19 on a bill that would add penalties to school teachers for showing obscene educational materials to students. Rep. Bob Phalen, R-Lindsay, is sponsoring House Bill 234, which would remove exemptions for public school, library, and museum employees in displaying obscene material to minors. In current law, it is illegal to sell or display obscene content to minors, except that in a public school, library, or museum, employees can show nudity in a scientific or health-related...
The Senate Fish and Game committee heard testimony on Tuesday, Jan. 17 on a divisive bill that would provide Fish, Wildlife and Parks with a plan for managing grizzly bears if they are delisted under the federal Endangered Species Act. Sen. Mike Lang, R-Malta, sponsored Senate Bill 85 on behalf of FWP, which lays out the state’s commitments to the federal government, which he said is an attempt to have grizzly bears removed from the endangered species list. “It doesn’t change anything Montana is already doing, but will strengthen our asser...
