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Updated: Amended Colstrip bill heads to House
A bill to encourage coal generation was sent to the Montana House on Thursday after earning 27-21 approval in the Senate on third reading. “This is a bill to ensure the lights turn on when you want them on,” said Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick on the Senate floor earlier this week. Sponsor Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, said […]
UPDATED: Special needs ‘school choice’ bill tabled, chair said had too many issues
A bill that would lend taxpayer support to special needs students outside public schools — and one that’s a priority for Gov. Greg Gianforte — was tabled Wednesday in the Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee. However, Rep. Sue Vinton, R-Billings, said she hopes the Senate still will take the opportunity to consider the legislation. […]
Montana Senate advances income tax bill
After one couple in Montana adopted a child, they used the state’s adoption tax credit. With the extra money, they were able to adopt another child, something they couldn’t have afforded without the credit, said Sen. Jill Cohenour, D-East Helena. “It does not cost the state of Montana a lot, but it is meaningful to […]
Poll results: Montanans support local health officers
Just 17 percent of Montanans want elected officials to make decisions about public health — most, 70 percent, are more likely to trust local boards of health with related concerns. That’s according to results of a recent poll conducted by New Bridge Strategy and provided Tuesday in a video presentation. The survey was sponsored by […]
Montana campuses to get $38M for students with lower incomes
The last time the Montana Legislature directed money to college students who need it most, it set aside $2 million, and the private foundations matched the amount for a $4 million total over the 2021 biennium. This time, various proposals for need-based aid have come and gone for smaller amounts, but the most recent federal […]
Public education advocates praise funding bills, fear ‘school choice’ legislation
Last week, the House Education Committee stopped a bill opponents had deemed one of the most problematic this session for public K12 schools. House Bill 633 would have created a separate public charter school system — outside Title 20 of the Montana Constitution — but one funded by taxpayers. Four Republicans joined Democrats to oppose […]
Glacier will do ticketed entry
Motor travelers on Going-to-the-Sun Road across Glacier National Park will need to reserve a ticket this summer. The park is using the $2 tickets to manage a record number of visitors in recent years and heavy traffic on the scenic roadway. Details about tickets are available here on the National Park Service website. “We’re not […]
Bill: Stop press from being ‘slander machine’
A bill to “stop the press from serving as a slander machine” passed Thursday in the Montana House Judiciary Committee with language and a title that are nearly boilerplate to legislation that’s cropped up in other states. Sponsored by Rep. Mark Noland, R-Bigfork, the “Stop Guilt By Accusation Act” aims to mandate media outlets cover […]
New poll: Montanans concerned about tobacco, support cig tax increase
Even cigarette smokers are worried about tobacco use and don’t want cigar smoking in bars. And 63 percent of Montanans who responded to a survey about tobacco use would support a $1.50 tax increase — on top of the $1.70 tax — on cigarettes. That compares to 61 percent of people in support of such […]
House Human Services Committee tables HB676
After a 12-7 no vote Wednesday, the House Human Services Committee tabled a bill opponents said would hurt the ability of children and working families to access Medicaid and CHIP, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and hurt Native Americans. In a hearing one day earlier, opponents said House Bill 676 would push children off of […]
House committee to take action Wednesday on Medicaid, CHIP revision bill
Here’s what happened when one little girl with debilitating arthritis was kicked off CHIP, the Children’s Health Insurance Plan, for three months. Her mom is a massage therapist who works seasonally, like many Montanans, said Lauren Wilson, vice president for the Montana chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The mom was asked to verify […]
House Education takes up tribal college funding ‘inequities’
Here’s one silver lining to the way tribal colleges are funded, a method that creates heartburn for campus presidents. “There are only two states in the nation that fund non-tribal college students that attend tribal colleges, and Montana is one of them,” said Sandra Boham, president of Salish Kootenai College. But the way the state’s […]