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Gianforte signs into law insulin cap, bill preventing private contributions to elections
Gov. Greg Gianforte signed into law a bill that would limit the insurance co-payment for insulin in Montana, among dozens of other pieces of legislation, with more than 100 bills still awaiting his signature. Senate Bill 340, introduced in the 2023 session by Sen. Jason Small, R-Busby, caps the insurance copay on a 30-day supply […]
Hearing for Great Falls library election monitor set; COPP responds to candidate’s complaint
Cascade County District Court scheduled a hearing for May 23 to determine whether there will be an election monitor for the upcoming mill levy election for the Great Falls Public Library, as requested by the library earlier this week. The hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. and both the library and Cascade County Clerk and […]
Merchant refuses election monitor; Great Falls library takes request to court
Great Falls Public Library is requesting the district court require an elections monitor for its upcoming June 6 mill levy election after Cascade County Clerk and Recorder Sandra Merchant said in a letter she did not consent to a monitor. The request comes after the elections office’s handling of the May 2 Great Falls Public […]
Bills on MICWA, law enforcement in Lake County and Indian Education for All on Gianforte’s desk
The legislature passed a number of bills related to tribes in Montana that still await Gov. Greg Gianforte’s signature. These included a bill establishing reporting requirements for Indian Education for All funds, a bill placing the Indian Child Welfare Act in state code and a bill reimbursing Lake County for federal criminal jurisdiction on the […]
Great Falls Library wants monitor appointed for mill levy election or it may seek court relief
The Great Falls Public Library is requesting an elections monitor to oversee the Cascade County Election Office going into its June 6 mill levy election, according to a letter from the library’s legal council sent Monday. A letter sent by attorney Raph Graybill to Cascade County Commissioners Joe Briggs, James Larson, and Rae Grulkowski, County […]
SJ Howell on delivering for Missoula and being the ‘last transgender voice’ on the House floor
Rep. SJ Howell said they needed to check the status of a child care bill before they could sit down to talk. “Otherwise, I’ll be thinking about it the whole time,” the Missoula Democrat said. Howell, a transgender non-binary Missoula Democrat who goes by they/them pronouns, spoke to the Daily Montanan at the tail end […]
Updated: Results in, but ballots were still being counted in Cascade County on Wednesday evening
Results were in after more than 24 hours. One day after the election, the Cascade County Clerk and Recorder’s Office under newly elected administrator Sandra Merchant was still counting ballots, with the voter tabulation machine dysfunctioning Tuesday evening, a poll watcher told the Daily Montanan after 5 p.m. on Wednesday. The Great Falls School Board […]
Gianforte signs five abortion bills; Dems accuse him of ‘dismantling women’s rights’
Gov. Greg Gianforte started off a signing ceremony with fellow Republicans for five abortion bills with a round of applause for “protecting the lives for the most vulnerable amongst us, unborn children.” Legislation signed into law Wednesday includes a bill to ban abortion after 24 weeks; a resurrection of Legislative Referendum-131 with new language after […]
‘Blue Bench Brigade’ protects bench where Zephyr has worked since censure
A group of Helena professionals who work in tech made their way to the Capitol on Tuesday to join a revolving crew of people protecting the bench where Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, has been representing her constituents. “I don’t do well with bullying, and I decided instead of just kind of staying at home and […]
Cascade County ballots put out an hour late, COPP complaint rejected
Larry Winship and his wife Cheryl went to the Montana ExpoPark in Cascade County to vote before work at 7 a.m. Problem was: No ballots were ready. Winship said they were asked if they could take a seat for a while, but they both had to get to work. “I don’t know when we’ll get […]
Closed for the people’s business: Montana House gallery lock-out continues; censure rare in Montana
The week after the Montana House took an historic vote on party lines to ban Rep. Zooey Zephyr from the floor, the chamber gallery remained closed to the public, and Zephyr has had to fight to work on a bench in the hall. Members of the public can observe, in person, the work of legislators […]
ACLU of Montana files lawsuit challenging Zephyr censure; Zephyr speaks in committee
The American Civil Liberties Union of Montana announced it has filed a lawsuit against the state Monday challenging the censure of Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, alleging it was a violation of First Amendment rights and the representation of her constituents. The lawsuit names Speaker Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, and Sergeant of Arms Brad Murfitt as defendants. […]