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District court judge temporarily blocks Montana bills that restrict abortion
In an order from the bench Tuesday, a district court judge temporarily blocked abortion bills recently signed into law regarding surgical abortion restrictions, ultrasound requirements and Medicaid abortion restrictions, as well as a similar rule on Medicaid abortions put in place by the state health department. Judge Mike Menahan said the focus of his decision […]
Drag ban, sex definition and MICWA bills signed into law
Gov. Greg Gianforte recently signed into law a bill outlawing drag performances on public property, a bill defining sex as either “male” or “female” and a bill placing language from the federal Indian Child Welfare Act in state statute. House Bill 359, sponsored by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, bans drag performances on publicly owned […]
District court judge sides with library in appointing monitor for mill levy election
A district court judge sided with the Great Falls Public Library Board in appointing an elections monitor for the upcoming mill levy election June 6. Judge Brenda Gilbert appointed the board’s choice for monitor, Lynn DeRoche, who worked in the Elections Office for more than 16 years under former Clerk and Recorder Rina Moore and […]
Private youth residential program oversight bill signed into law
Private alternative youth residential programs will now have increased state oversight after a bill sponsored by Rep. Laura Smith, D-Helena, was signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte on Wednesday. House Bill 218 received bi-partisan support as well as an endorsement from socialite and entrepreneur Paris Hilton, who came to Montana to lobby lawmakers for […]
Gianforte vetoes mobile homes park bill, CPS reform, among other legislation
Gov. Greg Gianforte vetoed a bill that would have given protections for mobile home park residents, like requiring park owners give 60 days notice before taking action like increasing rent. House Bill 889 is among more than a dozen other proposals to get rejected by the governor, including a bill for reforms to Child Protective […]
Gianforte appoints right-wing conspiracy theorist to Humanities Montana Board
Gov. Greg Gianforte appointed a political writer who espoused white supremacist conspiracy theories and denied the existence of transgender people, including Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, to serve on the Humanities Montana Board. Jeremy Carl is a senior fellow at the right-wing Claremont Institute based in California and was appointed to the Humanities Montana Board in […]
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 […]