Legislature v. judiciary
Lawmakers on the newly formed Senate Select Committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform covered little new ground in their efforts to reshape Montana’s judicial system in their first meeting, but they at least got a lesson in constitutional law.
Latest Government Reporting
Explosive growth, tourism weigh heavy on western Montana’s aging roads
Growing populations and tourism in western Montana are straining aging roads, leaving state and local governments to fix problems or make improvements with limited funding.
Transgender Montanans challenge state’s rule barring changes to sex listed on birth certificates
The state prevents Montanas from changing the sex listed on their birth certificates except in the case of a clerical error.
Updated: Applications for state property tax assistance programs now June 1
Low-income Montanans seeking help paying their property tax bills now have until June 1 to apply for aid through two state relief programs intended to keep property tax bills from forcing low-income homeowners out of their homes.
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MORE GOVERNMENT REPORTING
Gianforte announces Montana National Guard deployment to Texas border
Gov. Greg Gianforte announced that the state is deploying a small number of Montana National Guard personnel to the nation’s southern border, describing the action as an effort to help the state of Texas address cross-border drug trafficking in light of what he described as inaction by the federal government.
Push to poll Cascade County voters on reinstating clerk’s election duties falls short
An effort by supporters of Cascade County Clerk and Recorder Sandra Merchant to reinstate the election oversight duties stripped from her by county commissioners in December has proved unsuccessful. Petitioners looking to put the issue up for a reconsideration vote on the June primary ballot were still thousands of signatures short of the total required…
Safety net consolidation means closures for longtime nonprofits
Last fall, the state Department of Public Health and Human Services announced it would be seeking a single, statewide contractor to provide employment assistance and training to Montanans receiving food and cash aid from SNAP and TANF, two of the state’s most prominent public safety net programs. In January, the state tapped Maximus, a global…
Global company prepares to take on statewide public assistance contract
A global, private company is beginning to release details of how it plans to handle its new $15 million state contract to deliver employment assistance and training for some Montanans who receive public food, cash and refugee resettlement assistance.
Gianforte says state not responsible for tribal law enforcement in Lake County
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has informed the Lake County Commission that the state will not assume felony law enforcement duties on the Flathead Indian Reservation — despite pleas from local officials that they can no longer afford a decades-old arrangement.
Gianforte says statewide sales tax off the table as his property tax task force gears up
Addressing his property tax task force at the group’s first formal meeting on Feb. 14, Gov. Greg Gianforte had two big messages: Figure out how to bring some permanent tax relief to Montana homeowners — and don’t do it by recommending a statewide sales tax.
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MORE GOVERNMENT REPORTING
Governor still mum on tribal law enforcement in Lake County
More than two months after saying it wanted out of a decades-old agreement, Lake County has had no conversations with the state about what law enforcement there would look like in the future.
Health department vows changes to avoid delayed contracts
The head of Montana’s health department said the agency is catching up on a months-long backlog of contracts with organizations that connect people to medical care that left organizations without pay, halted some services, and triggered job cuts.
PSC President James Brown pushes back on audit findings
During a Jan. 24 hearing, Public Service Commission President James Brown highlighted changes he and fellow commissioner Jennifer Fielder initiated after a scathing 2021 audit unearthed falsified records and “waste of state resources.” Brown, who’s now running for state auditor, also addressed the commission’s reliance on exempt positions and a 2021 spike in turnover at…
Audit reports some progress at troubled state utility board
The Public Service Commission has improved after a scathing 2021 audit generated organizational shifts at the agency, the Legislative Audit Division found in a January 2024 report. But auditors say there’s more work to be done to address concerns related to high turnover rates and commissioners’ conduct and political speech.
Montana DOJ puts law firm on $500,000 retainer to defend TikTok ban in court
MTFP has received many reader questions about how much the state is spending to defend controversial bills in court. Here’s an answer for one law.
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