Bill would pull money from conservation initiatives This November, Montana voters passed the I-190 Initiative legalizing marijuana. This was passed with the understanding that almost half of the revenue generated by the sale of Marijuana for the state would be used to help with conservation and increasing access to public lands. However, House Bill 169 […]

By HEATHER O’LOUGHLIN Guest Columnist Helena’s contentious debate on the role of taxes has brought Montana to a critical crossroads: Do we follow the path of states like Kansas, which paid for tax cuts for the wealthiest with major cuts to education, infrastructure, and more? Or will Montana stand up to wealthy interests and instead […]

As Republicans now in control of the statehouse and the Legislature, it is not surprising that they are planning to implement their economic theory of cutting taxes for the wealthy. (Funny that this benefits the governor and likely many of the legislature members.) The theory is investments by the wealthy will result in business activity […]

Guest view: Oh, Montana, you’ve really stepped in it now November 22, 2020 / No Comments Below is an article by Brady Wiseman a former legislator from Bozeman.  Brady has laid out where we are. . . across the board.  I encourage you to read it and send it to your friends.  It is difficult to read […]

House Bill 302 and House Bill 318, now in the House Agriculture Committee, with little public awareness, would essentially eliminate any possible Montana attempt to restore public-trust, wild bison in our state. These bills were vetoed in 2019, but a Gianforte veto may not be forthcoming. HB 302 requires approval of a county commission for […]

By JOE MCCARTY Guest columnist As predicted and right on schedule the legislature and governor have turned state government into a version of Alice in Wonderland. Up is down and good is bad. There is frenzied work to use the 90-day session to adopt solutions to nonexistent problems and ignore solutions to the very real […]

I commend Sen. Pat Flowers for his “Soil Health Subcommittee Bill,” Senate Bill 180. This bill will establish a task force that will make recommendations for a Montana soil health program aimed at increasing farmer and rancher profitability, building a more resilient agriculture sector, and helping everyday producers like myself and my neighbors here in […]

How is abortion an issue in any lawmaking setting? It’s simply government intrusion into the private health care decisions of all women. Flat out, Lola Sheldon-Galloway needs to get out of politics if she thinks her personal opinions about abortion have any credence in the Legislature. She believes a woman is not important in an […]

When Greg Gianforte was elected governor last November, he told supporters of the need to reduce economic burdens on working families in the face of an unprecedented global pandemic. Yet a cursory look at the priorities of the current legislative session tells a far different story that of a Montana GOP more interested in fanning […]

The Legislature is now considering the Gianforte tax policy: cutting income taxes for the wealthy with the promise that a windfall for those at the top will somehow “trickle down” to the rest of us. That familiar refrain is called “supply-side economics.” It’s been told and retold for decades by politicians and hucksters, but it’s […]