Montana Politics

A third Democrat has entered the race for Montana’s new Congressional seat. Bozemanite Cora Neumann, who holds a PhD in public health policy, announced her bid for the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday. Neumann previously ran for the U.S. Senate.

Montana officials have decided on final rules to guide the drawing of the state’s new Congressional districts. MTPR’s Shaylee Ragar has a rundown of the process.

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester stopped in Missoula Thursday as he tours parts of Montana to sell a bipartisan infrastructure package that could land in Congress later this month.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte is for the first time flexing a new power to appoint judges after the 2021 Legislature scrapped a decades-old nomination process. The governor has picked a new judge for a vacant post on the Cascade County District court bench.

Another Democrat has joined the race for Montana’s new Congressional seat.

Montana’s independent commission charged with drawing the state’s new legislative and congressional districts is expected to vote this week on the rules for the map drawing process.

A Democrat and Republican have joined the race for Montana’s new U.S. House seat. It’s the first time in 30 years the state will send two representatives to Congress.

For the first time in decades, fireworks like bottle rockets and Roman candles are legal to use in Montana.

Montana’s public defender's office is asking state officials for help as it continues to face trouble recruiting and retaining attorneys.

The Montana Supreme Court announced on Tuesday it will issue a final ruling on the Legislature’s subpoenas, rejecting GOP lawmakers' request to dismiss the case.

The dust has settled after a historic legislative session. Montana’s governor has now set a benchmark for measuring the success of his campaign promise to lead the state’s comeback from the pandemic.

Montana lawmakers declined to override eight vetoes from Gov. Greg Gianforte on bills that saw close votes when passed during the 2021 legislative session.

Montana’s lone U.S. representative Wednesday afternoon voted against a bill to establish June 19 as a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. The proposal passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the House.

A Montana Supreme Court justice who voted in a 6-1 ruling to uphold a new law allowing the governor to appoint judges directly to open benches is also condemning Republican lawmakers and the state’s attorney general for their handling of the proceedings.

Montana’s senior U.S. senator is among a bipartisan group of 10 lawmakers working on an infrastructure deal after President Joe Biden ended talks with a core group of Republicans earlier in the week.

The two Democrats and two Republicans in charge of redrawing the state’s new congressional and legislative districts are in disagreement over how to start drawing lines. The U.S. Census Bureau has not yet released the final data states need to start drawing districts, but Montana’s Districting and Apportionment Commission met Thursday to talk about the rules that will guide the process.

Montana’s governor will retain a new power to appoint judges directly to vacant benches without the input of the Judicial Nomination Commission. The Montana Supreme Court upheld the law in a ruling issued Thursday .

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A state judge did not immediately rule Monday on a Montana Board of Regents request to extend a temporary restraining order that blocked a new campus carry law from taking effect. District Court Judge Mike McMahon on May 28 temporarily blocked the law that would have allowed students and staff to carry firearms on public college campuses. The law was to take effect on June 1.

Montana lawmakers will consider overriding eight of Gov. Greg Gianforte’s vetoes from the 2021 legislative session. The bills Gianforte vetoed meet the threshold for an automatic poll of lawmakers asking if they’d like to reverse the governor’s decision.

A record number of Montanans are enrolled in the state’s expanded health coverage program for low-income adults. More than 9% of the state's population is enrolled in the program. Enrollment in Montana’s Medicaid expansion climbed to record levels this spring after rising since early 2020. Nearly 99,000 Montanans were enrolled as of the latest data in April.