Last Best News (https://montana-mint.com/lastbestnews/category/news/page/36/)
When the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana was planning a film and discussion for tonight, the major concern for this year appeared to be criminal justice. But with the election of President Donald Trump in November, the ACLU’s list of concerns quickly expanded to include increased attention to immigration rights, voting rights and rights of the LGBT community. (more…) Continue Reading →
The 65th Montana legislative session has reached its halfway point, and the state budget still weighs heavy. Republicans and Democrats are working to reach a compromise on how to fund state programs, with battles over other policy happening simultaneously. (more…) Continue Reading →
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines addressed the Montana House of Representatives last week, touching on his role in Washington, his backing of the Keystone XL Pipeline and his support for the appointment of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Daines repeatedly said he and other Republicans in Washington are seeking less federal power and more states’ rights. (more…) Continue Reading →
The number of anti-government groups in Montana held steady in 2016 while anti-Muslim activity surged, according to census information released this month by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Of the 917 hate organizations identified in the latest report, 20 are located in Montana, including several white nationalist, anti-Muslim and anti-government groups scattered across the state. (more…) Continue Reading →
A state program that requires utilities to buy from small-scale, locally owned renewable energy projects in Montana is facing a do-or-die moment in Helena. Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, is pushing Senate Bill 78, which would eliminate the Community Renewable Energy Projects program. The bill passed a final vote last week in the Senate 30-19 and now moves into the House of Representatives. (more…) Continue Reading →
The Montana Legislature heard emotional testimony last week on a bill that would include gender identity and sexual orientation in the state’s non-discrimination laws. Introduced by Rep. Kelly McCarthy, D-Billings, House Bill 417 would add LGBTQ-identifying individuals to a list of classes protected by the Montana Human Rights Act, meaning it would prevent them from being discriminated against when seeking housing and employment, and when using public accommodations. (more…) Continue Reading →
The Montana House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would shutter the Office of the Commissioner of Political Practices, which some critics say could put the integrity of Montana elections in jeopardy. The bill, introduced by a state lawmaker tied to one of the office’s most significant investigations, would place oversight and enforcement of campaign laws back into the hands of the secretary of state and attorney general, as it was before the office was created in 1975. (more…) Continue Reading →
CODY, WYO. — On Sunday, Sam Mihara will lead a discussion in Washington, D.C., about how a presidential order wreaked havoc for him and thousands of other people, making travel impossible, splitting up families, upending lives and sowing chaos amidst the careful plans and long-held dreams of a select group of people. (more…) Continue Reading →
Eric Basye was expecting as many as 80 volunteers to come down to the old Labor Temple Hall on South 29th Street on Saturday for what he’s calling “our first official demo day.”
Basye is the director of Community Leadership and Development Inc., a Christian organization that works on the South Side of Billings under the slogan “Rebuilding Lives, Restoring Families, Re-Neighboring Communities.” (more…) Continue Reading →
The superintendent of schools in Reed Point, while not specifically denying claims of racism brought by a Native American couple last month, said he doesn’t believe that the staff member involved uttered a racial slur. Mike Ehinger was reacting to claims made by Elsworth and Brandy GoesAhead, of Pryor, at a public forum in Billings last week during a visit by Meg Singer, the new indigenous justice outreach coordinator for the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana. The claims were reported by Last Best News. (more…) Continue Reading →
