Montana Legislature

Recent Posts

Opinion: Vet licensing bill would only benefit private company

By: |
Forcier

A good job with a stable employer who values you can be a hard thing to come by in Montana. But now two organizations are not only seeking to make that more difficult, but may also put some people out of a job with legislation they are planning to propose for the 2017 Montana Legislature. The Big Sky Veterinary Technician Association (BSVTA) and the Montana Veterinary Medicine Association (MVMA) have circulated pieces of draft occupational licensing legislation for comment by local veterinary practices. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Opinion, Big Sky Veterinary Technician Association, Montana Legislature, Montana Veterinary Medicine Association, State Board of Veterinarians

Montana Viewpoint: Putting the nation over politics

By: |
Elliott

America’s elected legislators could get a lot done if the political parties just got out of the way. Over the past few decades certain politicians, political parties and independent political groups have planted and nurtured the trees of ideological hatred, and the American public harvests that bitter fruit. This is not doing anyone any good and it is time for it to stop. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Opinion, John Cobb, Montana Legislature, Montana Legislature. U.S. Congress, Ronald Reagan

Opinion: Beware the ‘Counterfeit Constitutionalists’

By: |
Evan

On the coming 4th of July, our hearts will swell with pride as the Stars and Stripes lead our local Independence Day parades. That flag reflects an American reality of which we are all rightfully proud. Despite its imperfections, we live in a great country, with a remarkable democratic governmental structure that is the envy of the world—the bedrock of our national identity. We are a government of, by and for the people. We are a nation of laws, not of men and their whims and fancies. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Opinion, Hugo Black, Montana Legislature, Roe v. Wade, U.S. Constitution, William Gladstone

Opinion: Preserving Montana history is no ‘pork’ project

By: |

As the rhetoric ramps up leading to the election and the next legislative session, so does the finger-pointing at the failure of the past legislature to pass meaningful infrastructure funding in the final form of Senate Bill 416. After passing the Senate by a vote of 47–3, SB 416 failed by one vote of the necessary two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives. The bill had the support of 51 of 88 Republicans, 62 Democrats, and Gov. Steve Bullock. Yet it failed to reach final passage. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Opinion, Montana Heritage Center, Montana Historical Society, Montana Legislature

Opinion: Young people need to know of changes to MIP law

By: |
DZ

Montana’s minor-in-possession laws have changed slightly, but the results won’t change unless young people know about those changes. The new law simply says that if underage people seek emergency medical attention for themselves or another person, law enforcement can’t ticket them for a minor-in-possession. This MIP medical immunity measure was passed by a strong bipartisan majority during the 2015 state Legislature. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Opinion, MIP, Montana Legislature

David Crisp: On medical pot, legislative ‘fix’ was a disaster

By: |
Crisp

I’ve probably told this story too many times, but I can’t discuss medical marijuana without bringing it up: On a vacation in Minnesota, many years ago, long before the statute of limitations ran out, I suffered a severe roadside attack of diarrhea. I need not, and probably should not, describe how awful that was. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: Opinion, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Medical marijuana, Montana Legislature, Montana Supreme Court

Equity crowd funding, other ideas promoted at workshop

By: |
Lindeen

For entrepreneurs looking for capital, Montana can be a tough place to do business. Bankers, by their own account, can be “very stingy.” Montana attracts only a tiny fraction of the venture capital that goes to nearby states. And people who can’t qualify for conventional lending often can’t get federally backed loans either. For Indians, the odds are even longer. Much of the land on reservations is held in trust, and home ownership rates are low, making it hard to find the collateral to secure a loan. Continue Reading →

Filed under: News, Ed Garding, Jon Tester, Monica Lindeen, Montana Legislature, Small Business Opportunity Workshop, Will Price

‘Dark money,’ free speech and a long way to go

By: |
Crisp

In a routine Sunday column about things the Montana Legislature did right in the recent session, Billings Gazette Editor Darrell Ehrlick wrote this sentence: “Free speech is not the right to say anything to anyone without having to sign your name to it.”

Actually, the right to say anything to anyone without having to sign your name to it is pretty much the definition of free speech. That’s why questions about campaign spending have become so tortured in Montana and in the nation as a whole. (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: From the Outpost, Commissioner of Political Practices, Darrell Ehrlick, Disclose Montana Act, First Amendment, Jonathan Motl, Krayton Kerns, Montana Legislature

All hail the new state dirt

By: |

Close watchers of the legislative process probably knew this already, but I have only just been made aware that Montana now has an official state soil. Scobey soil, the Bozeman Chronicle informs us, is “a deep clay loam that holds water well” and “was selected because of its importance to the state’s wheat production in the Golden Triangle region of north-central Montana.” The dirt on this bill is that it was conceived by fourth-grade students at Longfellow Elementary School in Bozeman. Kristin Sigler, one of the Longfellow teachers who helped prepare the legislation and lobby for its passage, said the fight wasn’t easy. “We had an uphill battle when lawmakers thought this might be a trivial effort,” she said. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Last Best Blog, Longfellow Elementary School, Montana Legislature, Scobey soil