The 63rd Montana Legislature is over. The assembly of elected servants passed a state budget, gave public servants a small raise, funded public education, shored up public pensions, invested in public infrastructure, and conducted themselves more-or-less with the respect that service warrants. In the closing days, politicians passed a lopsided $150 million income tax cut […]

There are not many moments left in the Montana Legislature as next week lawmakers adjourn from the regular session. Their 90 days is up. The major policy decisions facing Montana will be made over this weekend, heading into the start of the next and final week. Bills once tabled easily resurface amended into other bills […]

Speaker of the House Mark Blasdel, R-Somers, and Senate President Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, are unlikely to let Montana expand access to free federal health care for nearly 70,000 Montanans. The federal Affordable Care Act budgeted free Medicaid health insurance expansion to all citizens with incomes of less than $15,400 annually. The catch being that the […]

Next week Montana’s Legislature begins hearings on the most critical bills of the session. Lawmakers must choose whether to expand Medicaid in Montana, with the federal government paying for 100 percent of the cost over the next three years and 90 percent thereafter. Over the next eight years Montana’s economy could see a $6 billion […]

Rep. Pat Noonan, D-Ramsay, is one of the handfuls of moderates serving in the 2013 Montana Legislature. Noonan serves with other moderates like Sen. Llew Jones, R-Conrad. Jones carries the new natural resources component for public school financing. Notably Noonan sponsored this Legislature’s most critical task, to implement Montana’s Medicaid expansion. Over the next four […]

Montana Senate President Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, and Speaker of the House Mark Blasdel, R-Somers, worked and voted for the 2009 property tax reappraisal law. This policy established property tax mitigation policies for homes, small businesses, farmers and timberland owners. Reappraisal interlaced property tax policy to the real estate boom years of 2002 to 2008. Both […]

The sordid details of legislative infighting made statewide newspaper headlines. That’s not new to Montana politics. The Montana Legislature often exhibits its ruthless political mannerisms. What was surprising in the leaked political emails was not the tone, nor the quest for raw political power, but rather a seemingly simple redistricting statement by Senate President Jeff […]

The Montana Legislature ventured into its third week of policymaking with public overtures of cooperation and collaboration. That’s a welcome change from the last legislative session, which was dominated by socially derisive bills. The Legislature traditionally convenes biannually for a maximum of 90 days. In some sessions work gets done; other Legislatures do little but […]

As the 63rd Montana Legislature convenes, about one-third of the lawmakers are new. Flathead voters sent a couple freshman representatives to Helena. Some House veterans transferred to the Senate. Term limits reliably mix up the Legislature. Term limits throw out the good with the bad policy brokers. On day one of this Legislature, roughly two-thirds […]

The Whitefish farmer, who earned his political stripes by accompanying busloads of seniors across the Canadian border in search of cheaper medicine, is now termed out from serving as one of the most popular governors in Montana history. Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer was never elected to office prior to serving as governor. But Schweitzer did […]

People may still be digesting those fantastic Thanksgiving turkey and ham feasts that were customarily served with mashed potatoes, sweet yams and pumpkin pie. Yet it is time to ready ourselves for more food, family and friendship. Winter solstice is an easy time of year to be grateful for the joys of life and give […]

Over 1 million political television advertisements and the estimated $6 billion spent on nationwide elections produced no landmark changes. Advertisers undoubtedly benefited from the stimulus of secret money spending, but people were stung by a relentless barrage of undisclosed politics. In the end, all the money in the world was no match for an effective […]

Open public lands and the great outdoors are enormous economic drivers for the Flathead Valley. The Daily Inter Lake in an editorial titled “Kidsports is a key city asset” wrote that securing the recreational easement in Kalispell “is an idea that deserves serious attention.” The newspaper wrote in part that, “It could be an entirely […]

The GOP and politicians like rep. Derek Skees and U.S. Rep. Dennis Rehberg share a common campaign theme of repealing “ObamaCare” at any cost. Pragmatically, that’s just silly. Real people deserve better health care. At a Kalispell debate, Rehberg advocated for more insurance pools and interstate mobility of insurance policies. Sen. Jon Tester patiently explained […]

A conservative U.S. Supreme Court transformed Montana elections into spending sprees. Suddenly secret, corporate and unlimited dollars flooded Montana with negative political advertising. Sharla Tester wrote, in an email about her husband Sen. Jon Tester: “But in this election, he’s not only running against an opponent – he’s fighting against outside special interest spenders who […]