Live Breaking News & Updates on Montana legislature 2021

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Special Senate panel sets timeline for marijuana bills

Special Senate panel sets timeline for marijuana bills
helenair.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from helenair.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.

Brad-tschida , Ed-buttrey , Bill-mercer , Jason-ellsworth , Senate-select-committee-on-marijuana-law , Select-committee , Marijuana-law , Chair-jason-ellsworth , House-bill , State-government , Montana-marijuana , Montana-legislature-2021

NCAA will pull games from states banning trans women as debate continues in Montana

The Montana House on Monday rejected an amendment to a bill that would ban transgender women from playing on women's sports teams, sending the legislation to a conference committee where House and Senate members will hash out their differences.
The vote comes on the same day the NCAA released a statement saying it supports transgender athletes and that championship games would be held only in locations "free of discrimination.â
"When determining where championships are held, NCAA policy directs that only locations where hosts can commit to providing an environment that is safe, healthy and free of discrimination should be selected," the statement reads. "We will continue to closely monitor these situations to determine whether NCAA championships can be conducted in ways that are welcoming and respectful of all participants."

Arkansas , United-states , Montana , Tennessee , North-carolina , Idaho , University-of-montana , Missoula-county , Mississippi , Dan-salomon , Jean-gee , Helen-thigpen

House Republicans vote to approve tort reform measures

A pair of bills to enact major tort reforms in Montana won preliminary votes in the House on Wednesday, proposing changes to medical damages awarded in personal injury lawsuits, limits on medical malpractice claims, legal immunities for gun manufacturers and penalties for nonprofits that sue the government.
Senate Bill 278 won praise from Republicans and criticism from Democrats over a wide range of proposed changes to civil actions in the state.
For lawsuits over medical malpractice resulting in someoneâs death, the bill would deduct âconsumptionâ from damages awarded for lost future earnings. That means that the estimated amount of money that person spent on rent, food and other basic necessities would not be included in the money paid out to the plaintiffs.

Montana , United-states , Great-falls , Missoula , France , Ed-buttrey , Kristin-juras , Neil-durham , Greg-gianforte , Labor-committee , Montana-chamber , National-wildlife-federation

Lawmakers add back funding for refugee programs to state budget

After a Republican lawmaker told a committee that he served in Iraq with interpreters who risked their lives helping the U.S. military, a Senate committee voted to restore funding for refugee services that had previously been cut from the state budget.
"They were very valuable. They knew the area. They talked to the locals. They kept us informed. They saved American lives," said Sen. Kenneth Bogner, R-Miles City.
"Now they are applying as refugees to use this program because it's not safe for them to stay in their country because of their help and work with the U.S. military."

Missoula , Montana , United-states , Bigfork , Iraq , Miles-city , Flathead-county , American , Ryan-osmundson , Shane-morigeau , Bob-keenan , Kenneth-bogner

House reconsiders, passes bill to create capital gains tax break

House reconsiders, passes bill to create capital gains tax break
helenair.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from helenair.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.

Montana , United-states , Greg-gianforte , House-republicans , Entrepreneur-magnet , Becky-beard , Elliston-republican , State-government , Capital-gains-taxes , Montana-legislature-2021 , மஂட்யாந

It's unclear if federal COVID-19 aid money could affect proposed Montana tax cuts

A section of the American Rescue Plan Act signed by President Joe Biden on March 11 says states can't use the money to directly or indirectly offset a net reduction in tax revenue from any sort of tax cuts.
But there are also proposals to increase revenues, like a bill to re-align Montana's corporate tax structure and the legalization of recreational cannabis passed by voters last fall.
Like much of the federal aid package, which Congress still needs to craft rules for spending, it's not known yet if the section about no net tax reductions could affect Gianforte's plans.
At the start of a hearing between the joint House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Claims committees Monday, the director of the Legislative Fiscal Division told lawmakers it wasn't clear what the provision in the ARPA would mean for bills advancing through the Legislature and that a legislative attorney would need to weigh in.

Montana , United-states , University-of-montana , Washington , Rhonda-knudsen , Steve-daines , Llew-jones , House-appropriations-committee , Economic-research , University-of-montana-bureau-business , Fiscal-division , House-appropriations

Montana bill proposes 90-day state stockpile of PPE

Montana bill proposes 90-day state stockpile of PPE
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Montana , United-states , Missoula , Montanans , Wendy-mckamey , Brad-tschida , Geraldine-custer , Ed-stafman , Senate-majority-leader-sue-vinton , House-appropriations-committee , State-capitol , Independent-record

Tie-breaker on administrative rules advances toward governor's desk

Tie-breaker on administrative rules advances toward governor's desk
helenair.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from helenair.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.

Montana , United-states , Montanans , Jedediah-hinkle , Ed-stafman , Greg-gianforte , State-government , Montana-legislature-2021 , Steve-fitzpatrick , Interim-committees , Administrative-rules

Bill proposes enshrining hunting, fishing and trapping in Montana Constitution

Montana voters could be asked to enshrine in the state constitution hunting, fishing and trapping as the traditional and preferred methods of fish and wildlife management under a bill brought by a Thompson Falls lawmaker.
During a hearing marked by a number of contentious exchanges between Republicans and an opponent of trapping, the House Judiciary Committee heard House Bill 367 brought by Republican Rep. Paul Fielder. If the bill receives support from two-thirds of the Legislature, voters in 2022 would be asked whether to amend a section of the Montana Constitution called the âHarvest Heritageâ clause.
As currently written, the clause says, âThe opportunity to harvest wild fish and wild game animals is a heritage that shall forever be preserved to the individual citizens of the state and does not create a right to trespass on private property or diminution of other private rights.â

Montana , United-states , Thompson-falls , Montanans , Keith-kubista , Mac-minard , Stephen-capra , House-judiciary-committee , Montana-trappers-association , Montana-stockgrowers-association , Guides-association , Paul-fielder

Lawmaker proposes bill allowing payment plan for coal mining back taxes

A Busby lawmaker is proposing legislation intended to let Big Horn County negotiate a collection agreement with a troubled coal company that owes more than $8 million in delinquent taxes to the county.
The proposal has the backing of county officials and Navajo Transitional Energy Co. (NTEC), which bought the debt-saddled Spring Creek Mine from its bankrupt parent company last year. But some Democratic lawmakers and at least one environmental group have warned that the bill could allow NTEC or other companies to ultimately pay less than they owe.
Senate Bill 154, sponsored by Republican Sen. Jason Small, doesnât specifically name NTEC or Big Horn County. But Small, the Big Horn County commissioners and a company representative were clear that the legislation was drafted with its unpaid coal taxes in mind.

Montana , United-states , Big-horn-county , Denise-rios , Derf-johnson , Jason-small , Navajo-transitional-energy-co , Montana-association-of-oil , Montana-environmental-information-center , House-taxation-committee , Montana-association-of-counties , Cloud-peak-energy