Chris Aadland
Montana GOP passes bills limiting authority of local health officials, governor
House Bill 121 and House Bill 230 are the products of several related proposals brought by lawmakers in response to local health orders that some have criticized for failing to consider their effects on local economies or failing to include elected officials in the decision-making.
Tribal leaders, landowners clash over private-land hunting legislation
Tribal leaders say a legislative proposal to open some privately owned lands within Indian reservations in Montana to hunting is an attack on tribal sovereignty and certain to erode the tribes’ relationships with the state.
Missoula legislator’s bill would ban ‘free-speech zones’ on Montana campuses
House Bill 218 would ban “free-speech zones” on public university campuses in Montana. Rep. Mike Hopkins, R-Missoula, said the bill would prevent those institutions from restricting unsanctioned speech to a designated area of campus.
CSKT Tribal Council unanimously ratifies Flathead water compact
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes ratified their water compact with the state on Tuesday, ending a decades-long process to settle water right claims affecting a huge swath of Montana’s irrigated land.
Gov.-elect Gianforte says COVID trends ‘alarming,’ pandemic response will be 1st priority
During a Friday press conference, his first since being elected, Gov.-elect Greg Gianforte offered few hints about what policies he may pursue or support once he’s sworn in on Jan. 4. While he largely avoided answering direct questions about specific policy proposals and ideas, he did say that responding to the coronavirus pandemic, which led to the deaths of 727 people in the state by Friday — will be his first priority. He also pledged not to alter public stream access laws or to undermine Montana’s Medicaid expansion.
Behind the curve: COVID-19 surge derails Montana counties’ contact tracing efforts
As COVID-19 continues to sweep through Montana, public health workers are struggling to keep up with the sheer volume of demand for contact tracing, which health officials say is one of the most basic tools they have for tracking and combating pandemics.
UM law grads ask Supreme Court to let them skip the bar
A group of recent Montana law school graduates is asking the state Supreme Court to license them without taking a required exam, saying they’re worried about contracting or contributing to the spread of the coronavirus if they take the test in person later this month.