Montana Legislature 2021

Holly Michels talks about her coverage of St. Peter's Health, the hospital in Helena, saying their doctors and other staff were threatened and had their medical judgement questioned by three public officials, including Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen.

What remains unknown is what would occur if the EPA ultimately declines to accept Montana’s narrative rule package as sufficient to meet requirements of the Clean Water Act.

Sen. Theresa Manzella, R-Hamilton, had been speaking at a Wednesday event in Clinton when she made the comments.

Senate District 15 became vacant when Ryan Osmundson, R-Buffalo, was tapped to be Gov. Greg Gianforte's new budget director.

As of last Friday, there were 129 Montana children receiving a high level of care at psychiatric residential treatment facilities. Only 50 of those were receiving those services in Montana.

In 2018, a total of 357 districts got distributions and only 79 received more than $20.

Montana’s economy has in many ways fully recovered from the pandemic-induced recession, but factors like child care and COVID-19 keep some workers out of the labor force.

Hospitals and many other health care facilities in Montana will soon face an uncomfortable choice — get employees immunized against COVID, in violation of a new state law forbidding workplace vaccine mandates, or forfeit federal dollars.

Holly Michels talks about her coverage of St. Peter's Health, the hospital in Helena, saying their doctors and other staff were threatened and had their medical judgement questioned by three public officials, including Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen.

The preliminary injunction ordered by Judge Michael Moses stops the laws from taking effect while a lawsuit that seeks to overturn them plays out.

It's the second lawsuit challenging Montana's "vaccine discrimination" law, which is the only such law in the country that applies the prohibition to the private sector.

On this episode of Big Sky Lede, Montana State News Bureau reporter Tom Kuglin discusses a proposal from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks that seeks to make significant changes to hunting districts and permitting.

The two GOP leaders also raised the possibility of a special session to address election issues, requesting an estimate of how much that would cost.

On this episode of Big Sky Lede, reporter Holly Michels and host Thom Bridge discuss the hectic 36 hours before a judge in Montana put a temporary halt to three new abortion laws in the state.

The letter, signed by 86 of the state's 98 GOP lawmakers, was spearheaded by Republican lawmakers who are pushing theories of widespread voting fraud in the 2020 election.

A Billings judge said Thursday he'd decide before Oct. 1 if he'll halt the implementation of three new abortion laws challenged by Planned Par…

A Democratic state lawmaker pressed the head of the state health department over what scientists were involved in drafting the emergency rule.

The unvaccinated account for 87% of hospitalizations and 79% of deaths reported in the state from April 1 to Sept. 17, according to a briefing delivered to Gov. Greg Gianforte on Wednesday.

This winter, with support from GOP lawmakers, the Legislature passed House Bill 176, which ended same-day voter registration

The People's Power League would need roughly 37,630 signatures for the initiative to reach the ballot in 2022.

Home visiting has been found to help reduce abuse and neglect, improve parents’ and children's health and promote school readiness.

A number of groups paid lobbyists during the 2021 session without saying what legislation they were lobbying for or against or funneled lobbying expenses through other groups.