Montana News

Sen. Jon Tester released a statement to the press Sunday, saying that after "thoughtful deliberation, late nights, and the counsel of thousands of Montanans," he's decided he "cannot support the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch." Gorsuch is President Trump's nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. You can read Sen. Tester's statement on the Gorsuch nomination here .

Governor Steve Bullock and members of his staff interviewed candidates for the job of Montana’s next Commissioner of Political Practices, this afternoon. Governor Bullock spent a little over ten minutes in each of his interviews with Ben Tiller, an attorney with the State Auditor’s office, and Jeff Mangan, a former Democratic legislator.

What’s known as the mail-in ballot bill, to give counties the option of running the upcoming special election without physical polling places, is now dead after a vote today in the state House of Representatives. Supporters of Senate Bill 305 tried to blast the legislation onto the House floor after it failed to move out of committee earlier this week.

Gov. Steve Bullock signed 12 bills into law this week passed by the Legislature, including one that would establish a program called the Caregiver Act, which lays out how hospitals communicate with people caring for patients.

Fire season is, for many people, a single season. But a team of resource managers and homeowners in the Flathead Valley is trying to change that. FireSafe Flathead is a group of firefighters, emergency planners, state and federal resource managers, and homeowner association members who meet monthly to plan a more proactive, community-based response to the threat of wildfire.

Legislation aiming to secure the social and economic future of Colstrip and the community sustained, in part, by the town’s coal-fired plant passed out of the Senate today. Senate Bill 338 received wide bipartisan support as it passed two key votes this afternoon.

A bill that would reinstate tax incentives for filmmakers shooting in Montana isn’t dying without a fight. House Bill 602 would give production companies a tax credit for hiring Montanans, and for certain expenses, like food and lodging.

Montana residents who signed contracts agreeing to accept $1,000 in exchange for not suing the Atlantic Richfield Co. (ARCO) over future mine waste cleanup in Opportunity will have the chance to reconsider. A meeting was held last night in Anaconda to clarify the terms of the contracts for residents.

Congressional candidate Rob Quist is dealing with a flurry of bad press over his financial issues. Meanwhile, his opponent Greg Gianforte is laying low and raising more money than Quist . The vote by mail bill for the special election was killed by in the Montana Legislature where debates over bathrooms, taxes, and more are heating up as the session approaches its end date. Sally Mauk, Chuck Johnson and Rob Saldin dig in to this week's Montana politics news on "Capitol Talk."

Yesterday Montana's Republican Attorney General Tim Fox sent Senator Jon Tester a letter, urging the Democrat to vote to confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch as the next justice to the U.S. Supreme Court. The letter comes as Senate Democratic leadership is urging a filibuster of Gorsuch's nomination. Time magazine says 35 Senate Democrats have pledged to vote to block Gorsuch , that's just six votes shy of the number needed for a successful filibuster. Montana Public Radio asked Tester how he'll vote on