The Montana health department is offering an Anaconda based nonprofit a contract worth nearly $3 million to take over case management services for people with developmental disabilities. This is the latest step in restructuring how the health department provides care for people with developmental disabilities in the wake of a state budget crisis.

General Flynn endorses Troy Downing in the Republican Senate primary, but skips his visit to Montana. While Sen. Tester is counting on the vet vote, Republican Russ Fagg veers to the right. Republican Matt Rosendale is all in with Trump, while Democrat Grant Kier courts the women's vote. Join Sally Mauk, Chuck Johnson and Rob Saldin as they analyze these stories and more, on this episode of "Campaign Beat."

Primary election Day in Montana isn't until June 5, but absentee voting is getting underway in what has become most Montanans' preferred way to cast their vote. Today is the deadline for county election officials to mail absentee ballots for the elections to decide party nominees for the U.S. House and Senate, contests and other state races.

Budgets within Montana’s state health department and office of public defender are busted. Lawmakers in the Legislative Finance Committee Wednesday debated a proposal from Governor Steve Bullock to borrow more than $23 million from next year’s budget to pay for the state’s current financial troubles.

Montana lawmakers are drafting new rules about how to handle harassment and discrimination in the legislative branch. 2018 has brought an unprecedented amount of legislation around the country on the subject of sexual harassment policies for legislative members. That’s according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Montanans cast their vote in elections statewide yesterday for school board representatives and levies.

Five school districts in the Flathead Valley are asking voters to approve school levies. Voters have until the end of Tuesday, May 8 to vote on them. They’re largely a response to state budget cuts enacted by the legislature last year.

A new survey commissioned by the University of Montana shows voters from every political leaning support national policy that protects and expands public land access in the state .

After a ten day Congressional break, Senator Jon Tester returns to Washington today. He spent the break mostly on his farm, doing few public appearances or media interviews. Tester left Washington to a barrage of angry criticism from President Trump, after the Senator released a list of anonymous allegations against Trump's nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Admiral Ronny Jackson. Jackson subsequently withdrew his nomination. I was granted an interview with Senator Tester Saturday

Trump's attacks on Jon Tester continue, and spawn new anti-Tester ads. Republican Russ Fagg's new ad plays on fears of illegal immigrants. Two new Democratic ads use humor and personal stories. And House Democratic candidates point out each other's drawbacks in the general election. Sally Mauk, Chuck Johnson and Rob Saldin look at these stories and more, on this episode of "Campaign Beat," MTPR's weekly political analysis program.