With less than two weeks left in the Trump Administration, Montana Republican Representative Matt Rosendale says that he won’t support cutting it short. Rosendale says Jan. 20 will mark the transfer of power to President-elect Joe Biden.

A panel of Montana state legislative leaders adopted new guidelines Friday for holding the session during the coronavirus pandemic. The move came one day after a state lawmaker announced he tested positive for COVID-19.

As of midday Jan. 8, 234 bills have been introduced and none have yet been signed into law. We're expecting to see policy priorities introduced this week that will set the tone for the rest of the 90 day session. This week, we're watching a couple of different bills about gender, guns and COVID-19.

Montana lawmakers had very different takes on Wednesday's insurrection and the unfounded claims that fueled it. Gov. Gianforte released his budget proposal. And the Legislature started out with confusing and contradictory COVID-19 protocols. Listen now on Capitol Talk , with MTPR's Sally Mauk, Lee Newspapers State Bureau Chief Holly Michels and UM Political Science Professor Rob Saldin.

Montana lawmakers have set the first rough outline for state health department spending at about a billion dollars less than the agency’s current budget. A party line vote Friday set the initial base spending for budget negotiations.

Gov. Greg Gianforte’s first budget proposal includes broad tax cuts and a marginal change in the state’s general fund spending. Gianforte is proposing a less than one percent increase, not adjusted for inflation, to the state’s general fund spending over the next 2 years.

On Wednesday, pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., breaking down doors and forcing their way into both the Senate and House chambers. MTPR’s Aaron Bolton spoke with Montana’s Democratic Sen. Jon Tester about what he calls an attempted coup.

As the 67th Montana Legislature gets underway, lawmakers are establishing the various ways they’ll conduct business amid the public health threat of the coronavirus. The COVID-19 protocols in each committee room may look different.

Montana Democrats released their top legislative priorities for the 2021 legislative session on Tuesday. House Minority Leader Kim Abbott and other Democatic leaders presented their caucuses’ goals for policymaking over the next 90 days, although that did not include specific bill drafts.

On his second day in office, Gov. Greg Gianforte pledged to lift Montana’s statewide mask mandate enacted by his predecessor to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Now local areas are preparing face-covering ordinances of their own. At a press conference Tuesday, Gianforte said addressing COVID-19 was his top priority as governor, and that he would be issuing new guidance to help the state recover.