Montana lawmakers debated Monday how they’ll hold the 2021 legislative session amid the coronavirus pandemic. The session is scheduled to begin on Jan. 4. Lawmakers did not make any final decisions, but were deeply divided on how best to proceed.

The addition of work or “community engagement” requirements to Montana’s Medicaid expansion program has been delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. That announcement came Friday from the state health department.

In his first press conference since the election, Gov.-elect Greg Gianforte said his administration will prioritize its COVID-19 response when it takes office next month. He did not mention specific policy plans. Gianforte was vague on details Friday, but said he’ll unveil more specifics after he receives recommendations from a COVID-19 task force that he created shortly after the election.

After a months-long impasse, Montana senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines both say Congress should broker a deal on a new coronavirus relief package, but it’s not yet clear if they’ll agree on what a final package should look like. Renewed calls for a deal come as Montana assigns its final dollars from the last federal aid package.

Gov-elect Greg Gianforte has tapped a longtime GOP lawyer to be his general legal counsel when he takes office in January. Gianforte’s transition team announced Monday that Anita Milanovich will be the top lawyer in the Republican governor’s administration. Milanovich has long fought for conservative causes in both state and federal courts. Her law practice, based in Butte, focuses on constitutional, election and campaign finance law.

Montana Democrats are having to reconcile with a sweeping defeat in the 2020 election that knocked them out of every statewide office. They also lost seats in the legislature and failed to win contests for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House.

The Montana Nurses Association implored state lawmakers in a letter to heed public health guidance as they plan for the 2021 legislative session. It’s unclear how or if lawmakers will change their traditional gatherings amid the pandemic.

Montana lawmakers in the Revenue Interim Committee reviewed revenue forecasts Thursday that will help guide state budget decisions during the 2021 legislative session. In a year filled with economic uncertainty and a recession due to the coronavirus pandemic, state financial experts warn that some impacts to the state budget remain to be seen.

Montana lawmakers elected leaders Wednesday to shape legislative priorities during the 2021 session. Individual caucus meetings showed a stark contrast in how Republicans and Democrats will approach governing during the coronavirus pandemic. MTPR’s Shaylee Ragar and YPR's Kevin Trevellyan covered the gatherings from the Capitol. They discuss their reporting.

Montana's Republican Governor-elect Greg Gianforte announced his transition advisory team for the department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. A press release Monday says the team will review candidates for the next director of FWP.