Sen. Jon Tester said he’s worried that the Veterans Health Administration is straying from the direction Congress gave it when it passed a bill six months ago to reform how vets get health care outside the VA system. "We could end up with a problem where we’re actually cutting benefits for our veterans moving forward," said Tester at a joint hearing of the House and Senate veterans committees Wednesday .

The company that negotiates deals between pharmacies, prescription drug makers and Montana’s biggest health insurance company has agreed to a $375,000 settlement with the Montana state auditor. Earlier this year, Auditor Matt Rosendale ’s office went after pharmacy benefit management companies, what it calls the ‘middle men’ in the world of prescription drugs. Rosendale alleged those companies are violating Montana insurance law by operating in the state without a license.

Montana has more state parks than any other state in the Rocky Mountain region. Friday, the governor's Parks In Focus Commission released its recommendations for addressing the funding and maintenance challenges the state parks face.

Missoula attorney and Democratic State Representative Kimberly Dudik says she’s running to be Montana’s attorney general in 2020. Current Republican Attorney General Tim Fox can’t run again because of term limits. Dudik is the first candidate to announce a bid to replace him.

The Montana Supreme Court Wednesday struck down a 2015 state law allowing tax credits for donations to private religious schools. The court’s 5-2 ruling voids the dollar-for-dollar tax credit, up to $150, which passed, largely along party lines, out of the 2015 Montana Legislature.

Senator Steve Daines called the 2018 Farm Bill a win for Montana on a press call Wednesday morning. "Agriculture is our number one economic driver in Montana," Daines said. "The important outcome of passing the Farm Bill is that it provides certainty for Montana farmers and Montana ranchers in difficult times."

Both of Montana’s U.S. Senators are urging the Senate to pass the so-called Blue Water Veterans Act before the current Congress adjourns. That bill would extend benefits to vets who served on ships during the Vietnam War who may have been exposed to Agent Orange. At present, only troops who served on land are eligible.

Both of Montana’s senators voted for the farm bill, a multibillion-dollar legislative package to fund agriculture and food aid programs, which the Senate passed Tuesday. The mammoth package will fund key farm safety net programs for the next five years without making significant changes to the food stamp program that serves nearly 40 million low-income Americans.

Supporters of an alternative proposal to settle water rights claims on and around the Flathead Reservation have released a framework for what they would like to see in federal legislation . Meanwhile, their proposal is drawing condemnation and curiosity across the state.

Hundreds of Indigenous women go missing under suspicious circumstance every year in North America. A U.S. Senate Committee takes a closer look at the issue Wednesday. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee may hear startling statistics like this one during its hearing: Native Americans make up about 7 percent of Montana’s population. But according to Montana’s Native American Domestic Violence Review Commission, Native people are involved in 16 percent of all of the state’s intimate partner