Pieces of the state budget that fell apart over the last year and a half are starting to get put back together. Last week, Governor Steve Bullock released a plan that outlined $45 million in budget restorations now that the state has collected more revenue than was forecast last year. Most of the restorations are going to the state health department, which took the biggest budget cuts in January and reduced services for the poor, elderly and disabled.

Senator Jon Tester says he hasn’t yet decided on whether he’ll vote to confirm U.S. Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh. "Before I make a final decision on Judge Kavanaugh, however, I’ll need to look at him face to face, read his body language, ask him tough questions on behalf of Montana," Tester says.

Senator Jon Tester today had three Montana men who say they’ve long supported the Republican Party on a conference call with journalists, to say that this year, they’re supporting the Democratic senator in his re-election campaign. “He’s looking out for the little person, and the Republican Party’s stopped doing that,” Mick Ringsak said.

State politicians and others from around Montana joined union workers locked out of a talc-milling plant in Three Forks for a Labor Day rally Monday. The workers are going on their fifth week of picketing outside of the Imerys America Talc Mill after failed contract negotiations.

The major party candidates in the race for Montana’s U.S. Senate seat are campaigning this weekend. Today Senator Jon Tester will attend a Labor Day picnic hosted by the state public employees union, and then this evening he’ll join union workers locked out of the Imerys Talc Mill on the picket line in Three Forks. On Saturday Republican Candidate Matt Rosendale hosted day of action events in Helena and Kalispell.

More than $45 million of the state budget will be restored under a plan by Governor Steve Bullock. It will unwind budget cuts enacted over the last year that have devastated parts of Montana's health care community.

The U.S. House of Representatives is on recess, and that means Montana’s lone Republican Congressman Greg Gianforte is back home campaigning. I caught him on the phone between events in Kalispell and Havre Wednesday.

Many of Montana’s poorest and most vulnerable people — and the health care providers who serve them — are anxiously awaiting news from Governor Steve Bullock this week. Bullock is expected to release his plan to restore some funding to health programs for the state’s poor and disabled that have been devastated by budget cuts over the last year . MTPR Capitol Reporter Corin Cates-Carney is here now to talk about the upcoming announcement.

More details on Governor Steve Bullock’s plan to restore parts of the state budget are expected this week. On Tuesday, the state health department says it will issue a new rule that will restore a nearly 3 percent cut to how much it pays doctors, clinics and other health care providers who see Medicaid patients, retroactive to July 1 of this year. That’s two months ahead of when the department initially said providers could expect that rate restoration.

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock says all flags flown in the state will be lowered for seven days to honor U.S. Sen. John McCain. Bullock says flags will fly at half-staff from Monday, August 27 until McCain is buried on Sunday. The Arizona Republican died Saturday of brain cancer.