The Legislative Branch released the names of legislators who will serve on standing committees (also referred to as Session Committees) for the 68th Montana Legislative Session.
The 2023 House and Senate Standing Committees lists are online at: https://leg.mt.gov/committees/session-committees/
The 68th Legislative Session convenes on January 2, 2023. Additional information and bill
The topic of facial recognition technology continues to be an issue up for debate and will soon be the subject of a Zoom meeting for the Economic Affairs Interim Committee. Recently an article published by Montana Public Radio highlighted a school district that has been using the technology for
Most Montanans get their drinking water from groundwater–a source that mostly avoids high levels of manganese, according to a recently completed investigation by researchers at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology.
Manganese is a naturally occurring mineral and is present in many common foods. The mineral is necessary
The Legislature established the program known as Habitat Montana in 1987, which allowed the agency to buy land outright, purchase a conservation easement on land, or lease land.
More than three decades later, by far the most acreage managed by the agency is from purchasing an interest in land from
As the number of electric vehicles in Montana increases, the Transportation Interim Committee is working on legislation to replace lost gas tax revenues. As part of their EV study, the legislators got behind the wheels of several electric vehicles at the July meeting. Members drove several EVs, including the
Legislators and other members of the Environmental Quality Council are checking out a new pheasant operation at the state prison this month. The 2021 Legislature voted to spend $1 million in state and federal funds to implement a pen raised pheasant-rearing operation through the Montana Correctional Enterprises at
A state website makes it easy to keep an eye on possible flooding in Montana. A live map from Montana Disaster and Emergency Services uses stream gauges around the state to show flood stages as well as emergency declarations. (Click on
It is said that all politics are local. That is particularly true when it comes to drawing legislative districts. Over the next year, the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission is going to review and draw maps that will assign Montanans to 100 House districts and 50 Senate districts.
The dividing
In spite of recent rains, about half of Montana is experiencing severe drought—meagre soil moisture, low water levels in ponds and streams, and wilting fields. Climate experts have said the state has been experiencing long-term drought and temperature conditions perhaps not seen in thousands of years. This includes warmer
As spring gives way to fire season, legislators are regularly briefed on fire danger, firefighting readiness, and the cost of putting out the flames. The Environmental Quality Council discusses fire factors at a meeting this week. But all Montanans have access to fire danger information, including two reports that
