The new license year opens March 1, which means that is the day you can buy your 2021 hunting and fishing licenses and begin applying for permits and special licenses. The deadline to apply for deer and elk permits is April 1. Applications for most species – deer, elk, antelope, deer B, elk B, antelope B, moose, sheep, goat, bison, bear, turkey – can be made beginning March 1. Hunters

Moving of bills has been slow. We are required by law to have the Senate bills referred to the House at the end of the 45th day, March 3: Committees and the floor sessions will be long for the next 10 days. Little fun on the floor today. The State Tax Appeal Board got Senate approval to become the Montana Tax Appeal Board. The Treasure State Endowment Program is now the Montana Coal Endowment

A bill that would allow student athletes to receive money from companies that use their name, imag, or likeness had its first hearing in the Senate Business Labor and Economics Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 17. Senate Bill 248’s sponsor, Sen. Ellie Boldman, D-Missoula, said her bill would put pressure on the NCAA, which does not allow student athletes to make any money from their involvement

who can’t make Thursdays and Fridays. Councilman Terry Rattling Thunder was concerned that although people are being vaccinated in Wolf Point and Poplar, they shouldn’t forget other communities like Brockton or Fort Kipp. Fourbear assured the board that there are plans in place for these other communities, but IHS is too short on staff to implement the plans just yet. Councilwoman Carolyn

The Assiniboine and Sioux Rural Water Supply System is a critical infrastructure project which supplies potable water to residents, businesses, places of worship, schools, hospitals, clinics and government facilities on the Fort Peck Reservation and throughout the Dry Prairie Rural Water System. The water supply from ASRWSS is delivered through the now-building 3,200 miles of pipelines to 22,000

Two bills being proposed in the Montana Legislature could make it more difficult for Native Americans to vote in future elections. House Bill 176 aims to revise late voter registration and will close late voter registration at noon of the day before the election. There will be exceptions for military and overseas electors. Senate Bill 169 seeks to revise voter identification laws and revise

A bill that aims to improve health care access in Montana has been receiving strong support from Montana’s legislators. House Bill 43, sponsored by Rep. Rhonda Knudsen, R-Culbertson, is an act that will revise laws relating to telehealth prohibiting certain contract provisions that impose site restrictions on telehealth, provide that a previously established patient-health care provider relationship

For more than two hours Thursday, lawmakers heard testimony from 20 proponents and 18 opponents on Senate Bill 159, which would slash the top income tax rate from 6.9 percent to 6.75 percent. The bill’s supporters said it would help bring the state more in line with other western states with lower income tax rates, incentivizing business to move to Montana. Montana has the second highest