The state of Montana has exonerated 15 people wrongfully sent to prison since 1997, according to the National Registry of Exonerations. Some of them have sued the state for millions of dollars. Rep. Kathy Kelker, D-Billings, said the state has a responsibility to rehabilitate wrongfully incarcerated people. “It really is a terrible sentence for someone who’s done nothing wrong,” Kelker

NRCS and private landowners have partnered to protect more than 5 million acres of wetlands, grasslands and prime farmlands — an area the size of New Jersey. In Montana, NRCS enrolled 282,091 acres, helping achieve this important conservation milestone. “The nation’s farmers, ranchers and private landowners are critical to conserving our nation’s natural resources for future generations,”

After hearing directly from hard-hit Montana small businesses about the challenges they’ve faced throughout the pandemic, U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced today that he secured $56,234,176 for the State Small Business Credit Initiative in the recently passed American Rescue Plan, which will support business financing through state and Tribal programs. Tester, a longtime champion of the

eports April is always a fast-paced month at the Legislature, and this year is no different. The Senate has been busy voting on a lot of bills that covered a wide variety of topics. I am confident that the bills we passed will improve lives of Montana’s in many ways, however nothing is perfect. This past week the Senate passed two critical appropriations bills that will help our state move

U.S. Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., introduced a bipartisan bill, the “Wildland Firefighter Recognition Act,” to support wildland firefighters. The bipartisan bill would require the Office of Personnel Management to create a job series for wildland firefighters that would help with recruitment efforts and boost morale. “In recent years Montana’s wildland

Montana gas prices have risen 1.6 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.73/g on Monday, April 19,, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 615 stations in Montana. Gas prices in Montana are 5.1 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 86.2 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Montana is priced at $2.63/g while