Category: News Article

A legal challenge that began in Northwest Montana was resolved in the country’s highest court on Tuesday, June 30, when a 5-4 decision restored a state law that allows donors to a private school scholarship fund to receive a tax credit even if those scholarships are awarded to students at religious schools. The ruling in Espinoza vs. Montana Department of Revenue had been highly anticipated by proponents of religious education and the decision, with the U.S. Supreme Court’s five conservative justices comprising the majority, has been cheered by those who believe the ruling could pave the way to more permissive

The Montana Water Rights Protection Act received a favorable review from Interior officials last week as the Senate Indian Affairs Committee took a first look at the proposed legislation. Introduced last year by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., the act offers the framework for a settlement between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the federal government on water-rights claims in Western Montana. It has received bipartisan support, including a favorable nod from Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who introduced the CSKT Water Compact to the Senate in 2016. In Daines’ legislation, the Tribes would relinquish 97% of their water rights

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has long wanted to cut back on long-distance train routes that span America’s heartland, but political pressure from Congress made it next to impossible. Then came the coronavirus. Since March, the pandemic has killed over 128,000 Americans and exacted a higher financial toll on the transportation industry than the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Amtrak has not been spared, with an internal analysis showing a 95 percent drop in ridership, and revenue projected to fall by 50 percent in 2021. In an effort to stay afloat, the rail agency announced last month it would cut up to

At a hearing Wednesday Sen. Steve Daines presented his Montana Water Rights Protection Act to the members of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. The legislation, which is co-sponsored by Sen. Jon Tester, will define the federally reserved water rights of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes and settle the legal claims of the Tribes against the federal government. The Montana Water Rights Protection Act marks a historic move towards settling the century-long dispute by providing protections for existing water users across Montana and preventing costly litigation. The legislation also invests much needed financial resources into Montana infrastructure projects and updates

GREAT FALLS – The Great Falls Transit District received $3 million from the Federal Transit Administration to cover transit operations and preventative repair costs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines said the following statement in a release: “This critical funding will help support the transportation infrastructure needs of the Great Falls community and ensure our transit system in the city has the resources needed to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak,” Daines said. “I will continue working to support Montana infrastructure as we safely reopen the economy.” According to Daines’ release, the funding is coming from the CARES

Bert Mooney Airport received a much-needed lift on Wednesday. A grant of over $1 million from the CARES Act and Airport Improvement Program was earmarked for the Butte airport, one of five Montana airports cleared to receive a total of over $5.5 million in federal funding as COVID-19 continues to hamper the airline industry. Jim Kambich, Bert Mooney’s assistant manager, said that the airport has seen a precipitous drop in revenue since the coronavirus outbreak, with April being particularly damaging with a 90% decline. Things have slowly picked up, Kambich said, with Skywest reviving its second daily flight to Salt

Doug Benevento’s nomination as EPA’s deputy administrator, imperiled by Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst’s anger with the agency over ethanol standards, is receiving a quiet boost from Montana’s Senate delegation. Both Republican Sen. Steve Daines and Democratic Sen. Jon Tester say they have lobbied their colleagues who sit on the Environment and Public Works Committee to support Benevento’s nomination. “Senator Tester supports Benevento’s confirmation and is hopeful his fellow senators will support him,” said Tester’s communications director, Sarah Feldman. “He believes Montana will continue to benefit” from Benevento’s “responsiveness on Superfund.” Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, ranking Democrat on the EPW

The U.S. Supreme Court was split as it declared Tuesday private religious schools can receive money from a Montana tax credit program, and people in the state were no less divided on hearing the news. The country’s high court said a rule written by the state Department of Revenue to implement a 2015 law was unconstitutional because it prohibited students from using a scholarship funded through a tax credit program for attending religious private schools. The department had argued if the money went to religious programs, it would violate a no-aid provision in the state Constitution that stops state money

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a major victory Tuesday to parents seeking state aid for their children’s religious school education in a case that put Montana center stage. The court ruled 5-4 on Espinoza vs. the Montana Department of Revenue, in an opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, that states offering scholarships to students in private schools cannot exclude religious schools from such programs. The court stopped short of requiring states to fund religious education, ruling only that programs cannot differentiate between religious and secular private schools. “A state need not subsidize private education. But once a state decides

BILLINGS, Mont. — A divided U.S. Supreme Court rules that religious schools in Montana can be eligible for a state scholarship program funded by tax credits. The court’s 5-4 decision ruled in favor of three Montana mothers in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. The three mothers, the plaintiffs in this case, applied for the state-funded scholarships to keep their children enrolled at Stillwater Christian School in Kalispell. Today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling strikes down the Montana Constitution’s ban on state aid to religious schools. The ruling is a victory for parents, like Kendra Espinoza, who want to use these