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A bipartisan group of senators is pushing for emergency funding for the financially-strapped U.S. Postal Service, which has cautioned the economic impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic has deeply exacerbated its ongoing fiscal crisis. The Postal Service Emergency Assistance Act (S. 4174), introduced by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and cosponsored by Sens. Diane Fienstein, D-Calif., Steve Daines, R-Mt., Doug Jones, D-Ala., and Jon Tester, D-Mt., would provide $25 billion to the mailing agency on the condition the funds be used to cover COVID-19 related losses or expenses. It would require USPS to develop a “plan to ensure the long-term solvency”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is again pressing for a retirement account “lost and found” system that would help workers keep track of their savings in plans sponsored by former employers. Last week the Democratic senator from Massachusetts introduced the bill, the Bipartisan Retirement Savings Lost and Found Act of 2020, which is similar to legislation she and other members of Congress have co-sponsored in the past. The bill tasks the Treasury Department with building an online system to track accounts. “This means that with the click of a button, any worker can locate all of their former employer-sponsored retirement accounts,” a

U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt announced more than 1,900 local governments around the country will receive more than $514 million in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2020. “This year’s distribution of $514.7 million to more than 1,900 counties will help small towns pay for critical needs like emergency response, public safety, public schools, housing, social services, and infrastructure,” said Secretary Bernhardt. Bernhardt in a separate press release announced that 55 local governments in Montana are receiving a total of $35.2 million under the 2020 PILT program. A full list of funding by State and

BILLINGS, Mont. – The number of active cases in Yellowstone County prompted Senator Steve Daines to host a virtual roundtable with county medical leaders. According to Mayor Bill Cole, Yellowstone County is the epicenter for coronavirus, with 16 out of the 45 new cases reported Sunday coming out of Yellowstone County. City health leaders met with Senator Steve Daines using Zoom, to discuss what this surge means for the county and hospitals. CEO for RiverStone Health, John Felton, says an increase of contact activities like weddings and barbecues may be contributing to the surge of cases. “I get a lot

Montana farmers selling grain into Canada made small gains in the U.S., Mexico, Canada trade agreement launched Wednesday. Canadian elevators starting Wednesday were to fairly grade a handful of U.S. wheat varieties planted in Montana. For years, U.S. wheat varieties unrecognized in Canada were downgraded to animal feed status and discounted in price, regardless of whether the grain was of high milling quality. “It allows Montana grains to be treated on an equal basis with Canadian grains when they’re shipped north. And that has been a sore spot,” said Mike Cuffe, Pacific NorthWest Economic Region president. Cuffe, who is also

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 following are condensed from press releases and compiled by Sidney Herald staff: U.S. Sen. Steve Daines announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is distributing additional relief funds to assist vulnerable Montanans. Specifically, HHS will distribute approximately $15 billion to eligible providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs. HHS is also distributing $10 billion in Provider Relief Funds for safety net hospitals. “I’m glad to have helped secure these funds which are critical for our providers serving our most vulnerable patients in Montana. These funds will help assisted living facilities and home and community

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

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