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BOZEMAN- A new veterans Community-Based Outpatient Clinic will replace the existing VA clinic in Bozeman.  The new 12,000 square foot facility will be twice the size of the former location and will offer primary care, behavioral health, laboratory and telehealth services to veterans. Both senators from Montana, Senator Tester and Senator Daines, were involved in helping to open the facility. “I’m excited to announce that Bozeman is on track to receive a new, state-of-the-art facility to serve veterans in the area,” Tester said via press release, “I look forward to the completion of this new clinic, which will provide a wide-range of

Montana’s U.S. senators announced that $1 million in federal funding is on the way to the state to to help communities combat meth use and trafficking in Montana. Sens. Jon Tester, D- Mont., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., announced that a $1 million U.S. Department of Justice grant was awarded to the state. The grant is from the Community-Oriented Policing Service — COPS — Anti-Meth Task Force funding, awarded will help stem the flow of meth and other dangerous drugs into Montana communities and help local officials prevent the manufacture of dangerous drugs in across the state. “Meth use is a serious problem

Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana introduced legislation Monday that would impose stiffer fines for landing unauthorized aerial vehicles in national forest wilderness areas. The proposal comes after Samuel Schwerin, 48, landed a helicopter last month in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in northwest Montana. A horseback rider alerted the Forest Service after seeing the helicopter parked alongside the Flathead River, according to a Justice Department news release. “Wilderness areas were created to be free of motorized activity, including helicopters,” U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. The pilot was charged the maximum fine of $500. Daines’ bill, S. 4028, would raise the maximum

The U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee held its first hearing Wednesday on the Montana Water Rights Protection Act. The legislation would settle long-disputed water rights claims of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The bill would prevent costly litigation over thousands of water rights claims filed by the tribes, and would fund the rehabilitation of the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project. Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines spent much of his time during the hearing asking U.S. Department of Interior Assistant Secretary Tim Petty about whether the department supported the bill. Petty said the department supports the bill over costly litigation, but

Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines will introduce legislation today to remove a potential roadblock to forest management projects on federal land. Daines’ bill would remove a requirement — imposed as a result of a lawsuit five years ago — that the Forest Service consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service on land management plans when “new information” emerges about potential effects on endangered species. In practice, the requirement means the Forest Service must reconsult with the Fish and Wildlife Service on forest management plans that have often been in place for years, even when a specific project isn’t in question. That takes

Montana businesses have received more than $1.75 billion in mostly no-payback federal loans from the Paycheck Protection Program, according to figures released this week. The U.S. Small Business Administration reported Monday that 22,583 loans had been issued to Montana businesses. The program is by far the largest source of small business assistance offered by the federal government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. By comparison, the state government received $1.25 billion to cover COVID-19 expenses, including expenses of local governments. “Montana certainly took advantage of that program,” said Brent Donnelly, Montana district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration. “As