Montana
Montana Voters Head to Polls on June 7 In 2 Congressional Races
In Montana’s June 7 main election, voters will select get together nominations in two U.S. Home races and newly created congressional districts.
On Nov. 12, 2021, the Montana Districting and Apportionment Committee authorised the state’s new congressional map following the 2020 redistricting cycle and census information.
Voters will now forged ballots in Districts 1 and a pair of. Earlier than redistricting, incumbent U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale (R) had represented all of Montana in Congress since his election in 2020.
Rosendale is the present GOP front-runner in District 2, closely weighted in favor of Republicans, 60 % versus 38 % Democrats, based on Dave’s Redistricting, which screens 2021 congressional districts.
Montana’s newly bifurcated demographic standing pits Rosendale in opposition to three GOP challengers in District 2, which encompasses japanese Montana as the most important of the 2 districts geographically.
Full Slate of Candidates
Rosendale lately received the endorsement of the Montana Republican Social gathering. His GOP opponents embrace Billings pharmacist Kyle Austin, Bozeman resident James Boyette, and Helena environmental contractor Charles Strolling Youngster.
Within the left-leaning District 1, former U.S. Inside Secretary Ryan Zinke—endorsed by former President Donald Trump—faces opponents Mitch Heuer, a Whitefish enterprise proprietor; Matte Jette, a highschool authorities trainer; former Montana state Sen. Al Olszewski; and pastor Mary Todd.
Working on the Democratic ticket in District 1 are Cora Neumann, a public well being and public lands advocate; Missoula legal professional Monica Tranel; and rural broadband contractor Tom Winter.
In District 2, the Democratic contenders are former Billings councilwoman Penny Ronning and Billings resident Skylar Williams.
Billings monetary adviser Gary Buchanan is working as an Impartial.
Zinke at present leads in marketing campaign financing with $2.5 million raised to this point. In keeping with the Federal Election Fee, Rosendale has raised practically $1.4 million.
Zinke stated he’s “deeply honored” to have earned Trump’s endorsement on his web site.
“Collectively, President Trump and I fought liberal particular pursuits to revive sanity to public land administration, rebuild public lands infrastructure, deal with our forests, and make United States vitality dominant,” Zinke stated.
“In a couple of quick months of Biden/Pelosi regime we’ve seen their radical plan for full energy and management. Our Western values and lifestyle are value defending. I sit up for getting again within the saddle and combating for Montana and the America First Insurance policies.”
On the problems, Zinke is robust on combating inflation, securing the border, selling public entry to public lands, looking and fishing, and supporting veterans.
“It’s unhealthy sufficient that the Biden-Harris Administration has already value Montana jobs and much-needed income via the shortsighted cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline and the ill-fated moratorium on vitality growth on federal lands,” Zinke stated.
Skeletons in Closet
Nonetheless, he wages his marketing campaign in opposition to a backdrop of scandals and allegations of corruption.
In 2018, Zinke stepped down as Inside Secretary amid investigations and allegations of ethics violations and dealing to weaken or dismantle environmental protections.
Throughout his marketing campaign, Zinke has come below assault on social media, with some opponents calling into query his navy service in Iraq and different opponents accusing him of spending an excessive amount of time outdoors the state.
His marketing campaign rival, orthopedic surgeon “Dr. Al” Olszewski, seeks the GOP nomination on a Trump conservative platform of immigration reform and border safety, election integrity, and controlling authorities spending.
A U.S. Air Pressure veteran, Olszewski additionally helps gun possession rights, regulation enforcement, and safeguarding Montana’s forests and wildlife.
On his web site, he stated, “The federal authorities has failed Montana in correctly managing federal lands in our state. This has led to catastrophic wildfires that destroy our clear air, pure water, and considerable wildlife.”
“They’ve pressured Montanans off public lands by blocking our entry to over 20,000 miles of public entry roads and crippled ‘Made in Montana’ accountable pure useful resource manufacturing.”
Heuer, in contrast, takes a “systematic strategy to succeed in the specified answer,” providing 40 years of expertise with development, engineering, and small enterprise possession.
“I’m boots on the bottom in Western Montana day by day, working my small companies within the area and the workplace. I’m blue collar, and white collar, callused fingers with a pointy thoughts,” Heuer stated on Fb.
In Teddy Roosevelt’s Footsteps
In Congress, Heuer stated he would pursue an “arm’s size, stroll tall, communicate softly with an enormous stick and Brinkmanship strategy to international coverage. He helps the navy, believing America is “about two steps from boots on the bottom conflict with Russia.”
“With good acutely aware (sic), I don’t imagine America can stand by and watch/tolerate the assault and focusing on of kids and residents in Ukraine, and we solely impose sanctions,” Heuer stated on his web site.
As a pro-constitution candidate, he opposes the “socialist-liberal” agenda and favors safe borders, judicial accountability, reasonably priced well being care, and the suitable to bear arms. He stated his firm is at present creating a program to guard colleges in opposition to mass shootings.
Pastor Mary Todd, a small enterprise proprietor and “unapologetic America First conservative,” stated her purpose in Congress could be to protect American values. She is pro-life and believes in safe borders, the Second Modification, and the safety of public lands.
“We’re at present in a battle for our nation’s survival between those that love America and people who hate her—between those that wish to maintain the American lifestyle and uphold our structure and people who wish to destroy it. This can be a combat we should win,” Todd stated on her web site.
Jette stated he seeks the GOP nomination in a “marketing campaign to avoid wasting America.”
“The issues People face are so large in the present day as a result of for years we stored kicking the proverbial can down the street,” Jette stated on his web site. “We elected individuals who had been lower than the duty or have the flexibility to resolve issues, or who merely have been extra fascinated with exacerbating the issues for private and political acquire and status.
“We should put those that, not solely imagine in America, however are keen to repeatedly dwell a life that demonstrates that perception into workplace.”
He helps an progressive economic system and versatile workforce and desires to place well being care again within the fingers of physicians. He additionally backs a robust navy and schooling system that “doesn’t reinforce unhealthy habits or merely retains college students busy.”
Fly Excessive, Montana
Austin stated his marketing campaign slogan “Gear Up Montana” likens the state to airplanes departing and retracting gears.
“In D.C., Montana is frequently caught within the mud and us Montanans deserve extra from our elected officers,” he informed The Epoch Occasions.
“As a pharmacist, I’ve centered on accelerating my sufferers’ well being to larger altitudes and stepped ahead throughout this pandemic. As a consultant, my focus can be to maneuver us ahead whereas gaining altitude,” he stated.
Within the Democratic race for District 1, Neumann has raised $1.17 million in marketing campaign funds, whereas Tranel has garnered $675,152. Winter has raised $85,000.
Neumann strikes forward with a slew of political endorsements, together with former Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney and state Senators Chris Pope, Pat Flowers, and Susan Webber.
As a rural well being and financial growth chief with a “observe file of delivering outcomes for underserved and rural communities,” Neumann seeks to enhance well being care entry and defend Montana’s public lands.
She stated she would “ensure Montanans have entry to good jobs and wages; that our small companies can succeed; and that households who’ve lived right here for years or generations can afford to remain.”
Monica Tranel, her opponent, sees the Montana she grew up in “slipping away.”
“Montana shouldn’t be used as a playground for the wealthy whereas people within the center can’t get forward regardless of how laborious they work,” Tranel informed The Epoch Occasions.
“In case you work laborious, it is best to be capable of afford a good place to dwell, assist your loved ones, and save for a safe retirement. I’ll assist laws that invests within the center class in Congress as a substitute of tax giveaways to the super-rich.”
Tranel stated she would work to create a robust labor power and develop extra well-paying jobs by leveraging our pure assets.
“Montana needs to be a pacesetter within the vitality transition. And I’ll tackle company monopolies squeezing our Principal Road companies, ranchers and landowners, and all Montanans,” she stated.
A GOP Voice for Native People
Charles Strolling Youngster stated he’s “thrown his conflict bonnet” within the GOP race for District 2 as a proud Native American candidate.
Strolling Youngster stated he could be a staunch constitutional conservative voice for Native People—and all People—in Congress.
“The principle urgent difficulty is these Democrats are evil SOBs,” he informed The Epoch Occasions. “You’ve got a bunch of idiots on the market.”
“I can be assertive and aggressive and defend our small farms and ranches” whereas he would oppose massive companies participating in “financial slavery.”
“I don’t really feel (Democrats) are out of contact—all people in America is aware of they’re out of contact. We’ve acquired to go in and repair it,” Strolling Youngster stated.
In District 2, the Libertarian candidates embrace Billings realtor and legal professional Sam Rankin, “Libertarian gadfly” Roger Roots, and Missoula resident Samuel Thomas.
John Lamb runs unopposed because the Libertarian candidate in District 1.
Montana’s June 7 main winners will advance to the overall election on Nov. 8.
Montana
Judge strikes down Montana law defining sex as only male or female for procedural reasons – Times of India
District court judge Shane Vannatta in Missoula ruled the law, passed last year, violated the state constitution because the description of the legislation did not clearly state its purpose.
Transgender, nonbinary, intersex and other plaintiffs challenged the law, similar to ones passed in Kansas and Tennessee, because they said it denies legal recognition and protections to people who are gender-nonconforming.
Vannatta did not address that argument, simply finding that the bill’s title did not explain whether the word “sex” referred to sexual intercourse or gender, and did not indicate that the words “female” and “male” would be defined in the body of the bill.
“The title does not give general notice of the character of the legislation in a way that guards against deceptive or misleading titles,” Vannatta wrote.
The bill was approved during a legislative session that also passed a ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors and saw transgender lawmaker democratic rep Zooey Zephyr expelled from the house floor, following a protest against republican lawmakers who had silenced her.
The law that was struck down by Vannatta was sponsored by republican senator Carl Glimm, who said the legislation was necessary after a 2022 court ruling in which a state judge said transgender residents could change the gender markers on their birth certificates.
A spokesperson for republican governer Greg Gianforte, who signed the bill into law, did not immediately return an after-hours email seeking comment on the ruling.
The American civil liberties union of Montana praised it.
“Today’s ruling is an important vindication of the safeguards that the Montana constitution places on legislative enactments,” the group’s legal director, Alex Rate, said.
Montana
Organizations request Montana health department investment following Medicaid redetermination • Idaho Capital Sun
Thousands of Montanans lost Medicaid coverage, not because they weren’t eligible, but due to “unapproachable and unmanageable” administrative barriers at the state health department.
That’s according to a letter signed by 66 national and state organizations sent to Gov. Greg Gianforte last week asking him to include money to add additional staff to the Department of Public Health and Human Services and update outdated software, among other requests, in his budget proposal for the 2027 biennium.
The Medicaid redetermination process took place following a freeze on disenrollments during the Covid-19 pandemic, and took a total 135,000 enrollees off of Medicaid. The state’s redetermination dashboard cites the most frequent reason for disenrolling as a lack of correspondence with the department. Many former enrollees who may still be eligible now have to apply for Medicaid again for health coverage, with longer-than-usual wait times and Medicaid providers struggling to make ends meet as applications are processed.
Health department in preliminary budget planning
The letter suggested consumer advisory groups, focus groups, surveys, and end-user testing to improve the state’s communication with clients – and said health department staffers should use plain language with clients to help reduce delays.
The state health department previously told the Daily Montanan it meets all federal standards for processing both redeterminations and new applications. Spokesperson for the department Jon Ebelt said Monday it is taking the requests in the letter under consideration in its budget planning.
“The letter makes specific budget requests, and at this time, DPHHS is in the preliminary stages of the executive budget planning process for the upcoming legislative session,” Ebelt said in a statement. “DPHHS appreciates the feedback and suggestions included in the letter and will consider them.”
The letter was addressed to Gianforte, but the Governor’s Office on Monday deferred to DPHHS in response to questions. DPHHS Director Charlie Brereton, as well as Human Services Executive Director Jessie Counts, Medicaid Chief Financial Manager Gene Hermanson and Director of Budget and Program Planning Ryan Osmundson were copied on the letter as well.
Jackie Semmens with the Montana Budget and Policy Center, told legislators Thursday the organizations who signed onto the letter included food pantries, healthcare providers and faith organizations – places people turn to when they “can’t get the benefits they qualify for in a timely manner.”
“These organizations see people coming to food pantries when they are forced to choose between paying out of pocket for prescription or feeding their family because their Medicaid determination is delayed,” Semmens said. “These 60 plus organizations have seen firsthand how strapped the department has been during the past year, which is why they have joined together to ask the governor to improve access to public assistance.”
Organizations include the Montana Food Bank Network, the Fort Peck Tribal Health Department, Montana Head Start Association and the American Heart Association.
The letter, sent June 17, said the health department cuts made in 2017 led to 19 public assistance offices across the state to close and resulted in pressure on the staff that was left.
Medicaid unwinding exacerbated these existing issues, the letter said, and “highlighted the ways in which Montana’s safety net is outdated, inaccessible, and cumbersome for those most in need.” The organizations asked that as the governor’s administration develops its 2027 biennial budget, they invest and modernize access to Montana’s safety net services.
Prior to each legislative session, the governor releases a budget with proposals for spending for the upcoming two fiscal years. The legislature ultimately has the power to appropriate funds, but the budget is a public statement of the investments the executive office wishes to make and approve. The legislature will meet again in January 2025.
Letter: state website is hard to navigate, more in-person assistance options needed
The organizations want to see more options for in-person assistance, which could include the reopening of rural public assistance offices. Applications completed in person are less likely to contain errors, the letter said, and would reduce procedural delays.
“In-person assistance is an essential lifeline for elderly, disabled, and rural individuals,” the organizations said.
The state health department’s website to apply for safety net services like Medicaid or food assistance is hard to navigate, the letter said, and during the unwinding process, phone lines were jammed with people having to wait hours to speak to someone. The organizations believe the solution to the problems is better staffing at the department, although their letter did not specify how many more employees they believe are needed.
“With rural Montanans relying on these means of application, Montana should make significant investments to improve their functionality,” the letter read.
The letter said understaffing was what led to procedural delays during the Medicaid unwinding. Ebelt previously listed limited staff as one reason for Medicaid delays, along with prioritization for individuals with current inactive coverage as well as verifying previously unreported resources. He said the state meets the federal standard of paying 90 percent of “clean claims” (claims not needing additional verification) within 30 days, and 99 percent of “clean claims” in 90 days.
About 9% of cases are still pending eligibility, Counts told legislators, translating to a little under 20,000 cases.
Daily Montanan is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Daily Montanan maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Darrell Ehrlick for questions: [email protected]. Follow Daily Montanan on Facebook and X.
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GNP’s Going to the Sun Road opens for the season
Aaron Bolton | Montana Public Radio
Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park has fully opened for the season. Park officials opened the road Saturday.
The visitor center at Logan Pass is open, but drinking water isn’t yet available.
The road is opening with some changes to the vehicle reservation system. A reservation is required from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. for cars entering through West Glacier. Reservations aren’t required at the St. Mary entrance on the east side of the park.
Shuttle services along the road will begin July 1.
Woman dies after falling into St. Mary Falls in GNP
Edward O’Brien | Montana Public Radio
A Pennsylvania woman died yesterday Sunday afternoon after falling into the water in Glacier National Park.
Park officials say the 26-year-old woman fell into the water above St. Mary Falls on the park’s east side.
According to witnesses, the woman was washed over the falls and trapped under the very cold and fast water for several minutes.
A park news release says bystanders pulled her from the water and administered CPR until emergency responders arrived.
Park rangers and an ambulance team from Babb took over CPR upon arrival.
An ALERT helicopter crew also assisted with resuscitation efforts, but the victim never regained consciousness.
The victim’s name has not yet been released pending notification of next of kin.
The death is under investigation. It is Glacier’s first fatality of the summer season.
Browning residents to see relief after being overcharged on tax bills
Shaylee Ragar | Montana Public Radio
State officials are working to get refunds to Browning residents who were overcharged on their property tax bills.
Lee Montana first reported homeowners in Browning received unusually high appraisal values and property tax bills last fall — some four times the amount they paid last year.
That led the state Department of Revenue to re-evaluate the homeowners’ properties. The agency says a computing error miscalculated the values of 385 properties in town.
Bryce Kaatz with the department told lawmakers on Monday that all affected residents should receive letters with their updated appraisals this week. He said the department is working with Glacier County to issue refunds to homeowners as quickly as possible.
Kaatz says the agency is looking at safeguards to prevent the error from happening again.
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