Montana
Montana workforce housing tax credit gets bipartisan support in House • Daily Montanan
A workforce housing tax credit bill moved ahead Thursday in the Montana House with significant bipartisan support.
Modeled after the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, the state credit in House Bill 21 aims to be one fix to the state’s persistent lack of housing and the high cost of existing homes.
It would offer credits managed by the state for affordable housing developments.
Rep. George Nikolakakos, R-Great Falls, said because Montana didn’t have the program in place before, it has left 1,300 units on the table since 2019. He said the return on investment with the program is good.
“It’s a program that gets shovels in the ground,” Nikolakakos said.
The program would offer $1.5 million worth of credits each year for six years on a cumulative basis, and then sunset, according to a fiscal analysis by legislative staff.
Sponsor Rep. Larry Brewster, R-Billings, said the bill is “a little expensive,” but it is needed given the state of housing affairs in Montana. He said the money doesn’t go out until the project is done, and the affordable rent is guaranteed for at least 30 years.
In a committee hearing, he said the credit has a beginning and an end date, and “lots of opportunity for oversight.” It fills the gap that developers can’t afford to pay with the federal credit, possibly grants, and a bank loan.
“These days the mortgage can’t quite reach around what the federal tax credit provides, so this would be a bridge to fill that in,” Brewster said.
Rep. Mark Thane, D-Missoula, said housing tax credits already are successful, and HB 21 helps address the severe problems in Montana. He said projects don’t pencil out at the rates needed for people living on the margins.
The Montana Housing Coalition said a home is deemed “affordable” if a household pays no more than 30% of its income for a home including utilities. It said 32 other states have such a program.
“This is an opportunity to create additional housing units, an opportunity to make a dent in our housing crisis,” Thane said.
All Democrats supported the bill, along with 33 Republicans.
Twenty-five Republicans opposed it, some objecting to the price tag. At its peak year, it will cost the general fund $9 million, according to an estimate in the fiscal analysis.
Rep. Jed Hinkle, R-Belgrade, said he appreciates the intent, but he doesn’t believe the government should interfere with the free market because “it messes things up.”
“Then, we have people say, ‘The free market doesn’t work.’ Well, this is why. It’s because of constant government intervention,” Hinkle said.
In a House Tax committee hearing last week, developers, affordable housing advocates, and members of the business community spoke in favor of the bill.
Proponents said the credit multiplies in the state economy. They described the bill as one that will help fill the financing gap that has emerged as costs to build have increased in the form of higher interest rates and prices of materials.
The only opponent at the hearing was the Montana Society of CPAs, which opposes credits in general because they complicate the tax code. On behalf of the accountants, John Iverson suggested the money be handed out directly instead of through a credit.
Sam Sill, with the Montana Bankers Association, said people considered “the working poor” will be helped with the credit.
“The cost of building is significant enough now, high enough now, that without some degree of support, you probably can’t build housing that those folks are going to able to afford,” said Sill, who said he used to represent real estate developers.
Beki Brandborg, chair of the Montana Housing Coalition and a private affordable housing developer, said she and a partner were able to take an old apartment building of subsidized units in Culbertson “back to the future” with a similar credit.
She said the people who live in the units are hairdressers, cooks, dishwashers, grocery store clerks, mechanics and school janitors.
A couple of mayors spoke in favor of the credit, too. Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis, who worked in housing development, said affordable housing is one of the reasons voters elected her.
Regulation alone won’t solve the problem, she said. Capital is necessary, and she views housing in the same way she sees sewer, water, roads, and sidewalks in a community.
“Homes that Missoulians can afford, and that Montanans can afford, that our workforce can afford, is our housing infrastructure. It is an investment in our residents,” Davis said.
Michael O’Neil, head of the Helena Housing Authority, pointed to a 2022 study from the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research as evidence of future success.
“For every dollar in lost revenue to the tax credit, a state credit program is estimated to leverage $2.69 in direct public and private residential spending in the broader state economy,” O’Neil said. “This is a very conservative estimate.”
Montana’s Board of Housing manages those credits, and in recent years, it has awarded nearly all of its federal allocation, roughly $29 million each year, and has received applications for “at least double that,” the study said.
Citing the study, O’Neil said 40% more units of low-income housing tax credits could be built every year in Montana if the state started a program, or 122 more a year.
Had such a credit been in place in 2019, Aubrey Godbey with the Montana Budget and Policy Center estimated even more units could have been built, 1,350 at the end of 2024.
Godbey said Montana has 42 units of affordable homes available for every 100 households who need them, citing data on rentals from the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
Developer Don Sterhan and member of the Montana Housing Coalition said many members want to see the credit pass. The bill needs one more vote to pass the House.
“It’s not the total solution, but it helps, and it very well might be the component that makes the difference whether a project is built or not,” Sterhan said.
Also in support were the Montana Chamber of Commerce, the Montana League of Women Voters, the NeighborWorks Montana, Homeward, Montana Contractors Association, Montana Association of Realtors and Shelter Whitefish, and Montana League of Cities and Towns.
HELENA — A group of conservation advocacy organizations are suing the State of Montana to “cement the legality of corner crossing” in Montana.
On Thursday, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the Public Land and Water Access Association filed a lawsuit against Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Lewis and Clark County District Court.
The legal action comes one day after Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras, a Republican, addressed the Montana Environmental Quality Council about corner crossing.
(WATCH: Lt. Gov. Juras discusses corner crossing with Montana lawmakers)
Montana elected leaders discuss “corner crossing”
Corner crossing is the act of stepping from adjoining corners of public land without stepping on the adjacent private land.
While there is no state law or case law directly addressing corner crossing in Montana, FWP, under the Gianforte administration, has stated that corner crossing remains unlawful in Montana, and people should obtain permission from the adjoining landowners before crossing corners. Wardens have been instructed to use their discretion to cite individuals for trespassing if caught corner crossing.
The new lawsuit argues that FWP policy on corner crossing is “incorrect and unlawful.”
“Though not an attack on the agency overall, as both BHA and PLWA are currently defending FWP as intervenors in separate litigation, we fundamentally disagree with the Department on this issue and believe this must now be decided before a neutral court,” said Jake Schwaller, Chair of the Montana Chapter of BHA, in a press release. “There comes a time when we simply need to stand up for our public land, and this is our time.”
MTN News
The plaintiffs in the case say they had met with FWP several times about corner crossing, but believe the lawsuit is their path forward to resolving the debate.
“Montanans deserve clear, consistent guidance on how they can access their public lands,” said Alex Leone, Executive Director for PLWA, in the press release. “There is a commonsense path that respects private property while ensuring public lands aren’t effectively blocked. We’ve worked in good faith to find that solution and remain ready to do so.”
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL COMPLAINT
According to data from onX, there are around 1.5 million acres of public lands locked behind private property in the Treasure State. About 871,000 acres of public land in Montana is “corner locked.”
Much of the recent debate on corner crossing has followed developments last year in a Wyoming corner crossing case.
(WATCH: Corner Crossing in Montana explained)
Corner crossing in Montana explained
In October, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from the 10th District Court of Appeals on Iron Bar Holdings v. Cape. The case stems from a land access dispute in Wyoming. In 2022, the ranch, owned by pharmaceutical executive Fred Eshelman, sued a group of hunters who used a ladder to corner cross onto public land that was locked in by Eshelman’s property. The suit alleged that the hunters trespassed when they passed through the airspace over the private property.
A federal district judge agreed with the hunters, stating that nothing they did violated federal law. When the 10th District Court of Appeals took up the case, it ruled a property owner could not create an obstacle that would limit free passage over public lands.
Since the Supreme Court did not take the case up, the ruling effectively became case law. However, that ruling only impacts states in the 10th Circuit; Montana is in the 9th Circuit.
MTN has spoken with several lawyers, including a prosecutor, about the issue of corner crossing. They agreed to provide background as long as it was off-camera due to the clients they represent. The consensus from the lawyers was that most county attorneys don’t pursue corner crossing trespassing cases.
Juras also testified before the EQC that she was not aware of a true corner crossing trespass case that had gone to trial.
GREAT FALLS — Blowing dust is becoming a major issue again on the Hi-Line as winds gust to 60–70+ mph, especially from Phillips County eastward.
Visibility has dropped to very low to near zero at times, and there have already been several crashes east of Glasgow near Nashua and Frazer. People are urged to avoid unnecessary travel in these areas if possible.
This is a very dangerous situation for travelers across northeast Montana. Blowing dust is causing near-zero visibility in many locations.
WATCH:
Hazardous driving along the Hi-Line
Highway 2 from Dodson to Wolf Point is closed until further notice, with only emergency travel allowed in these areas.
All red- and black-shaded roads and highways are experiencing severe driving conditions because of the low visibility.
MDT
Click here to visit the MDT 511 site.
(WEDNESDAY, MAY 13) A fast-moving front rolled through north-central Montana on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. The powerful winds gusted to more than 80 miles per hour in some areas.
Shaylan Verploegen shared video from north of Havre, showing a huge “wall” of dirt and dust in a unique weather phenomenon known as a haboob; watch the video and see other viewer photos here:
Fast-moving front kicks up walls of dust
The strong winds caused some damage. There were trees blown over in Havre, Great Falls, and Helena. Part of a roof was blown off in Box Elder, and there were several carports that were destroyed in Havre. There were also numerous power outages reported across the area, some of which lasted for several hours.
Check out more photos and videos shared by KRTV viewers:
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The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 13, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 13 drawing
22-31-52-56-67, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from May 13 drawing
17-18-28-37-42, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 13 drawing
02-06-10-16, Bonus: 16
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 13 drawing
08-13-39-63-66, Powerball: 02
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from May 13 drawing
02-04-13-17-32
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 13 drawing
21-24-29-42-49, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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