Montana
Viewpoint: Proposed law creates new risks for Montana businesses
Bruce Gillespie
Spring is typically a season of optimism. Entrepreneurs are opening new businesses, family farms and ranches are calving and planning for the next season, and existing small business owners are reviewing their finances and planning for growth.
However, at precisely this moment, Congress is considering legislation that would make those plans harder and riskier for Montana’s small businesses and agricultural producers. The Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA), also known as the Durbin-Marshall bill, may be marketed as pro-competition, but its real-world consequences would fall squarely on local businesses, farmers, ranchers, and the community banks they rely on.
We have seen before what happens when Washington underestimates the importance of these institutions. After the 2010 Durbin Amendment regulated debit card interchange fees, small banks were forced to roll back services or merge with larger institutions. The result was a steady erosion of community banking, particularly in rural states like Montana where alternatives are limited.
The Credit Card Competition Act threatens to repeat that mistake on an even larger scale.
Montana’s economy depends on relationship banking. In rural towns and small cities alike, smaller, community banks are often the only institutions willing to take the time to understand a seasonal business, a start-up operation, or a multigenerational farm. These lenders don’t just process transactions — they provide the credit that allows businesses to hire workers, buy equipment, and survive lean months. By decreasing the revenue small banks receive from credit card transactions, the Credit Card Competition Act does the exact opposite of what its name implies—it consolidates financial resources with larger banks and forces smaller, more local, lenders to limit credit access and cut services.
Research indicates that legislation like the CCCA would cost community banks billions of dollars annually in lost revenue. For Montana banks, that lost revenue would translate directly into fewer small business loans, tighter credit standards, and less flexibility for agricultural producers who depend on operating loans to get through the year.
Community banks are not a niche player in small business finance — they are the backbone. Nationwide, they provide the majority of small business credit and the vast majority of farm loans. In Montana, where agriculture, tourism, construction, and energy drive local economies, weakening community banks means weakening the businesses that sustain our state as a whole.
Analysts have warned that the CCCA would also make unsecured credit harder to access as banks respond by tightening eligibility requirements. For a new Montana business owner trying to finance inventory or payroll in January, or for a rancher seeking seasonal credit, that tightening could have catastrophic consequences. This comes at a time when Montana businesses are already navigating higher input costs, workforce challenges, and economic uncertainty.
Supporters of the CCCA promise savings by claiming that credit card fees would decrease, but what they don’t mention is that small businesses in rural states like Montana will get left in the dust with less available credit, and fewer choices.
As a state legislator, I believe that decisions made in Washington should strengthen — not undermine — the small businesses and farms that form the backbone of Montana’s economy. As we begin a new year defined by planning, investment, and opportunity, Congress should learn from past mistakes and reject the Credit Card Competition Act.
Senator Gillespie represents Senate District 9 in the Montana State Legislature.
Montana
How one Montanan has tapped into the market of bison shearing — and turned it into a successful business
CLYDE PARK — You might be familiar with alpaca shearing, but did you know there’s a man right here in Montana who also shears bison? And has made it into a successful business?
“This bail right here, that is 500 pounds of bison fiber that is going to Italy,” said Peter Connelly.
WATCH: Montana man turns bison shearing into a business, calls it the last unexplored natural fiber
Montana man turns bison shearing into a business, calls it the last unexplored natural fiber
Connelly has been shearing for 21 years.
“About 13 years ago, I had an opportunity to start shearing bison hides,” said Connelly. “It was the most amazing thing. Like, they look rough and rugged, which they are… but when you get into their winter coat that they grow, it’s as soft as cashmere.”
As Connelly explains, he was first contracting for companies as a bison shearer. But, he noticed they would mostly use the bison fibers for beanies and socks. He saw more potential.
“Bison has been gate-kept essentially by the people that we were shearing for,” said Connelly. “There’s a lot of interest. It’s the last natural fiber that has not been explored.”
So, he decided to expand, partnering with various companies to do research and development with bison fiber.
“We know what we want to do with it, but we want to see what other people can do with it,” said Connelly.
In addition to selling bison fiber, Connelly founded a company last October called Ember Heritage to sell his own products, such as shirts and blankets.
“We’ve built this company vertically. So, at a point in our manufacturing chain, we can sell,” said Connelly.
Besides breaking into an untapped market, Connelly says bison shearing helps reduce waste, as it is a byproduct of the meat industry.
“If we don’t shear it, it goes to the tannery, and the tannery just uses chemicals to melt off the fiber to get to the leather,” he said.
End-to-end, Connelly says shearing bison benefits everyone involved.
“What we’re doing by basically renting the hide from them is adding value to the animal so the rancher gets more money when he brings the animal in on the hoof,” said Connelly.
“All the way around, everyone is doing better because we just added one more step,” he added.
If you’re interested in learning more about Ember Heritage, visit this link.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 13, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 13 drawing
03-13-44-50-53, Powerball: 02, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from June 13 drawing
06-13-31-35-48, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 05
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from June 13 drawing
05-11-14-31, Bonus: 03
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from June 13 drawing
24-55-56-57-67, Powerball: 15
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from June 13 drawing
08-28-40-43-44
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 13 drawing
03-05-11-13-49, 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.
LAUREL — Firefighters gathered shoulder-to-shoulder in Laurel to honor Ruben Romero.
Romero was a wildland firefighter from Oregon who died of a heart attack while fighting the Bivens Fire in the Tobacco Root Mountains.
The solemn ceremony took place at the Montana State Firefighters Memorial, where Romero’s name was added to a wall that now carries nearly 100 names.
Watch the full story below:
Montana State Firefighters Memorial honor fallen firefighters at ceremony
Jamie Swecker, board chair of the Montana State Firefighters Memorial, said every name on that wall represents more than the fallen — it represents the families left behind.
“Honoring their sacrifice, not only their sacrifices, we have almost 100 names on the wall and the families. Their sacrifices that they’ve gone through after they’ve lost their love to a fire,” Swecker said Saturday.
Swecker said even one name added is too many.
“One of these years we’re hoping that we have none to add,” Swecker said.
The ceremony drew people from across the state, including Missoula Fire Chief Lonnie Rash, who said the fire service does not let distance stand in the way of honoring its own.
“As the brotherhood, the sisterhood, the fire service, regardless, when one of our own is deceased, we drop everything and try to make sure that they, their family are comforted and that we can recognize the sacrifice that they made,” Rash said.
Rash said the ceremony also serves as a reminder to every firefighter still serving.
“The importance is to remind everybody else who continues to serve that there is a dangerous job, that they need to pay attention and make sure that they’re safe, that they’re taking care of their physical and their mental well-being so that they’re able to go out and help our community,” Rash said.
Romero was not from Montana. He was a contract firefighter from Keizer, Oregon.
Rash said that does not matter to the fire service.
“That it shows the resilience of firefighters across the nation that we’re all doing the same job. We’re doing the same (thing), have the same impacts. Regardless of where we’re from, we recognize the importance of the sacrifice that Ruben made here in Montana,” Rash said.
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