Latest news with #GregGianforte
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Western states like Idaho are drowning in legislation
Members of the Idaho Senate work from the Senate floor on the morning of March 10, 2025, at the Idaho Capitol Building in Boise. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) Who knew there were this many things that had to be fixed? The legislative sessions in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Washington are over. Depending on your political perspective, the benefits — or damages — will be felt for years to come. One thing that isn't in dispute? Lawmakers couldn't help but introduce a record number of bills in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Washington may also be added to that list, depending on what happens in the second part of its biennium. More pieces of legislation were prepared for Idaho's 2025 session than in the last 30 years In Idaho, lawmakers introduced nearly 800 pieces of legislation — the highest mark going back at least 16 years. Less than 50% of the legislation actually made it across the finish line. Higher numbers are expected in Idaho, as lawmakers now individually introduce and approve every state department budget, rather than just one large state budget. Still, the numbers are staggering, not only for lawmakers who work at the state capitol, but also for citizens who try to follow the session and be involved in the process. Making it more challenging in Idaho is the sometimes minimal lack of notice regarding hearings for bills that have been introduced. We've recommended that lawmakers commit to a Rule of Three to allow citizens more time to be engaged. In Montana, lawmakers also hit a record of 1,761 bills introduced, with a little more than half being signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte. Montana's joint Rule 40-40 'allows members of the Montana Legislature to request an unlimited number of bill or resolution drafts before December 5. After that date, a member may request the Legislative Council to prepare no more than seven bills or resolutions. Unused requests by one member may be granted to another member. The limits do not apply to code commissioner bills or committee bills.' In Wyoming, which divides sessions among general session years and budget years, lawmakers also hit a record of 556 bills introduced. But only 31% became law. Washington state lawmakers were by far the least productive, passing only 19.5% of the more than 2,000 bills they introduced. And they're not done yet, as Washington works on a biennium and lawmakers will return next January to continue increasing the number. Passing legislation certainly isn't a contest. And this column is in no way an encouragement to increase the across-the-finish-line percentages. But it is worth pointing out that introducing legislation takes time and resources — resources that are provided by taxpayers (so perhaps a new state rock shouldn't be high on a lawmaker's list). More bill introductions also make tracking your elected official's work more difficult. Some states, including Arizona, California, New Jersey, Colorado, North Carolina, Florida, North Dakota, Indiana, Louisiana and Montana have sought to restrict how many bills a legislator can introduce each session. Do all states need a rule that limits a lawmaker's appetite for more and more legislation? Maybe. But we'd rather see a self-imposed diet. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missoula recognizes pride flag as an official city symbol
Missoula, Mont., recognized the pride flag as an official city flag during a Monday City Council meeting. The 9-2 vote by the western Montana City Council came in the wake of Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signing a bill last month banning the display of flags or banners except some specific ones like the U.S. flag and 'the official flag of the state of Montana, or any county, municipality, special district, or other political subdivision within the state.' 'HB 819 picked sides,' council member Mike Nugent said during the meeting, referencing the flag and banner bill. 'So, we can't just sit here and act like, 'Oh now, let's stay neutral.' Because HB 819 targets specific people while making other people winners.' The vote also took place during Pride Month, a time each year when members of the LGBTQ community celebrate their identities. Gianforte slammed the council's decision on Tuesday, saying in a thread on the social platform X that 'nine members of the Missoula City Council made clear their top priority is flying a divisive pride flag over government buildings and schools.' 'Missoulians deserve better, and fortunately, two council members voted against imposing this divisive, far-left agenda on their community,' the Montana governor said later in the thread. The transgender community has been increasingly targeted by the American right in recent years on the federal and state level. Shortly after returning to office in January, President Trump signed an executive order recognizing male and female as the only two sexes and directing federal agencies to halt promotion of the concept of gender transition. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
State wildfire briefing indicates fire season ‘could be significant'
DNRC Type 5 engine on the Banana Lake Fire. (Photo from Inciweb) With one fire blowing up over the weekend and an expected worse-than-average wildfire season across Montana, Gov. Greg Gianforte touted the efforts of the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, saying they've been able to keep 95% of wildfire starts to 10 acres or less since 2021. During an annual state fire briefing on Monday, he also recognized the 'proactive preparation, coordination and teamwork' he said was needed to keep people safe. The state has seen an early start to its fire season. Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Director Amanda Kaster said her agency is 'more prepared than ever' and thanked the legislature for the passage of wildfire bills during the session. 'The state of Montana and DNRC is prepared for the 2025 fire season, not only through our fire protection program, but through the work we do to reduce wildfire risk across Montana's landscapes,' Kaster said. The briefing also included a long-term weather forecast from Northern Rockies Coordination Center meteorologist Dan Borsum who said computer projections are calling for a dry and hot summer. He also said some weather patterns are similar to high fire danger years in the past – like 2000, 2002, 2006, 2017 and 2021. There's worry about drought impacting large portions of Montana and melted-out snowpack that places higher elevations at increased risk for fire, all of which could stretch resources. 'The multi-year deficits of moisture are starting to hurt us, the overall warm and dry summer forecast, and the fact that we may have fire on the landscape when the wind season approaches in September, because we didn't get that monsoon infusion,' Borsum said during the briefing. 'That has me very concerned that this fire season could be significant.' According to Montana has a higher risk of wildfires than 74% of states in the U.S. Additionally, Wildfire Risk reports more than half of all homes in Montana are at high risk of 'direct exposure,' which the organization defines as homes that 'may be ignited by adjacent vegetation, flying embers, or nearby structures.' A report in Government Technology this week also put Ravalli County among the highest risk for wildfire of any county in America. It said 99% of homes in the county are at 'high risk of wildfire exposure.' Fire experts say building homes out of nonflammable materials and designing them in ways that downgrade fire risk are critical to saving property. Additionally, land management practices like controlled burns, logging thinning operations and homeowners clearing brush from structures can prevent damage and make firefighters' jobs a little easier. Officials with the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among other land management agencies, spoke at the briefing. Several agencies shared difficulties in hiring firefighting staff for the season, but highlighted their fuels and forest management programs aimed at limiting fuels for wildfires. The Forest Service said they conducted hazardous fuels reduction work on 200,000 acres of Montana forest in 2024, the BLM conducted approximately 38,000 acres of prescribed burns last year, the Forest Service while Fish and Wildlife Service said they burned around 11,000 — an outsized number given the agency's small land presence in the state. Some fire scientists have said prescribed burns are ineffective because of their relatively small scale. While fire prevention was part of the discussion, so was fighting fire — something being talked about at the national level, too. In Washington, D.C. this week, U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Montana, helped push a bipartisan wildfire bill through Congress. The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act passed through both chambers and is headed to President Donald Trump's desk. The bill reauthorizes the sale of both airplanes and parts from the Department of Defense for aerial firefighting efforts. Sheehy founded a company that provides aerial firefighting services. 'Eliminating bureaucratic obstacles to fight wildfires more quickly and aggressively is America First common sense, and I appreciate my colleagues in the House and Senate for their support,' Sheehy said in a press release. 'I look forward to seeing this bipartisan bill cross the finish line so we can better support the brave first responders on the front lines fighting wildfires across the country.' Banana Lake update As of Wednesday, the Banana Lake fire near Plains was listed at 929 acres and 15% containment. Nick Holloway with the Western Montana All Hazards Incident Management Team and spokesperson for efforts on the fire said that four structures had been protected. He also added crews were in the process of mop-up operations, though the situation has been complex. Crews had to deal with seven spot fires on Tuesday, which Holloway said had been a 'huge concern,' though firefighters had contained those blazes. Additionally, the edge of the fire is a mix of burned and unburned materials, a situation they call a 'dirty burn.' It means there's more potential for spotting, which is the process in which sparks and embers get carried by the wind into unburned fuel. 'There could be a spark in one of those unburned pockets, and it's close to the edge,' Holloway said. 'And so during the mop-up efforts, they're going through that, gridding the area to look for residual sources of heat and extinguish them. But it takes a lot longer when you have that dirty burn than when you have a nice, clean edge.' Holloway said the Banana Fire represents a relatively early start to Montana's fire season, and cautioned that the state could be in for a long year. 'Predictive Services has told us it's going to be dry and warm, more so than normal,' Holloway said. 'So that's going to be problematic for this fire season.'
The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Missoula recognizes Pride flag as an official city symbol
Missoula, Mont., recognized the Pride flag as an official city flag during a Monday city council meeting. The 9-2 vote by the western Montana city council came in the wake of Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signing a bill last month banning the display of flags or banners except some specific ones like the U.S. flag and 'the official flag of the state of Montana, or any county, municipality, special district, or other political subdivision within the state.' 'HB 819 picked sides,' council member Mike Nugent said during the meeting, referencing the flag and banner bill. 'So, we can't just sit here and act like 'Oh now, let's stay neutral.' Because HB 819 targets specific people while making other people winners.' The vote also took place during Pride month, a time each year when members of the LGBTQ community celebrate their identities. Gianforte slammed the council's decision on Tuesday, saying in a thread on the social platform X that 'nine members of the Missoula City Council made clear their top priority is flying a divisive pride flag over government buildings and schools.' 'Missoulians deserve better, and fortunately, two council members voted against imposing this divisive, far-left agenda on their community,' the Montana governor said later in the thread. The transgender community has been increasingly targeted by the American right in recent years on the federal and state level. Shortly after returning to office in January, President Trump signed an executive order recognizing male and female as the only two sexes and directing federal agencies to halt promotion of the concept of gender transition.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Montana city adopts Pride flag as its official banner... and the Republican governor is furious
A city council in Montana voted to establish the Pride flag as the city's only official pennant - which the Republican governor slammed as a 'divisive, far-left' move. Missoula city Councilmember Jennifer Savage introduced the resolution, which designates the colorful Pride flag as an official municipal flag within city limits. During council discussions, dozens of locals offered their support - and the motion passed 9-2 on June 2. This measure came into place as a direct response to a bill signed on May 13 by Republican Governor Greg Gianforte - which prohibited the display of 'flags or banners regarding a political party, race, sexual orientation, gender, or political ideology' on government buildings. House Bill 819 stipulates that only 'official historical flags' of the US such as the Gadsden flag and municipal flags can be displayed on government property. This includes Montana court houses, city departments and public schools. Seemingly as an act of rebellion against the law enforced by the Republican governor, the city council voted to make the rainbow-colored flag their official banner. Gianforte expressed his ire following the council's brazen decision. He wrote: 'Missoula City Council should be ashamed for imposing a pride flag on schools and dividing their community. 'Last night, nine members of the Missoula City Council made clear their top priority is flying a divisive pride flag over government buildings and schools. 'Missoulians deserve better, and fortunately, two council members voted against imposing this divisive, far-left agenda on their community.' The council was sure to make the distinction that the Pride flag is now 'a' city flag not 'the' city flag. Although the city has no other official flags. Democratic Representative Melody Cunningham opposed Gianforte's initial bill: 'This bill was heard before our Judiciary Committee in the House session. 'We argued vociferously that the Pride flag was certainly a historical flag and that it was very important.' Councilmembers in Missoula echo her concern. Another councilmember, Mike Nugent, addressed the room stating: 'I think that the message that we keep hearing over and over is that people are passionate about it because they just want to make sure that there's safe space for everybody and that when they do something like fly a flag or something like that, it kind of lets people know that it's a safe space for people to come.' The council was sure to make the distinction that the Pride flag (stock image) is now 'a' city flag not 'the' city flag. Although the city has no other official flags 'It's important to be able to come forward and stand up for this community. It's always urgent to me as the mother of a gay daughter. So that's why I'm bringing this forward now,' said Councilmember Savage. During the meeting, citizens addressed the council in support of the motion. 'I didn't get to grow up in a place where things like queer people were talked about, or pride flags were allowed. I almost was not here at this point in my life, so I want you to consider how many lives you can save through simple actions,' one person stated. Others expressed their support via social media, 'Good Job, Missoula! Proud of my hometown!,' wrote one Facebook user. Despite many community members speaking out in support of the movement, council members, citizens and even the Governor himself expressed opposition. 'Individuals can express what matters to them without it becoming an official government stance. True inclusivity as a government entity means staying neutral, and we need to uphold public trust by not taking sides,' Councilwoman Sandra Vasecka told Daily Mail. She also expressed concern over the speed at which the motion was passed stating that 'rather than having about a week to let the public know and gather information, we had one weekend. I am unsure why such a controversial item was rushed through.' 'I absolutely stand by my decision to vote no.' Councilmember Mike Campbell also voted against the motion - but opposes HB 819 as well calling it 'a very poorly crafted piece of legislation. It should have never have happened.' However, he told the council that he doesn't believe in making the kind of exclusions that Savage's motion creates, according to Longview News-Journal. The response on among locals on social media was overwhelmingly negative. Many Missoulians agree with Gov. Gianforte, several shamed city council calling the city an 'embarrassment.' While the motion does not require any government entities to fly the flag, it allows those to choose to to display it proudly without violating HB 819. Regardless, many taxpayers agree they would rather councilmembers give their attention to other Missoula matters.
