Montana Legislature

Rep. Bill Mercer (R-Billings) got into "the nitty gritty" details of what a tax rebate could look like on Monday morning. He says the lawmakers who are proposing the tax rebates have modeled the legislation off of what has already been done in the state of Georgia.

A strong woman. A solid conservative. A Montana lawmaker. A CIA veteran and a veteran of the Montana Army National Guard. Many of us here in Montana are still shocked by the news that former Rep. Kris Hansen has passed away.

Montana lawmakers tell me they are close to finalizing legislation that would put some left-right limits in place regarding the use of facial recognition technology in the state.

There will be no special session of the Montana Legislature this month. So will a liberal federal judge decide to draw his own lines on the map instead?

Why is a special session of the Montana Legislature needed right now? The bottom line is that a liberal federal judge is threatening to draw the boundaries of the state's Public Service Commission seats. And he could so as early as next month.

Do we call a special session and get redistricting done prior to the 2022 elections, or simply wait until the next regularly scheduled session following the Census? What we can't have; though, is a group of liberal federal judges deciding what the maps will look like, especially when that task rests, Constitutionally, with our state legislature.

Rep. Berglee says the judge's decision was "pretty shocking" because the judge ruled that the Board of Regents has control of the college campuses. Since the Board of Regents has control of the college campuses, the judge says they can throw out 2nd Amendment rights on the campus.

A Montana legislative committee is taking a close look at facial recognition technology, and probing state agencies on potential uses and abuses. Coming up November 17th at the state capitol in Helena, lawmakers will question several state agency officials during an Economic Affairs interim committee meeting.

What's with all of these weak "suspended sentences" that judges are handing out here in Montana? Why is it that criminals convicted of serious crimes like rape and murder are given these suspended sentences?

On Friday morning, just before we kicked off the live radio show, I dropped in to The Ugly Mug coffee shop for a cup of Joe and ran into Rep. Ken Holmlund (R-Miles City). What a great opportunity to get an Eastern Montana take on the legislative session.