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  • Montana Considers Requiring Insurance to Cover Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients

    Keely Larson, KFF Health News-UM Legislative News Service|Updated May 3, 2023

    Katie Beall was diagnosed with breast cancer on March 1, 2022. Two days later, doctors told her the chemotherapy she needed would make her infertile. The next day, she started looking into how she could freeze her eggs, which would give her the option of becoming a mother in the future. Twenty-three days after her cancer diagnosis, the 36-year-old Helena resident said, she had put $7,579 on three credit cards to pay for her out-of-pocket fertility preservation costs. Her...

  • Health Officials Urge Caution Around Sick Animals

    News Release, Montana DPHHS|Updated Apr 25, 2023

    State health officials are asking the public to be cautious and take steps to prevent exposure to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) this spring by avoiding contact with sick or deceased poultry or wild birds. "Despite detecting HPAI in birds and mammals, the risk to human health is currently low," said Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) influenza epidemiologist Devon Cozart. "However, in order to keep it that way, we are encouraging people to be...

  • Tension Builds in Transgender Policy Debate in Montana

    Keely Larson, KFF Health News-UM Legislative News Service|Updated Apr 25, 2023

    On April 13, Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr was sitting in the basement of Montana's Capitol building reflecting on her time as one of the state's first two openly transgender legislators. She wondered whether she needed to display more anger over anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, or whether she should focus on promoting more of what she called "transgender joy." "The thing that keeps me up at night is, am I doing a good job for my community?" Zephyr said. Five days later, the anger...

  • Legislative Briefs - Week 16

    Caven Wade, UM Legislative News Service|Updated Apr 25, 2023

    Committee Tables Bill for One-Time Stabilization for Struggling Nursing Homes Lawmakers have tabled a bill that would have given a one-time emergency stabilization payment of $5 million from the state general fund to the Department of Public Health and Human Services for nursing homes. Rep. Jennifer Carlson, R-Manhattan, sponsored House Bill 891, which would have given emergency relief money to nursing homes that have stayed open and are 60 miles away from another nursing...

  • Fifth-Grade Teacher: New Obscenity Legislation Misconstrues What's Happening in Montana Schools, Could Still Make Teachers Vulnerable to Criminal Charges

    Caven Wade, UM Legislative News Service|Updated Apr 25, 2023

    Kellen Alger has been teaching in Montana for 13 years. He taught for seven years in Cut Bank, teaching middle schoolers, and the last five years, he's been teaching fifth graders at Jefferson Elementary School in Helena. Alger grew up in a family of teachers, with both of his parents teaching throughout his early life. He said the last thing he wanted to do was become a teacher, but when college came around the profession sucked him in. "It was just like: 'This is what I want...

  • Package of Zoning Bills Aimed at Attacking Montana's Housing Crunch Near Finish Line

    Caven Wade, UM Legislative News Service|Updated Apr 18, 2023

    Montana's population has increased 10 percent in the last decade, while housing has grown by less than 7 percent, according to a report released last fall from the governor's bipartisan Housing Task Force. Two-thirds of the way through the 2023 Montana Legislature, lawmakers, housing advocates and the governor's office are closing in on what they say could be part of the solution to that housing crunch – a package of bills that would reform zoning laws across the state that of...

  • Legislative Briefs - Week 15

    Caven Wade, UM Legislative News Service|Updated Apr 18, 2023

    Lawmakers Hear Testimony on a Bill that Would Increase Firefighters' Hazard Pay Lawmakers are considering a bill to increase hazard pay for firefighters working on wildland fires for the Department of Natural Resources Sen. Willis Curdy, D-Missoula, is sponsoring Senate Bill 402, which would increase firefighters' pay by 25 percent when actively working in dangerous environments and uncontrolled wildfires. "Fighting wildland fires is an occupation that requires work in...

  • Bill Seeking to Put 'Right to Hunt' Constitutional Amendment to Voters Faces Tight Vote in Senate

    Caven Wade, UM Legislative News Service|Updated Apr 11, 2023

    Montana voters could be faced with a nuanced decision next year: Is hunting in Montana a right or a privilege? House Bill 372, which would make hunting, as well as fishing and trapping, a right protected by the Montana Constitution, is in its final stretch in the Montana Legislature, with a crucial Senate committee hearing set for April 13. Because the bill seeks to amend the constitution, the issue would be put to voters on election day in 2024 and to do that, it needs a...

  • Legislative Briefs - Week 14

    Caven Wade, UM Legislative News Service|Updated Apr 11, 2023

    Senate Debates Bill that Would Require Age Verification for Obscene Material Online The House of Representatives will now debate a bill that would add penalties for online companies that post obscene material without a form of age restriction or verification. Sen. Willis Curdy, D-Missoula, is sponsoring Senate Bill 544, which would make companies liable for the distribution or production of pornography to minors. The bill passed through the Senate 47-3 and is scheduled for...

  • Montana May Require Insurers to Cover Monitoring Devices for Diabetes

    Keely Larson, KHN-UM Legislative News Service|Updated Apr 11, 2023

    In between sets of tumbling warmups, Adrienne Prashar crossed the gym to where she had stashed her diabetes supplies and tested her blood sugar. Prashar, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes the day before her 13th birthday, said tumbling usually drops her blood sugar levels. Prashar, now 14, did a finger stick, saw her blood sugar was 127, and went back to the mat. For most people with diabetes, the target range is about 80-130, and up to 180 two hours after meals. Prashar...

  • Trio of Anti-Abortion Bills Near Final Debates in Montana Legislature

    Elinor Smith, UM Legislative News Service|Updated Apr 3, 2023

    HELENA – When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, it put abortion in the state on the line during the 2023 Montana Legislature. Now, lawmakers will soon have their final debates on three bills that would limit access to abortion in three main ways: by limiting Medicaid payments for abortions, by criminalizing abortion except in the case of medical necessity and by excluding abortion from Montanans' right to privacy as it's protected in the Montana c...

  • Legislative Briefs - Week 13

    Caven Wade, UM Legislative News Service|Updated Apr 3, 2023

    Lawmakers Table Bill That Would Have Offered Free School Meals for All The House Education Committee tabled a bill 12-1 last week that would have provided funding for free school meals to all students in the public school system. Rep. Melissa Romano, D-Helena, sponsored House Bill 863, which would require $22 million yearly of the state's general fund to be appropriated to the Office of Public Instruction, which would then distribute the money to public schools to pay for...

  • FWP Reminder: Be Bear Aware When Recreating Outdoors

    News Release, Montana FWP|Updated Mar 30, 2023

    HELENA – Bears are emerging from dens with the onset of spring, and people are headed outdoors should "Be Bear Aware." Bears can be found throughout Montana. In recent years, grizzly bear populations have expanded and bears are sometimes found in historic ranges beyond western Montana As bears begin foraging for food, people can avoid conflict by removing or securing food attractants such as garbage, bird feeders and pet food. The most common human-bear conflicts involve u...

  • Legislative Briefs - Week 12

    Caven Wade, UM Legislative News Service|Updated Mar 28, 2023

    Bill Allowing Law Enforcement to Test for Marijuana in Saliva Heads to Governor A bill that would give police officers the ability to use a device that can detect marijuana in saliva has passed both the Senate and the House and will now hit the governor's desk for his signature or veto. Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, sponsored Senate Bill 13, which passed the Senate unanimously on Jan. 24, and then passed the House 96-2 on March 21. "Marijuana leaves a residual within the...

  • Health Providers Scramble to Keep Remaining Staff Amid Medicaid Rate Debate

    Keely Larson, KHN-UM Legislative News Service|Updated Mar 28, 2023

    Andrew Johnson lets his clients choose what music to play in the car. As an employee of Family Outreach in Helena, Montana - an organization that assists developmentally disabled people - part of his workday involves driving around, picking up clients, and taking them to work or to run errands. "What's up, gangsta?" Johnson said as a client got in the car one day in March. The pair fist-bumped and Johnson asked what type of music the client liked. "Gangsta stuff," came the...

  • DPHHS Requests Nominations for Annual Emergency Medical Services Awards

    News Release, Montana DPHHS|Updated Mar 21, 2023

    The Department of Public Health and Human Services is asking Montanans to submit nominations for the annual Emergency Medical Services (EMS) awards ceremony to be held Wednesday, May 24, 2023 at the Capitol Rotunda in Helena. The event, held during Emergency Medical Services Week May 21-27 and EMS for Children Day on May 24, honors individuals and organizations who provide exemplary service to the state through the EMS system. The theme for the 2023 EMS Week is EMS: Where...

  • Proposed pavement preservation for Flesher Pass (S 279)

    News Release, Montana DOT|Updated Mar 21, 2023

    LINCOLN, Mont. - The Montana Department of Transportation would like to announce and invite the public to comment on a proposal to improve Secondary Highway 279 (S 279), commonly known as Flesher Pass. The project begins immediately north of the intersection with Stemple Pass Road, and extends northeast for about 17 miles, ending at the intersection with MT Highway 200 (MT 200). Proposed work includes a two-phase project that will scrub seal the roadway from the Stemple Pass...

  • Legislative Briefs - Week 11

    Caven Wade, UM Legislative News Service|Updated Mar 21, 2023

    Bill to Add an Annual Fee to Electric Vehicle is Nearing Governor's Desk. A bill that would add a yearly fee to all electric vehicles in the state gets one step closer to becoming law. Rep. Denley Loge, R-St. Regis, is sponsoring House Bill 60 which would add an annual fee to all electric vehicles in the state to substitute for Montanas gas tax. The bill passed the House of Representatives on 92-8 on Jan. 25, and following a second reading vote of 38-12 in the Senate on Mar. 1...

  • Bill That Would Allow Students to Fight Back in Bullying Incidents Moves Through Legislature

    Caven Wade, UM Legislative News Service|Updated Mar 21, 2023

    Stacy Roope says her 16-year-old son Trey is bullied every day in the hallways and even while walking to school. She said her son is constantly tormented, and what's worse is that he isn't able to defend himself. "Trey is not afraid of the kids who bully him, but in the back of his mind he's always thinking about what's going to happen today," Roope said. "It's an emotional roller coaster that happens to him everyday, one day he could walk to the school with no issues, the...

  • Youth Conservation Corps program seeks to fill jobs with local youth from the community

    News Release, USFS|Updated Mar 21, 2023

    Great Falls, Mont., March 20, 2023– The Belt Creek-White Sulphur Springs, Lincoln and Rocky Mountain ranger districts on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest are accepting applications for the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) summer employment program for local youth ages 15-18 who are interested in conservation and stewardship. Participants will be hired to work the duration of the summer, June - August 2023. "The YCC program provides a gateway to fulfilling careers for y...

  • Montana Considers New Wave of Legislation to Loosen Vaccination Rules

    Keely Larson, KHN-UM Legislative News Service|Updated Mar 14, 2023

    When Deb Horning's daughter was 5, she got her measles, mumps, and rubella shot like many other kindergartners. But unlike many other moms, Horning had to stay away from her daughter for a week after the shot. Horning, 51, was diagnosed in 2014 with acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive cancer - the five-year survival rate for those older than 20 is 27 percent. Horning had been through chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, which severely weakened her immune system. Because...

  • Budget, Taxes, Education and Social Issues Likely to Dominate Legislature's Second Half

    Caven Wade and Elinor Smith, UM Legislative News Service|Updated Mar 14, 2023

    The 68th Montana Legislature, with an unprecedented Republican supermajority, is halfway through its 90-day session and the next 45 days promise to be dominated by debates over the state's two-year budget, which funds everything from schools to Medicaid payments to nursing homes and mental health providers. As Republicans vie for tax cuts that they say put money back in Montanans' pockets, Democrats fight to invest in long-term planning, all while sitting on another...

  • Gianforte signs $1 billion Republican tax rebate, tax-cut package into law

    Eric Dietrich, Montana Free Press|Updated Mar 14, 2023

    Flanked by dozens of Republican lawmakers on the steps of the state Capitol, Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a tax cut, rebate and spending package totalling more than $1 billion Monday. The eight-bill package, which provides short-term property and income tax rebates and also cuts state income taxes on an ongoing basis, puts a major slice of the state's estimated $2.5 billion budget surplus toward what the governor called "the largest tax cut in Montana history." The bills also...

  • Bills Dictating Religion, Prayer and Sex Ed in Schools Advance Ahead of Key Deadline

    Caven Wade, UM Legislative News Service|Updated Mar 7, 2023

    At the half-way mark of the 2023 Montana Legislature, three House bills that would dictate how public schools in the state handle religion, prayer and sex education just barely made it to the deadline to stay alive. Rep. Greg Kmetz, R-Miles City, is sponsoring House Bill 744, which would allow students and teachers to openly discuss religious beliefs. The bill passed out of the House Education Committee 9-4, and passed a final vote in the House 69-29 on the last day for...

  • Jim Yarbrough announced as new ranger for Lincoln Ranger District

    News Release, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest|Updated Mar 7, 2023

    LINCOLN, Mont. (March 7, 2023) – Jim Yarbrough will serve as the new ranger for the Lincoln Ranger District starting in late March. "Jim has a track record of working with collaborative groups and local communities to achieve common goals," said Forest Supervisor Emily Platt. "With his background working as an engineer and ranger in several Montanan communities, we believe he will be able to offer the leadership required to serve the diverse interests of local community m...

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