Articles written by Eric Dietrich
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Gianforte signs $1 billion Republican tax rebate, tax-cut package into law
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 last week. The eight-bill... Full story
Montana's housing puzzle at the legislative halftime
There’s broad bipartisan agreement in the Montana Capitol that rising housing costs, driven by the state’s finite supply of homes and rapid in-migration from other states, rank among the most pressing issues facing Montana residents. According...
Montana Senate votes forward statewide TikTok ban
The Montana Senate voted Thursday to advance a statewide ban on Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, calling the service a threat to privacy, national security and public safety. The text of Senate Bill 419, sponsored by Sen. Shelley Vance,... Full story
Bill would force Montana cities to allow smaller home lots
A bill heard Tuesday at the Montana Legislature aims to increase the number of modestly priced homes available to Montana residents by reining in the power of city and town governments to require that new homes be built on properties of a certain... Full story
How to spend a $2.5 billion surplus?
As lawmakers negotiate Montana's next state budget this winter, the Republican-controlled Capitol has a once-in-a-generation windfall to spend - the state's $2.5 billion surplus. Naturally, opinions o... Full story
Gianforte pushes trades education, additional construction as fixes for Montana housing crunch
Standing in front of a luxury apartment complex under construction in Bozeman Thursday, Gov. Greg Gianforte touted his efforts to address Montana's housing affordability crunch by promoting new residential development. Flanked by construction...
Housing Task Force presents recs to Governor
A task force charged with identifying solutions for Montana's housing crunch formally passed recommendations for legislative action to Gov. Greg Gianforte Wednesday, teeing up debates over state... Full story
Housing task force details regulatory reforms, other proposals aimed at affordability crunch
A draft report released last week by Gov. Greg Gianforte's housing task force details a slew of ideas to boost housing supply in an effort to tackle Montana's affordability crunch, previewing legislation that could be advanced by the governor and... Full story
Governor focuses housing task force on regulatory relief
As Gov. Greg Gianforte described the job facing his newly convened housing task force Wednesday, he made a point of asking the group's 26 members to think outside the box as they spend the next... Full story
Tax-cap measure CI-121 and other initiatives will miss the fall ballot
A proposed property tax cap and three other ballot initiatives supporters had hoped to put before Montana voters in November's general election are dead in the water after failing to meet... Full story
¾ of Montana's return-to-work bonus funds went unclaimed
Gov. Greg Gianforte's Return to Work bonus program, announced last year as he scaled back expanded pandemic unemployment benefits, ultimately paid about one-fourth as many bonuses as the state initial... Full story
Research study shows rising housing costs driven by Montana home shortage
The root cause of Montana's increasingly stifling housing market? Too few homes to go around, a researcher told a legislative committee studying the state's economic condition Monday. "There is by any metric an enormous housing shortage in this... Full story
How Montana got its new congressional map
HELENA - With a final vote Friday, Montana's Districting and Apportionment Commission made it official: The state has a new congressional map, political lines drawn to define how Montanans are... Full story
Fire season 2021: Early to start, late to finish, and smoky in the middle
The state's first major winter storm dropped snow on parts of southern Montana early this week, signaling the final act of an active fire season that had prompted Gov. Greg Gianforte to issue a...
Nine ways to divide Montana
An effort to divide Montana into two districts for U.S. House elections over the next decade now has a set of nine finalist maps — and an unmistakable partisan divide. The maps were advanced this week by the Montana Districting and Apportionment...
Districting commission takes an initial look at public-proposed U.S. House district maps
HELENA - The commission tasked with dividing Montana into two U.S. House districts for the first time since the 1980s asked the public for input last month. Montanans responded with an earful, submitt... Full story
Stimulus infrastructure funds headed to water and sewer projects
An initial round of funding drawn from Montana’s share of the March federal coronavirus relief bill is heading toward 86 water and sewer projects around the state. The awards, totalling nearly $127 million, were formally announced Thursday by...
Gianforte budget director to step down after nine months
HELENA - State Budget Director Kurt Alme, Gov. Greg Gianforte's top fiscal adviser, will leave his position Oct. 1, less than a year after being named to one of the highest-profile roles in state...
Commission seeks suggestions for new U.S. House district maps
HELENA - The commission tasked with dividing Montana into two U.S. House districts for the first time since the 1980s has a Nov. 14 deadline to submit a final district map to Montana's secretary of st...
U.S. Census releases detailed 2020 counts -- with an asterisk
The U.S. Census Bureau released detailed statistics Thursday on the 2020 populations and racial compositions of Montana counties, cities, towns and neighborhoods, providing a once-in-a-decade look at demographic change across the state, and also... Full story
'Economic transformation' commission adopts priorities, seeks public input
HELENA — Officials serving on a commission tasked with helping Gov. Greg Gianforte spend $150 million of the state’s COVID-19 relief money to bolster Montana’s post-pandemic economy agreed Wednesday to consider proposals sorted into four...
Political district-drawing commission finalizes its sideboards
HELENA — Montana’s Districting and Apportionment Commission voted Tuesday to finalize the criteria it will use to draw Montana’s new U.S. House and state legislative districts using data from the 2020 census. The commission previously approved...
Federal spending drives Montana budget
HELENA - Montana lawmakers approved about $16 billion in spending during the 2021 legislative session, more than $17,400 per Montana resident. That's money for everything from plowing highways to...
Montana grows into a second U.S. House seat
Montana will gain a second representative in the U.S. House as seats are reapportioned according to population counts from the 2020 census, the U.S. Census Bureau said last week. The news means that, starting with the 2022 election, Montana will...
Multibillion stimulus bill aims to spur Montana into post-COVID prosperity
HELENA — Racing to beat a procedural deadline, Montana lawmakers have advanced a first-draft plan for spending billions of dollars in federal stimulus money through an initial vote in the state House less than three weeks after President Joe Biden...
