Politics & Government
The Daily Inter Lake’s Politics & Government section delivers updated local and national political coverage, featuring legislative developments, elections, policy debates, and government actions shaping Montana.
Kalispell City Council moves forward on housing board, development standards along Parkline trail
City councilors narrowly agreed to move forward Monday on two housing-related initiatives championed by Kalispell …
Bill would restrict late-term abortions
A bill that would effectively prohibit the abortion of a fetus capable of surviving outside the womb, even if the mother’s life is at risk, is making its way t…
Zinke promises changes at Park Service
A backlog of infrastructure projects. A promise to reorganize the National Park Service. No tolerance for sexual harassment and prayers from the Blackfeet.
Bed-tax hike would fund effort to prevent mussels
A proposal to raise Montana’s bed tax from 7 percent to 10 percent received skepticism during a committee hearing Thursday, despite agreement with its premise …
Bottling plant debated in Helena
About a dozen Flathead residents opposed to a controversial water-bottling plant proposed in Creston testified in the Montana State Capitol Wednesday afternoon…
Montana officials debate House Republicans' health-care proposal
U.S. House Republicans this week released a draft plan to unthread former President Barack Obama’s health-care law and restructure Medicaid for low-income people. As politicians take their stances on the legislatio…
GOP courts Montana attorney general to challenge Tester
HELENA — Ryan Zinke was the Republican Party’s first choice to take on incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in 2018 and re-claim the seat that would give Monta…
Bullock vetoes bill meant to protect whistleblowers
HELENA (AP) — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock has vetoed a bill that would have allowed government workers to sue if their supervisors obstruct them from communicating with a legislator.
GOP delegates pick Gianforte as House candidate
HELENA — Technology entrepreneur Greg Gianforte and musician Rob Quist will square off in a special election to fill the Montana U.S. House seat left vacant by…
House passes bill addressing Lincoln County election mishap
In an attempt to allow Lincoln County to reverse an improperly sanctioned ballot initiative that established nonpartisan local elections, a state lawmaker from Eureka is pushing a bill that would temporarily give t…
Democrats jockey for votes ahead of Montana House convention
HELENA — Musician Rob Quist tours 130 days a year with the Mission Mountain Wood Band and Rob Quist and Great Northern, but for the past couple of months, he’s…
New Interior Secretary Zinke reverses lead-ammunition ban
WASHINGTON (AP) — On his first full day in office, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke issued an order Thursday reversing a last-minute action by the Obama administr…
Gianforte says he can secure GOP nomination for Zinke's seat
HELENA (AP) — Technology entrepreneur Greg Gianforte says he has commitments from enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination for Ryan Zinke’s former …
Zinke ponies up to work at first day in office
WASHINGTON (AP) — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke arrived on horseback for his first day of work Thursday.
Resolution asks to lift wilderness study area designations
A resolution passed by the state House on Wednesday would ask the U.S. Congress to release 663,000 acres of federal public land from the current designations as wilderness study areas.
Bill addresses Lincoln Co. election blunder
Imagine finding out that your county’s elections have been conducted improperly for the past seven years.