In The News

State officials have identified another possible presence of invasive mussels in Montana, this time in the Missouri River south of Townsend. The state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks announced Wednesday that mussel larvae were confirmed from water samples taken Tuesday in the Missouri River near the York’s Islands Fishing Access Site. FWP officials are searching for mussels to identify if an adult population has already been established. The Missouri River is now the third water body in Montana that is suspected of being infiltrated by aquatic invasive species. Tiber Reservoir in north-central Montana east of Shelby tested positive for the larvae of aquatic mussels, and tests from

U.S. Senator Steve Daines and Montana Attorney General Tim Fox today released the following statement on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) rejection of Montana’s application for an extension on REAL ID compliance: “Montanans have spoken loud and clear: we don’t want REAL ID and we don’t want the federal government infringing on our personal privacy,” Daines stated. “I’m going to work to pursue every legislative fix I can to safeguard Montanans’ civil liberties and personal privacy.” “Montana has emphatically rejected the invasion of personal privacy by requiring sharing of private information with the federal government, and other states, through

 Montana residents won’t be allowed to use their driver’s licenses to access military bases, nuclear power plants and federal facilities starting Jan. 30, and they’ll need another form of identification to board commercial aircraft a year after that, federal officials said Tuesday. Officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent Montana Gov. Steve Bullock a letter rejecting the governor’s request to delay implementation of the federal Real ID Act of 2005 The state previously received two one-year extensions, but won’t get a third. There is no evidence that Montana will commit to meeting the requirements of the federal law

Montana and Idaho are getting some very good economic development news. The Montana & Idaho Community Development Corporation (MICDC), a nonprofit headquartered in Missoula, was awarded $90 million in New Markets Tax Credits by the U.S. Treasury Department. That type of tax credit has been used to help finance several major projects in western Montana over the years, including the six-story Garlington, Lohn and Robinson law office building downtown and the new Poverello Center homeless shelter – two projects that equate to roughly $20 million in investment in Missoula alone. “I can’t overstate how excited and honestly blown away we

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., on Monday wrote a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to request the expedited implementation and distribution of funds for watercraft inspection stations. Daines’ letter comes in the wake of confirmed invasive mussel larvae in the Tiber Reservoir and potentially in Canyon Ferry. If adult mussels spread, they threaten to block hydropower and irrigation ducts. Invasive mussels also negatively impact the ecosystem, recreation and tourism of affected areas. “Montana has already spent nearly $1 million on operating 16 inspection stations this year,” Daines said in his letter. “Montana has plans to expand the

The Department of Justice is defending controversial changes to the rule of evidence that would allow officials to search computers that are masking their location. In an agency blog post, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell argues that updates to Rule 41 of the federal rules of criminal procedure are necessary to keep pace with changing technology.  “While most changes were for the better, some technologies enable new forms of crime and victimization that would have been difficult to imagine not that long ago,” she writes.  Updates to Rule 41 were approved by the Supreme Court and, without congressional action, will take

Montana Senator Steve Daines’ recent legislation aimed at improving maintenance of U.S. National Forest trails is on its way to the President’s desk. The National Forest System Trails Stewardship Act would ensure existing Forest Service resources are better used to maintain National Forest trails. It would also significantly increase the role of volunteers and local partners in maintaining the usability and sustainability of the National Forest trail system. “Too many of our National Forest trails are left unmaintained, making it difficult for Montanans to enjoy our state’s treasured lands,” Daines stated. “This bill will make incremental progress in protecting and maintain

U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced $1,224,949.00 in funding for the Crow Tribe for diabetes treatment and prevention. “Through this funding, the Crow Tribe can continue to improve care for tribal members living with diabetes, a disease which sadly plagues so many in Montana’s Native communities” Daines stated. Native Americans have the highest rates of Type 2 diabetes in the United States. On September 20, 2016, Daines authored a letter to U.S. Senate leadership underscoring the importance of federal investments in the Special Diabetes Program. The 301 Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) Community-Directed grant programs help to implement diabetes prevention and

Yesterday afternoon, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation met with representatives from the world of augmented reality for the first Congressional hearing on the industry. That included general counsel from the Entertainment Software Association; the CEO of AR helmet company Daqri; and John Hanke, CEO of Niantic — the company behind this summer’s massive hit game Pokémon Go. Depending on how you define it, augmented reality has implications for everything from privacy to distracted driving. But while senators expressed some criticism, they were also clearly interested in how AR could expand the economy and solve various social woes. The answers participants gave may