Author: Press Room

Billings Airport Plans $110M In Long Term Investment

8 February 2026
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Logan International Field, the airport that serves Billings, is destined to grow, with airport officials looking at a $110 million capital improvement plan, including $20 million in projects in 2026. The airport hit a record in passengers served, a trend that is expected to continue, and its leadership is taking a hard look at how the facility will be administered in the future.

Such were some of the unveilings at a Community Air Service Breakfast in Billings, on January 20.

Jeff Roach, Director of Aviation and Transit at the airport, stated that leadership at the airport and in Billings is working to provide more and better service to the community and the area. Adding more flights and “bringing our facilities up to date” is the overall goal, he said, noting that “a lot has changed since 9-11.” The tragedy of that day forced the industry to look at how things were done and to improve facilities.

At the Billings airport, said Roach, they are focused on their infrastructure, “making sure that aircraft have a place to operate.”

John Brewer, President & CEO of the Billings Chamber of Commerce, emphasized that “the airport directly impacts our community.” The airport serves every aspect of Billings’ including  businesses,  healthcare, tourism and communities for the whole of eastern Montana.  The airport is a “point of pride,” said Brewer, explaining that the community has an Air Service Committee, led by Brian Brown, that is focused on improving Billings’ air service.

The Capital Improvement Plan, being prepared by Morrison & Maierle, is about three –fourths completed and expected to be completed by fall. One public hearing has been held to gather community input and another hearing will be held before it is completed.

The master plan is aimed at addressing future aviation demand by enhancing infrastructure, and responding to community needs, as well as maximizing profitability. It was noted that the expansion and remodeling of the airport is being done without the necessity of tax dollars. Revenue for the projects has been generated by tickets sales and enterprise funds.

Roach said that the airport has been self-sufficient since the 1970s.

The facility has, in fact, grown so much and gained such financial stability that it may justify its administration being transferred from the City to an airport authority. The City of Billings approved a $621,000 expenditure to hire a consultant to research the possibility of transitioning the management of Billings Logan International Field from the City to an airport authority. A report is expected in May.

An airport authority is an independent entity charged with the operation and oversight of an airport. Billings is the only major airport in the state that isn’t administered by an authority.

“We anticipate a recommendation to move to an airport authority,” said Rauch, adding that “the traveling public won’t see much of a difference. The change will be in the long term, in becoming more efficient and offering more services at a lower cost.”

A top need for the Billings Airport that is largely recognized by everyone is that of parking. Rauch said that they are short between 250 – 300 parking spaces. The plan is to build a parking garage, which is very expensive, said Rauch – estimated at $31 million. Also in the planning is shuttle parking which is expected to be available by the end of summer.

One of the more immediate projects is the renovation of the ticket counters , which haven’t been changed for the past 30 years. There will be 27 counters which will be moved further to the rear. The baggage area will also be modernized.

A $6 million runway project is also in the immediate plans in order to lengthen and strengthen a segment of runway to handle the larger aircraft.

Another project will be to build a pond to hold storm water for all the airport development. There will also be six additional taxi lanes built to serve the nine new hangers that have been built over the past three years. Rehabilitating cargo ramps, asphalt improvements and water line improvements are also in the plans.

Jay Richardson, a research engineer from Mead & Hunt of Madison, Wisconsin, talked about the ups and downs and trends of the airline industry and how it is impacting Billings. 

The Billings airport hit a new record, serving one million passengers, last year, with the expectation of increasing somewhat above that in 2026. Billings is on the cusp of becoming a small hub airport, said Richardson. It is that growth that is pushing the need for the Billings airport to grow and renovate.

Richardson said that airlines are shifting to larger planes with more seats, providing more comfort and offering more non-stop flights.

Addressing a common lament heard about fares in Billings as compared to Bozeman, Brewer said that the complaints really aren’t justified. Bozeman does offer more nonstop destinations – 25 of them – compared to Billings’ 16 nonstop routes, but Billings’ average airfare is $242 compared to $239 in Bozeman, and to Kalispell’s $238. It’s about the same. Sure, he said, there are chances of finding good deals but in general the fares are pretty much aligned. Airport leadership in Billings is working diligently to increase flight options.

The load factor for Billings flights is at 81 percent, which Richardson said is good. As more seats are added they are being filled which is a “good trend for Billings.”

Los Angeles is a large market that is underserved, said Richardson — in fact California in general is underserved out of Billings.

Going forward, said Richardson, the focus is to expand service to Los Angeles and San Francisco; in general get more seats, depths of schedules and more flights for Billings, and get more service to Boise, Burbank and Orange County – and to enhance marketing in places like Chicago.

Aquaponics in Action —Swanky Roots

8 February 2026
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By Bella Folino, Montana Farmers Union

Government & Outreach Coordinator

With snow on the ground and the temperature in the negatives, where can you find fresh produce grown in Montana? Swanky Roots in Billings has utilized quaponics to keep the growing season going all year round.

Swanky Roots was started in 2016 by mother- daughter team, Rona Klamert and Veronnaka Evenson.

Construction of the site took time and it wasn’t until 2019 for them to be in production.

“I had originally wanted to start smaller, but luckily my mom had a vision,” said Evenson. “She said that we would have to eventually expand, so we might as well start here.”

It was originally Klamert’s idea to try this style of operation. After seeing the idea on line, she reached out to her daughter to see if she was interested. Evenson’s background from her degrees in plant science and ag education from MSU –Bozeman gave her some technical knowledge, even though it was different than what she envisioned.

“My family is in the cattle and wheat / corn industry, so I thought I would be doing something like that. When my Mom asked me about aquaponics, my first thought was: there is no way that will work,” said Evenson, “Then I thought, well, there is no one else doing this, so maybe it is the perfect idea.”

What is

aquaponics?

Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture and hydroponics. Aquaculture is the cultivation of aquaorganisms, in this case fish. Hydroponics is the process of growing plants without soil. The benefit of combining these two practices is that the facility’s only input into their system is the food for the fish.

First step of the process is the aquaculture. The fish are kept in separate tanks where they are fed. There are about 16 tanks with 200 to 500 fish in each.

“What we look for in fish is compatibility in water temperature,” said Evenson. “The plants do best in warm water, so we need fish that do that too.”

Swanky Roots originally started with raising bluegill. In 2023, they switched to raising coi.

The coi became a more efficient choice because it takes less of them to get the same results. Previously, there were about 1000 bluegill in each tank, for a total of 15,000- 20,000 fish. Now they raise approximately 5,000 coi fish in 12 different varieties.

The water from the pools, containing the fish’s waste, is then moved through pipes to where the lettuce is being grown. This provides the necessary nutrients for the plants to grow.

Each day, Swanky Roots plants and harvests 600- 700 heads of lettuce of seven different varieties.

It takes about 60 days from seed to harvest, sometimes up to 70 days in the winter.

Seeds begin in a rockwool sheet for  10- 15 days until they get their roots. They are then moved to a nutrient film technique gutter for about 20 days.

Once they have more roots, they are moved to floating Styrofoam. The water is constantly aerated to keep the roots from rotting.

“The thing about plants is they still need the same stuff whether they are in soil or water,” said Evenson. “Even though I didn’t study this specifically, I still understand plants and the biology behind it.”

After the water makes its way through all of the rows of lettuce, it is then pumped back into the pools for the fish. This keeps everything on a closed- loop system. “We add about 300 – 500 gallons of water a day,”

“That seems like a lot, but we are able to grow lettuce with seven times less water than used traditionally.”

Success, Struggles

Swanky Roots was founded with a focus on sustained ability. Their system creates and uses its own natural fertilizer and keeps it contained within the system. Due to the nature of the connection between the fish and plants, there are very few things that can be added without harming the other.

“We use the phrase ‘beyond organic’ because we are trying to show people that organic is not just a label, you need to look into the practices,” said Evenson.

Any business does not come without struggles. After the first hurdle of site construction, Swanky Roots had to battle with weather and natural resources. Between extremely cold temperatures and heaters going out to a well going bad, there have been times it has been difficult to keep production running.

“We have had three or four winters, where we almost completely shut down,” said Evenson. “And then when the well went bad we had to put in a major water filtration system, water is our livelihood, and that was an unexpected issue.”

For those interested in a similar system in their own garden there are a lot of possibilities. There are a variety of different fishes that can be used in systems, like catfish, gold fish, or trout. Leafy greens grow easiest, but fruiting vegetables – like tomatoes or peppers – can also be successful.

“If you are doing this on a smaller scale, you can grow just about anything,” said Evenson.

For anyone looking to see the facility at Swanky Roots they are open for tours.

Evenson has also enjoyed doing field trips both for school students and local gardening clubs.

Looking Forward

The greenhouse sits on 60 acres and has about 20,000 feet of indoor growing space. On top of the indoor aquaponic facility, there are also grow beds that utilize clay pebbles and flood irrigation to grow a variety of vegetables from swiss chard to tomatoes.

Swanky Roots was recently able to install led grow lights through a grant and has also received a grant for solar panels they hope to have installed by the winter.

With new grow lights and ideal conditions, the growing process could be cut down to about 30 days. At full production, they could ramp up to 1000 heads a day.

“These will hopefully be a huge help,” said Evenson. “In the winter we have to heat the water close to 75 degrees, even when it is negative 30 outside.”

Swanky Roots is also working on expanding their markets. While they started out primarily at restaurants, they can now be found in grocery stores in Billings, Livingston, and Bozeman.

“I try to keep our prices accessible. Our customers have been great about getting the word out,” said Evenson. “I think the product really speaks for itself.”

They are also involved with the Yellowstone Valley Food Hub and, most recently, the Central Montana Food Hub.

On –site, their products can be found at their farm store in Billings where they sell their produce, beef, and other local ly made goodies.

Fast Food Jobs At Risk With High Minimum Wages

22 January 2026
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By Sam Cardwell

Mountain States Policy Center

Across the country, raising the minimum wage continues to be a topic of conversation. Some claim that raising the minimum wage to $20 would help both low-income employees as well as employers. Though some are moving forward with this experiment, others are being more cautious.

For example, voters in Olympia, Wash., this year rejected a ballot measure to raise the minimum wage to $20 an hour. California, however, recently enacted this policy for the fast-food sector with disastrous effects. 

On April 1, 2024, California implemented a $20 minimum wage for fast food employees. To fit this definition, an operation has to offer limited or no table service, and customers pay for the items before they are consumed. Also, the restaurant has to be a part of at least 60 establishments nationwide.

The National Bureau of Economic Research found that California’s fast food minimum wage increase led to a detrimental effect on jobs , totaling around 18,000 jobs lost in the fast-food market in California from September of 2023 to September of 2024.  Relative to the rest of the country, employment in California’s fast-food sector declined by 2.7% more during that time period.

Using the 2023 figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a $20 minimum wage imposition for fast food employees would harm the labor force in every state. Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming should pay attention to these results as they consider similar policies.

Washington state already has a high minimum wage of $16.66 for fast food workers. The industry employs roughly 100,100 fast food employees. Based on the California study, if the state implemented a $20 minimum wage, this would be a 20% increase from its current minimum, resulting in 2,402 jobs lost.

A study done by the Washington Hospitality Association found that eating out in Seattle already costs 17% more than it does on average across 20 major U.S cities. A majority of this unaffordability can be attributed to the high minimum wage, meaning employers have to increase menu prices to make up the cost on their razor-thin profit margin.

Idaho has a minimum wage of $7.25 for fast food workers, and it employs 20,840 workers in the industry. Increasing the minimum wage to $20 would result in 4,395 jobs lost, which would be a major shock to the industry.

Montana has a minimum wage of $9.95 and employs 15,380 fast food employees. With a $20 minimum wage increase, the state would lose about 1,860 jobs. Montana would find itself in a situation that sits right in between the estimated impacts for Washington and Idaho.

Wyoming has a minimum wage of $7.25. The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t have as accurate job numbers for Wyoming and may have suppressed them. This is because Wyoming has a small fast-food employee population, and confidentiality could be breached. The best estimates are around 6,500 fast food jobs. Based on the estimates, a $20 minimum wage would result in a loss of 1,372 fast food jobs.

A simple economic principle is that when the price of something goes up, people will buy less of it. That exact rule applies to labor as well. Large minimum wage increases greatly contribute to job loss. As the wages increase, businesses may be forced to reduce staff to offset higher labor costs, as occurred in California. 

Proposals for large minimum wage increases have become a policy prescription to combat poverty, but they operate on a false premise. It says that raising the minimum wage will improve the well-being of the workers affected, but that is far from the truth. The minimum wage of a fast food worker let go is zero.

States in our region can avoid this outcome. If policymakers really want the best for these fast-food workers, they should avoid proposals that put their jobs in jeopardy. Let California’s failed $20 minimum wage experiment serve as a warning to the rest of the country.

Sam Cardwell is a Policy Analyst for the Mountain States Policy Center, an independent research organization based in Idaho, Montana, Eastern Washington and Wyoming. Online at mountainstatespolicy.org.

Novel Idea to Stop Corporate Spending in Elections Halted

20 January 2026
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By John O’Brien

Legal Newsline

A ballot initiative designed to keep corporations from spending on elections in Montana is a little too ambitious, the state Supreme Court has found.

The new proposals included in Ballot Issue 4 violate the rules for wording such initiatives, the court ruled. State Attorney General Austin Knudsen made that argument to the justices over a vote that would have corporations labeled by the State as “artificial persons.”

The initiative would have said the people of Montana never intended to allow artificial persons to take part in election activity. But it contained other measures, the court ruled, that would leave voters taking on too much – rejecting the idea they were so closely related that voters were deciding essentially a single topic.

“Although BI-4 does not combine unrelated amendments in an attempt to secure support from different groups, it would force voters who support abolishing corporate spending ‘on elections or ballot issues’ to also support, more broadly: 1) limiting the rights of other entities defined as “artificial persons,” such as unincorporated associations and cooperatives; and 2) potentially limiting the powers of such organizations to engage in activities other than election and ballot issue activities in significant but unspecified other ways,” Justice Jim Rice wrote.

Voters must be allowed to express their opinion on each proposed amendment, Rice continued. It’s a loss for Transparent Election Initiative, a group dedicated to fighting against the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which held that corporate spending on political issues is protected under the First Amendment.

The initiative was called its “Montana Plan” – a first-of-its-kind effort to keep “secret-donor money” out of the state’s elections. It didn’t overturn Citizens United, TEI said, it makes it irrelevant.

“It redefines Montana’s corporations as entities that no longer have the power to spend in politics,” the group said. “And if an entity wasn’t given the power to do something by its creator, whether it has a right to do that thing is irrelevant.”

Groups like the Montana Mining Association and the Montana Chamber of Commerce resisted the initiative. MMA said states cannot use semantics to get around the First Amendment and BI-4 was not tailored to a governmental interest.

The Montana Chamber noted BI-4 if passed would be the longest section in the Montana Constitution by triple.

“BI-4 extends it extreme speech restrictions beyond business corporations and nonprofits by including even ‘unincorporated associations,’” the chamber wrote.

“An ‘unincorporated association’ includes just about any association of two or more people – everything from churches and grassroots protest movements to informal social media groups and living-room discussion groups.

“Even so, BI-4 subjects them to absolute prohibitions on political speech, which implicates their rights to free association and free speech.”

This report was produced by Legal Newsline and distributed by The Center Square as part of a content-sharing agreement. 

“Capacity” Can’t Keep the Lights On

20 January 2026
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By Mitch Rolling and Isaac Orr

Energy Bad Boys

The prevailing narrative surrounding the power sector is that America’s grid is short of watts, and that we need to vastly increase our power generation capacity to avoid rolling blackouts and meet surging demand for data centers and reindustrialization.

Given the state of the discourse, it may be hard to believe that America has more installed electricity capacity on its grid than ever before. But it’s true. The problem is, so much of this capacity is from unreliable wind and solar facilities that provide almost no reliability value to the grid.

The U.S. technically has more installed capacity on the U.S. grid than ever before, which has increased by 26 percent since 2004 and 12.5 percent since 2015. Meanwhile, electricity demand has only increased by 8.5 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively, during the same timeframes.

The result is that the country has more capacity (MW) per terrawatt-hour (TWh) of generation than ever before.

If “capacity” was the same across all resource types, this data would suggest that we should be more prepared than ever to meet growing electricity demand stemming from data centers and AI.

But we’re not. In fact, the opposite is true.

This begs the question: If the American grid has so much installed capacity on the system, why is it bracing for such severe supply shortages?

The short answer is that the capacity being built today—wind and solar—is far less reliable than the capacity it is replacing—coal and nuclear.

Put simply, wind and solar capacity is not the same as dispatchable capacity due to their intermittency. Intermittent generators are inferior to dispatchable resources for a number of reasons, but mainly because operators cannot control when they produce electricity and when they won’t.

We can forecast when they will or won’t fairly well (but not always), yet that doesn’t give us control over their production levels similar to traditional resources like coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear. Not to mention, the entire point of forecasting wind and solar production is so that we can use other “backup” resources to supply demand when they aren’t able to, but this backup generation fleet is being retired more and more every year.

For example, the following chart shows that while intermittent resources like wind and solar have made up the bulk of net resource additions in recent years, firm capacity has been on the decline since 2011 with the exception of a slight rise in 2024.

The result is that the U.S. is now at pre-2005 levels of firm capacity on the grid at a time when electricity demand is projected to have the largest increases in over a decade due to data center and AI growth and electrification efforts.

So, even though the grid as a whole has more capacity than it did 20 years ago, the growth is made up entirely of resources that may be producing no electricity whatsoever when needed the most, and the system has roughly the same levels of firm, reliable capacity online as it did in 2004.

The result of this trend is obvious: supply shortages.

And it’s happening in pretty much every regional grid in the country.

Billings Building Permits January 15, 2026

19 January 2026
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Commercial

SMBC Leasing & Finance Inc|Jones Construction Inc, 1629 King Ave W, Com Remodel, $370,940

Roman Catholic Bishop Of Great|Wegner Homes, 2202 Colton Blvd, Com Remodel, $98,560

Rhett Holyoak |Wagenhals Enterprises Inc, 1722 Lampman Dr, dba CDW Construction, Com Remodel, $70,000

Valley Mt Property Holdings Ll|Western States Fire Protection Co, 1807 24th St W, Com Fire Systems $890,850

Graystoke Capital Highlands Ll| Chrome Construction & Design Highlands, 1101 N 22nd St, Com Addition Multi-Family, $500,000

Zach Harris Dollar Tree, 617 Central Ave, Com Remodel, $250,000

Young Men’s Christian Association|J & S Drywall Construction, 402 N 32nd St, Com Remodel, $4,650

FSS Billings A Plus Storage Ll|Mission Communications Inc dba Mission Wireless, 3213 Grand Ave, Com Remodel, $45,000

Billings Education Association|Montana Piering and Concrete Lifting Foundation, 510 N 29th St, Com Remodel, $42,000

St. Johns Lutheran Ministries | Ben Mitchell Construction Llc, 3940 Rimrock Rd, Com Remodel, $25,000

BK RE 11036 Llc |Environmental Contractors Llc., 4780 King Ave E, Demolition Permit Commercial, $22,800

Jon M Ussin Trust|Lennick Bros. Roofing & Sheetmetal, 219 N 33rd St, Com Fence/ Roof/ Siding, $2,500

Residential

516 7th St W, Kannegiesser Pamela J, Res Addition Single/Duplex/Garage, $10,000

Wells Built Inc. |Wells Built Inc., 2541 Morning Rose Ln, Res New Two Family, $254,598

Wells Built Inc. |Wells Built Inc., 2547 Morning Rose Ln, Res New Two Family, $254,598

Wells Built Inc. |Wells Built Inc., 5504 Trail Creek Dr, Res New Two Family, $254,598

Wells Built Inc. |Wells Built Inc., 5457 Apple Rose Ln, Res New Two Family, $254,598

Wells Built Inc. |Wells Built Inc., 5463 Apple Rose Ln, Res New Two Family, $254,598

Moore Louis R & Phyllis J|Montana Piering and Concrete Lifting, 3103 Stanford Dr, Res  Remodel Single/ Duplex/ Garage, $132,000

Middendorf Virgil T & Becky K, 1642 Natalie St, Res Addition Single/Duplex/Garage, $150,000

Hastings Matthew E & Brenda L|Northwest Consulting and Excavation Llc, 3048 Poly Dr,  Res Addition Single/ Duplex/ Garage, $25,000

Stark Judd D & Tawny L, 1101 Strawberry Ave, Res Remodel Single/ Duplex/ Garage, $10,000

AGs say ‘As You Sow’ May Violate Antitrust Laws

18 January 2026
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By Andrew Rice

The Center Square

A coalition of 18 attorneys general, led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, called on the nonprofit group As You Sow to end activities that may violate antitrust and consumer protection laws.

As You Sow, a nonprofit shareholder advocacy organization founded in 1992, seeks to “create large-scale systemic change by establishing sustainable and equitable corporate practices.”

In a letter to As You Sow CEO Andrew Behar, the attorneys general said the nonprofit pressures companies to pursue net-zero emissions policies that are incompatible with the production of fossil fuels.

“As You Sow demands artificial transformations of entire markets and sectors, inevitably impacting the output and quality of the goods and services produced by those sectors,” the attorneys general wrote in the letter.

The attorneys general argued As You Sow seeks to implement policies that are aligned with its predetermined agenda, leaving it potentially in violation of antitrust laws. The coalition said the nonprofit attempts to discourage shareholders from investing in fossil fuel companies due to alleged unsustainability.

“As Attorneys General, we have a duty to protect the citizens of our States from unlawful business practices, and we are prepared to enforce antitrust laws if necessary to stop any illegal conduct by As You Sow,” the group wrote.

The coalition, also said As You Sow may violate consumer protection laws by engaging in deceptive marketing regarding its relationship between the nonprofit’s various entities.

As You Know is a for-profit entity with a close business relationship to As You Sow. The attorneys general said As You Sow shared data about public companies with As You Know.

As You Know, the attorneys general allege, uses its benchmarking tools based on datasets from As You Sow’s database.

“As You Sow generates data for As You Know and supplies the activism and rules-based proxy voting underlying the market for As You Know’s products and services sold to investors,” the letter reads.

The attorneys general questioned whether the two entities’ relationship could be considered independent given the information provided publicly in advertisements.

“If companies do what As You Sow demands, they will score more favorably on As You Know’s benchmarks sold to them and to investors, which in turn influence investments and proxy voting,” the letter reads.

Will Hild, executive director of Consumers’ Research, criticized As You Sow for its policy agenda and misrepresentation of business relationships between entities.

“Instead of focusing on things like lower energy costs or strengthening the American economy, As You Sow’s only priority is to reshape the energy sector to meet senseless net-zero benchmarks,” Hild said.

Attorneys general Steve Marshall, Ala.; Stephen Cox, Alaska; Tim Griffin, Ark., James Uthmeier, Fla.; Christopher Carr, Ga.; Raul Labrador, Idaho; Brenna Bird, Iowa; Kris Kobach, Kansas; Liz Murrill, La.; Catherine Hanaway, Mo.; Mike Hilders, Neb.; Drew Wrigley, N.D.; Gentner Drummond, Okl.; Alan Wilson, S.C.; Marty Jackley, S.D.; Derek Brown, Utah; Keith Kautz, Wyo.; joined Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen to sign the letter.

“As You Sow, a little-known but influential member of the climate cartel, is attempting to eliminate the fossil-fuel industry, which will have a devastating impact on Montanans, especially in the winter when we need fossil fuels to heat our homes,” Knudsen said.

“Their efforts to push their green, woke agenda and box out the fossil-fuel industry appear to be a violation of antitrust and Montana consumer protection laws. As attorney general, it’s my duty to ensure they are following the law and hold them accountable if they are not.”

Sales Tax In Montana – Is It Time?

17 January 2026
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Sales tax will be a primary subject of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research’s annual Economic Outlook Seminar this year. The seminars, which will be held in nine Montana cities will commence on January 27 in Helena. It will be held on other dates in Great Falls, Missoula, Billings, Bozeman, Butte and Kalispell, Lewistown, and Havre. It will be in Billings on Feb. 3.

The research and history of sales tax in Montana in the context of today’s economic conditions and trends will be explored during the seminar, as well as the economic forecasts for communities around the state, along with a look at Montana’s important industry sectors.

Montana is one of five states without a general sales tax. Voters resoundingly defeated sales tax proposals in 1993 and 1971, and the idea still polls poorly today.

It’s been over 30 years since Montana voters have weighed in on sales tax, and interest in putting it on the ballot again is rising. At least five bills were introduced in the 2025 legislative session having to do with sales tax. As tourism increases and property taxes become more unpopular, some Montanans believe it’s time to reconsider a sales tax.

How would a sales tax affect Montana’s economy? How much revenue could it generate, and could it meaningfully reduce property taxes? Could it be designed to target tourists and reduce the impact on local residents?

That’s exactly what BBER economists and keynote speaker, Bob Story, executive director of the Montana Taxpayers Association, will be discussing at the 2026 Economic Outlook Seminars.

Register for the event a the Bureau’s website. A webcast will be provided for regions outside the nine cities.

NFIB: Doing Business in 2026

17 January 2026
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The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) recently announced to its membership that despite some “wins” in 2025, there is still lots that Congress can do to improve the economic and regulatory landscape for small businesses.

Going into 2026, NFIB said its focus will be on getting Congress to act to lower operating costs, secure affordable health care, and limit regulations on small businesses.

Small businesses  saw great progress last year, stated an open letter to NFIB members. The permanent extension of the 20% Small Business Tax Deduction will help more than 33 million small businesses across the country invest in their businesses and communities.

Important regulatory relief exempted U.S. small business owners from the invasive Beneficial Ownership Information  (BOI) reporting requirement  that posed security risks and significant penalties. Although, “This win for small business is not yet fully across the finish line,” stated the announcement. “Congress needs to permanently exempt  US small businesses or repeal the BOI mandate so a future administration does not rewrite this regulation. The data from US small businesses that have already filed their BOI also need to be destroyed.”

NFIB’s top legislative priorities for 2026 include:  

* BOI reporting 

* Credit card swipe fees 

* Lower taxes  

*Affordable health care 

    options 

* Labor mandates 

* Electricity and fuel costs 

* Right to Repair 

* Regulatory reform 

*Stopping  foreign   

      investor  lawsuits 

Health Care Affordabiliy

Health care affordability remains a major challenge for small businesses. The U.S. House of Representatives passed The Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, or H.R. 6703, which will give small businesses affordable health care options that have been a top problem for decades. 

The bill includes provisions that expand health care options for small business owners and facilitate transparency to Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). It also allows small businesses to leverage purchasing power and lower costs by joining Association Health Plans (AHPs). This encourages competition and freedom of choice, lowering costs and allowing the flexibility small businesses need to provide health care for their employees.  

NFIB members have consistently ranked the cost of health care as their number one problem in NFIB’s Problems and Priorities Survey every year since 1986. The U.S. House recently passed this bill, so now it goes to the Senate for a vote. 

NFIB’s December jobs report found that 33% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill   in December,  unchanged from November. Unfilled job openings remain above the historical average of 24%. Twenty-eight percent have openings for skilled workers (up 2 points), and 10% have openings for unskilled labor (down 2 points). 

Employment Conditions

“The economic climate continues to support the small business labor market,” said Chief EconomistBill Dunkelberg.  “Although employment conditions vary, fewer owners report labor as their biggest challenge while compensation pressures are escalating.” 

A seasonally adjusted net 17% of owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months,  down  2 points  from November. 

Overall, 53% of owners reported hiring or trying to hire in December, down 3 points from November. Forty-eight percent of owners (91% of those hiring or trying to hire) reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill (down 2 points). Twenty-five percent reported few qualified applicants (down 5 points), and 23% reported none (up 3 points). 

In December, 19% of small business owners cited labor quality as their single most important problem, down 2 points from November. Labor costs, reported as the single most important problem by small business owners, rose 1 point to 9%. 

Seasonally adjusted, a net 31% of small business owners reported raising compensation in December, up 5 points from November. A net 24% (seasonally adjusted) plan to raise compensation in the next three months, unchanged from November. 

Maduro and Mamdani Might Make a Great Team

17 January 2026
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By Roger Koopman

Newsflash!  Now that Rubio and Trump have decided to “run” Venezuela for awhile, that country’s deposed dictator will doubtless have a lot of time on his hands during his sleepovers in a New York City prison.  The word on the street is that NYC’s just-elected socialist mayor is negotiating bail for Maduro, and planning to put him on the city’s payroll as his personal consultant.  

And why not?  For a bright young socialist like Mamdani, the 26-year track records of Maduro and fellow Marxist/socialist Hugo Chavez have much to be admired.  Using the increasingly concentrated power of the state, they literally transformed their country, through confiscation, corruption, oppression and control.  Ideologically speaking, this is not far removed from Mamdani’s transformational vision for New York when he declares, “we are replacing the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”  Warmth indeed.  Such “warmth” has massacred and enslaved the human race for thousands of years.

But the point is, Maduro’s hands-on experience with enforcing the socialist/collectivist paradigm could come in handy for the charismatic Mamdani, apprenticing under the “master” as it were, while seeking his own version of the People’s Paradise. Consider Chavez’s and Maduro’s achievements, reflecting the final stage of every collectivist political system:

*    Government land confiscation and nationalization of thousands of private businesses and industries, replacing the owners and managers with political cronies who ran these companies into the ground.   Despite massive government subsidies, once-healthy businesses closed everywhere, leading to record unemployment.

*    Previously the richest country in Latin America, Venezuela’s living standards plummeted 74% in the last 10 years alone (2013-2023.)  By 2020 the economy had shrunk 61% in per capita terms, and the nation’s GDP had dropped over 80%.

*   Squandering huge revenues from the oil boom, the government continued to raise taxes and create double-digit deficit spending.  It then printed truckloads of worthless currency, creating hyperinflation so bad that consumer prices were rising 50% a month.  Today, almost 90% of the population is living in poverty.  This, even after receiving $1.9 billion in US foreign air – probably most of which was skimmed off by the socialist elites and never reached those it was intended to help.

*   In the words of one economist, “The regimes of Chavez and Maduro decimated the country through relentless class warfare and government intervention in the economy.”  In a country of 30 million, close to 8 million have now voted with their feet and become refugees in foreign lands, leaving their homes, communities, friends and families behind.  That includes over 20,000 doctors who simply could no longer function under the heel of their socialist regulators.

Such is the legacy of collectivism and socialism wherever it is found.  It requires the increasing concentration of governmental power, and the steady usurpation of personal freedoms.  Power inevitably corrupts – discouraging achievement and incentivizing theft.  At the end of the day, socialism is nothing less than organized crime, that impoverishes the people and enriches the political elite.  Winston Churchill put it perfectly:

“Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy.”

In my view, the biggest concern about the election of avowed socialists like Zohran Mamdani is not that The Big Apple will turn into a Venezuelan-style socialist hell-hole tomorrow.   What concerns me are the people who are believing The Socialist Lie of getting something for nothing, courtesy of a government that produces nothing.  The only costs are your freedom and self-respect, a trade-off they seem willing to make.  Afterall.  A little starvation and oppression never hurt anybody, right?  Just ask a Venezuelan.

It’s quite evident that these angry, envious, entitlement-oriented Americans have never been taught the difference between the blessings of a dynamic free society and the dreary, stifling existence of spread-the-misery socialism.  The fundamental opposites of collectivism and freedom.

Will our schools once again teach that?  Will our pulpits once again preach it?  Or are we destined to live out Thomas Jefferson’s warning, “A nation that expects to be ignorant and free… expects what never was and never will be.” 

Roger Koopman is president of Montana Conservative Alliance. He served four years in the Montana House of Representatives and eight years as a Montana Public Service commissioner. He operated a Bozeman small business for 37 years.