Author: Press Room

New State Budget Proposed by Governor

22 January 2021
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Last week, Governor Greg Gianforte released his proposed budget for state government for the 2023 biennium.

The plan would fulfill many of the policy priorities he outlined in his “Montana Comeback Plan” with the priorities of getting the economy going again, safely opening businesses, and getting Montanans back to work.

The budget provides $50 million in broad-based and targeted tax relief, including cutting the top marginal income tax rate to 6.75%. In 2019, Montanans who earned a taxable income of more than $18,400 paid the top marginal rate of 6.9%.

“This roadmap to the Montana comeback will help unlock our state’s full, outstanding potential,” Gianforte said.

He highlighted efforts to control state spending, saying, “I promised we would hold the line on new general fund spending. This budget does. After a decade of out-of-control spending, this budget brings fiscal responsibility back to state government while providing essential services.”

The governor’s budget also relieves 4,000 small businesses from the burden of the business equipment tax by raising the exemption from $100,000 to $200,000. The business equipment tax is a unique Montana tax that requires businesses to pay taxes on equipment, supplies and tools used in the production and operation of the business.

Gianforte’s budget boosts funding by 25 percent for programs providing property tax relief to low-income homeowners, including disabled veterans and seniors.

To combat the drug epidemic, the Gianforte budget devotes marijuana tax revenue and part of the tobacco tax settlement to the HEART Fund, or the Healing and Ending Addiction through Recovery and Treatment Fund. It will fund a full continuum of substance abuse prevention and treatment programs for communities. With $7 million in new fund and a federal match, the governor’s budget invests an additional $23.5 million per year in substance abuse prevention and treatment programs.

The governor proposes a $1 million investment in trades education by providing a credit for employee education and training.

Gianforte’s budget also provides $2.5 million of incentives to raise the pay of Montana’s starting teachers. Montana ranks last in the country in starting teacher pay.

Gianforte noted that, even with statutory required spending and investments in combating the drug epidemic, increasing starting teacher pay, and expanding trades education, total general fund spending increases less than one percent per year.

Montana Highlights 01-15-21

22 January 2021
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TC Energy Corporation has launched an open season to solicit binding commitments for crude oil transportation services on the Keystone Pipeline System from Hardisty, Alberta to Patoka, Illinois. Interested parties may submit binding bids for transportation capacity during the open season that will close at 12 p.m.MT on February 19, 2021. Information regarding the open season is available online or by contacting liquids_pipelines@tcenergy.com.

Montana’s legislative leaders are highly recommending but not requiring face coverings for people participating in the Legislature. The panel voted 6-2, with both Democrats voting no, to temporarily accept recommendations that masks be highly recommended and temperature checks highly encouraged for people entering the Capitol and that people with symptoms or awaiting a test participate in the Legislature remotely. They also agreed to wear masks while interacting with legislative staff in their offices.

Frame of Reference Fine Art from Whitefish, is opening a second location at 573 Electric Ave. in Bigfork. The second location will precipitate a name change to FOR Fine Art. The new shop will feature similar genres as the orinial location but also include work by artists exclusive to the Bigfork location. FoR Fine Art is tentatively scheduling a soft opening for Valentine’s Day 2021.

The Ratkowskis family of Kalispell are launching Montana Milk Moovers, a family business they started last spring to connect customers with local agriculture producers. The Ratkowski family works with producers in Kalispell to collect fresh milk, meat, produce and other groceries every day. Recipients sign up online and indicate the quantity and frequency they’d like to have their orders. Customers pay to install a porch box that keeps their products cold and fresh, plus a delivery charge.

Two conservation groups Friends of the Wild Swan and the Swan View Coalition have taken issue with clear-cut openings that have been proposed by Flathead National Forest officials as part of a forest management project near Bigfork. The groups claim that four clear cuts proposed within the Bug Creek Integrated Resource Management Project are larger than what the revised Flathead National Forest Plan recommends for such projects. The public has one month to provide comment on the four openings in Bug Creek.

Great Falls-based Benefis Health System has  announced plans to open the space at 2960 N. Washington St. Helena, in the middle of the year. The new facility will complement the Benefis clinic being built at the former site of the Capital Hill Mall on Prospect Avenue.

Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality has  issued a water quality certification for the Keystone XL pipeline project in eastern Montana, required since the pipeline would cross 201 wetland and water body features, including streams and rivers, that are regulated by the Clean Water Act. Conditions of the issuance include spill prevention measures as well as a re-opener clause, which would allow the certification to be modified to ensure ongoing compliance with applicable water quality standards. These conditions also include an oversight role for the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation Office of Environmental Protection. Joe Biden has pledged to shelve the project, which was first proposed 12 years ago, although it is not clear what the legal framework for that would be, given that construction of the $8 billion project under the U.S.-Canada border has already begun.

A proposal to allow “work camps” in the West Glacier region to house summer employees has been proposed by a land use committee for the area. In past years some employees have lived in campgrounds in tents. The regulations require that neighbors be informed of a proposed work camp. If the planning board, approves the new regulations, it would forward the regulations to the county commissioners for final approval.

Scott Osterman of Applied Materials in Kalispell, has been nominated by Gov. Greg Gianforte to lead the Montana Department of Commerce. Osterman is originally from Northcentral Montana. Over his business career he has served in Fortune 500 companies and venture start-ups. He has been employed in the semiconductor, automobile and high-tech hardware and software industries.

According to a Stanford University and University of California SD report wildfire smoke accounted for up to half of all health-damaging small particle air pollution in the western U.S. in recent years. Researchers used satellite images of smoke plumes and government air quality data to model how much pollution was generated nationwide by fires from 2016 to 2018 compared to a decade earlier.

Helena Regional Airport is seeking to entice American Airlines to come to Helena. The airport plans to apply for a Department of Transportation Small Community Air Service Development Grant.  The airport has met with several airlines in order to bring more opportunity to Helena. Currently Billings is the only Montana airport that has direct flights to Phoenix.

Due to the crippling COVID restrictions on business another restaurant in Montana is closing. After almost 30 years of business, Santa Fe Red’s in Bozeman closed January 5.  A full-service Mexican restaurant and cantina that opened in 1994, the business managed for a while because they had outdoor seating, but when the weather got cold weather it ended their reprieve.

At the same time, a new business is opening in Bozeman. A smoothie shop offering acai bowls, smoothies and post-workout recovery shakes called Blended Shakes and Smoothies has opened on Main Street across from Bozeman High School.  Michelle Ronsen is the owner of the shop which provides dine-in or to go smoothies

St. Peter’s Health in Helena announced the completion of a $9 million expansion to its hospital operating room. The 2-year renovation project began in 2017. It included the expansion to the center’s operating room and sterile processing department, introducing cutting-edge surgical equipment and technology. It is expected the new facility will help in recruiting more surgeons and surgical specialties.

Gallatin County’s residential real estate market saw increases in closed sales and average sales price last month, while the inventory of available homes tightened significantly in November compared to last year. In November, median sales prices increased 46.4%, from $420,000 in November 2019 to $615,000 in November 2020. Closed sales increased 39.1%, from 110 to 153, and pending sales jumped 19.1%, from 89 to 106. The number of new single-family listings increased 21.3% compared to November 2019, from 75 to 91. The average days on market increased 14.6%, from 41 to 47. Sellers received 99.2% of their list price last month, up slightly from 97.9% last year. The inventory of homes for sale decreased 66.6%, from 467 to 156. The months supply of inventory decreased 71.4%, from 3.5 to 1.0 compared to last year.

Allegro Group, Inc. has acquired LEAD 406, a leadership development and experiential learning company based in Bozeman. The acquisition expands Allegro Group’s consulting practice. LEAD 406 Managing Partner Phil Kornachuk joins Allegro Group as Managing Director of Leadership Development. He will head the company’s new office in Bozeman. Allegro Group, founded in 2015, helps companies build and develop high-performance leadership teams..

According to homeselling platform iSoldMyHouse, Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, Kansas and Maine have the happiest people, made happy by having the most affordable cost of living, low crime rates, high employment and graduate rates, longer average life expectancies, high-quality hospitals, pristine air quality, and plenty of sunshine. Montana was in the second tier of happy people. Unhappy people are to be found in states like California, Nevada, Alaska, Louisiana, West Virginia, Pennsylvania.

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) recently issued a new load posting for the Old Highway 10 Drainage Bridge six miles east of Hysham, in Treasure County. The posting is part of a multi-year effort to update load ratings and postings on Montana bridges as mandated by the Federal Highway Administration. The FHWA mandate is in response to changes in the trucking industry over the last decade. Truck manufacturers are building specialized hauling vehicles (SHVs), which are capable of legally carrying heavier loads than typical vehicles have in the past. These SHV configurations concentrate heavy loads over a short length, and they have been found to overstress bridges beyond what was previously modeled by standard commercial vehicles.

Montana VA Health Care System (MTVAHCS) has been selected to lead a national VHA pilot program to bring vaccines to rural Veterans. On the morning of January 21, a vaccination team will fly doses of the Moderna vaccine in special plug-in coolers from Fort Harrison’s ultracold on-site freezer to Havre. MTVAHCS staff has begun calling eligible enrolled Veterans to schedule vaccine appointments.

Montana Chamber Sets Economic Goals for State Legislature

22 January 2021
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With the start of the 2021 Legislature, Montana Chamber of Commerce has laid out its top policy priorities for the new year, the focus of which is aimed at near-term recovery and maintaining long-term, sustainable economic growth. 

Todd O’Hair, President and CEO of the Montana Chamber of Commerce identified the challenges to business following the COVID restrictions imposed by government that is threatening the survivability of many in the state. “We remain optimistic that the upcoming legislative session will deliver prosperity for all Montanans in the years ahead,” he said, “Achieving this will require getting our economy back on track – businesses going from surviving to thriving. We are prepared to do our part in 2021 with an appropriately bold series of proposals.”

The Montana Chamber’s top priorities for the 67th Legislature include:

* Passing reasonable COVID-19 liability protections for businesses, health care providers, manufacturers, schools, and more;

* Enhanced industry input in agency rulemaking, either with legislation or by executive-driven approaches;

* Advancing workforce development with targeted investments in career and technical education and by removing barriers for work-based learning programs that can help create a pipeline of qualified talent for Montana businesses.

The Montana Chamber’s 2021 legislative agenda was developed by several policy working groups comprised of member businesses with final approval given by the organization’s Board of Directors. Its legislative priorities align with Envision 2026, the Montana Chamber’s 10-year strategic plan for Montana’s future.

“Workforce development, business climate, infrastructure, and entrepreneurship are tall orders, but we have advanced these goals with each legislative session since debuting our strategic plan in 2016,” noted Paul Hopfauf, Director of Strategic Planning and Growth for Montana-Dakota Utilities, Co. and Chair of the Montana Chamber board of directors.

This year’s new Board Directors for the Montana Chamber began three-year terms October 28, 2020. They include: ——Brad Anderson, President of Anderson Management Group

—Tara Beam, Owner of the Roadhouse Diner

—Shane Etzwiler, President/CEO of the Great Falls Chamber of Commerce (1 year term)

—Christina Henderson, Executive Director of the Montana High Tech Business Alliance

—Amy Kellogg, Owner of Simply406

—Ross Lane, Vice President of Corporate Relations for Montana Rail Link (MRL)

—Liz Marchi, Chief Community Officer for Two Bear Capital

—Ron O’Donnell, CIO of Stockman Bank of Montana

—Nancy Schlepp, VP of Communications and Corporate Secretary, for Sandfire Resources America, Inc.(SFR)

—Ron Slinger, President of Miles Community College

—Gary Wiens, CEO of Montana Electric Cooperatives’ Association

Minimum Wage Destroys Jobs

22 January 2021
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The Center Square

More than 80 states and local municipalities are slated to see minimum wage hikes in 2021, even as business owners continue to struggle during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Employment Policies Institute, a non-profit based in Washington, D.C., that studies how public policy impacts employment growth, released a comprehensive list of the minimum wage increases that will go into effect next year and in subsequent years.

At the beginning of 2021, Montana’s state minimum wage rate increased by a dime to $8.75 per hour. This is greater than the Federal Minimum Wage of $7.25. However, federal law requires a minimum wage of $10.95 be paid in all federal contracts.

 “Minimum wage increases are demonstrated to cause job losses even in times of economic health,” said Michael Saltsman, EPI’s managing director. “These states and local areas are increasing the cost of labor as businesses are dealing with forced closures or a drastic drop in revenue. Employers and employees will pay the price for these misguided good intentions.”

Starting Jan. 1, 2021, eight states will have a minimum wage of $12 an hour or higher, topped by California at $14. The others include Washington, Massachusetts, Colorado, Arizona, Maine, New Jersey and Oregon.

The five cities with the highest hourly minimum wages next year will be Emeryville, Calif., ($17); Seattle, Wash., ($16.69); SeaTac, Wash., ($16.57); Sunnyvale, Calif., ($16.30) and San Francisco ($16.22).

In addition, seven states (Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington) and 43 cities and counties will no longer allow employers to factor in a credit for tips when paying employees. Several states have also passed laws to gradually increase the minimum wage over a number of years to eventually reach $15 an hour.

In 2019, the Congressional Budget Office predicted that a national $15 minimum wage, something that unions have been demanding for years, would result in a loss of 1.3 million to 3.7 million jobs.

Economists at the University of Miami did an updated analysis in October that found a $15 minimum wage would mean a loss of 2 million jobs, with more than half coming from bars and restaurants.

Such job losses would be due to a number of factors, including employers reducing staff sizes and moving toward more automation, and fewer people eating out as menu prices rise to pay for the increased wages.

“Even before the pandemic, some of these markets that were experimenting with higher minimum wages were seeing a decrease in restaurant jobs,” Saltsman said. “With all of the shutdowns, a lot of places that were on the brink have been pushed over the edge.”

EPI notes that grocery store prices have remained relatively stable over the last five years, growing 3.8 percent. The cost of eating out during the same period grew 14.2 percent. Increasing menu prices to meet the $15 minimum wage mandate could then incentivize people to eat at home more often, thereby decreasing the ability of bars and restaurants to make up for rising labor costs.

Liberty Named Head of Foundation

22 January 2021
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Adam Liberty has been named President of the Billings Catholic Schools Foundation (BCSF). He will work closely with the Board of Directors to establish long-term goals, strategies, plans and policies and serve as a liaison between the BCSF, the Billings Catholic Schools and the community. He most recently served as the Vice President of Development for the Montana State University Billings Foundation.   Liberty earned his Masters of Public Administration from the University of Montana in Missoula in 2013. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Political Science from Carroll College in Helena in 2010.

Karen Yost Presented Ag Excellence Award

22 January 2021
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Karen Yost has received the 2020 Agricultural Excellence Award sponsored by Stockman Bank  on behalf of the Billings Chamber of Commerce. Karen Yost is Vice President of Nutra-Lix, Inc., a family owned business in Billings serving Montana agriculture.

Yost is a member of and a past president of both Montana Agri-Women and American Agri-Women and is a member of several other agriculture industry organizations.

 This award is presented to an individual, organization or family who has made a significant impact in the local agriculture industry. Yost is a longtime advocate of the agricultural industry and was a clear and fitting choice among a competitive field of nominees, stated the Chamber’s announcement regarding her award.

Yost was presented with the award by the Billings Chamber of Commerce, Chamber Ag Committee Chair Tierani Brusett of Stockman Bank, and Courtney Kibblewhite of Northern Broadcasting.

Yost will be celebrated during the Chamber’s inaugural Ag Celebration Week presented by Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative from January 24-30.

Yost has always been deeply involved in the agriculture industry. She was raised on the three generation Frank family farm in Park City, and was highly influenced by her father. She was active in the J-Quarter Circle Ranch raising and training Quarter horses and competing in AQHA horse shows and rodeos in high school, college, and into her adult life.

Yost was first runner-up to Miss Rodeo Montana in 1967 and crowned Miss Montana in 1968. After receiving her Bachelor of Science in education from Eastern Montana College, she taught for several years until staying home to raise and homeschool her children.  She established and operated “The Family Farm”, a hands-on operation intended to introduce city dwellers to life on the farm.

Yost is a member and a past president of both Montana Agri-Women and American Agri-Women and is a member of several other agriculture industry organizations. She is passionate about preserving the American rural lifestyle and focuses on urban and rural communication.  She believes that the family farm is the backbone of the country providing stability that is vital.

Yost and her husband George, along with their daughters Katie Yost and Kellie Kittelmann, own and operate Nutra-Lix, Inc., a feed supplement company George helped found in 1987. They have four grown children and eight grandchildren, are active in rodeo and team roping, and operate Yost Arena west of Billings.

Government Funded Broadband?

22 January 2021
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By Johnny Kampis, The Center Square

President-elect Joe Biden’s broadband plan indicates he will push for more government-owned (taxpayer-funded) internet networks, which would be bad news for taxpayers.

[The issue will be taken up by the Montana State Legislature.]

Biden’s agenda, released on his website during his presidential campaign, talks in detail about his broadband goals. That includes expanding broadband to every American, which could include wireless broadband through the deployment of 5G.

The most alarming part of the plan: Biden says he will task the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) “to support cities and towns that want to build municipally-owned broadband networks.” This means that taxpayers will be on the hook for these systems.

A Democratic task force put together by Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wants to empower the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to largely undo much of what was accomplished by Chairman Ajit Pai under the Trump administration, including reversing the agency’s stance on government broadband.

“Democrats will take action to prevent states from blocking municipalities and rural co-ops from building publicly-owned broadband networks, and increase federal support for municipal broadband,” the recommendations released by that task force this summer state.

But the list of such projects that were tried and failed are quite long. The Taxpayers Protection Alliance highlighted many of them in its May report “GON with the Wind: The Failed Promise of Government Owned Networks Across America.” More follies are noted on TPA’s “Broadband Boondoggles.”

Jeffrey Westling, a fellow in innovation and technology policy at R Street Institute, told TPA that government can help usher in infrastructure growth in other ways, such as loosening regulations and offering incentives to private providers to aid expansion to high-cost areas such as rural America. That’s a better plan than promoting municipal broadband, he said.

“There’s a better way of doing this that doesn’t put taxpayers at risk,” Westling said.

U.S. Telecom: The Broadband Association agrees with Westling. In its agenda for the next administration’s first 100 days, the organization lays out its wish list for the goal of connecting every American with broadband.

This includes addressing “antiquated policies” that harm broadband deployment and discourage competition. U.S. Telecom said the administration can work to eliminate high pole attachment rates, help expedite permitting processes and lift mandates that companies must sustain outdated networks rather than devote more resources to deploying the next generation of networks.

U.S. Telecom also said Congress should fund the Broadband Data Act so the FCC can create better broadband maps to ensure taxpayer resources are better targeted toward unserved and underserved areas. The group also rejects any proposal that would treat broadband as a government utility and the potential red tape that could ensue.

“All policies should be viewed with an eye toward removing barriers that impede getting broadband to everyone,” the U.S. Telecom agenda states.

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Editor’s Note: Will government controlled broadband be less prone to censorship and communication  barriers than is the current monoply status that government has granted to the big tech companies in the US?

FDA Wants to Tax Businesses that Raced to Produce Hand Sanitizers

22 January 2021
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Believe it or not, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Dec. 29 announced that it was going to impose new fees on distilleries and other facilities that rushed to the rescue of a COVID –stricken nation by producing hand sanitizers. The FDA backed off the proposed tax only when the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) told them to.

HHS explained that only the FDA has the authority to issue such rules. While HHS administration said that the industry should be thanked rather than taxed, it chastised FDA primarily for having failed to go through the proper regulatory processes. The incident is a reminder about the true nature of government and regulatory controls.

Brian Harrison, HHS Chief of Staff, issued a statement that they have withdrawn the Notice published in the Federal Register,  OTC Monograph Drug Facility Fees and directed FDA to cease enforcement of these fees. 

Early in the COVID-19 crisis many small businesses across the country joined the fight to combat the virus which included distilleries that augmented their operations to produce hand sanitizer, an important asset in the battle to deter the spread of COVID.

In March, the FDA issued a guidance document – the Temporary Policy for Preparation of Certain Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer Products During the Public Health Emergency (COVID-19) – which provides flexibility for those entities capable of producing hand sanitizer to rapidly enter the market.

Farm Bureau to Follow Legislature Closely

21 January 2021
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By Nicole Rolf and Rachel Cone

The 67th Montana Legislature convened Jan. 4 in Helena. For those who follow the process from home, this year’s mixed-format session, or “hybrid”, will offer an opportunity for remote and virtual participation in the lawmaking process.

In addition to giving legislators the choice between participating in person or from a remote location, the option to testify through electronic means opens the doors for farmers and ranchers from remote corners of our state to participate, regardless of winter feeding, calving or inclement weather. In this, our first weekly Boots on the Hill column, we’ll outline how you can participate.

For Montana Farm Bureau lobbyists working in Helena, this session comes with many changes. COVID-19-related precautions mean each committee will meet a little differently than usual, but they have put protocols in place to carry out the important work of the people and still allow public input. Depending on the size of the room in which the committee meets, they may allow a limited number of non-committee members into the room to testify and watch from the audience. In smaller meeting rooms, members of the public are allowed inside to testify and then exit the room because limited space does not allow seating. Committees are also hearing testimony virtually. 

Much of the legislative process remains the same, especially for folks who do not usually spend time in Helena. Anyone can visit the Legislative webpage, leg.mt.gov/, to find a listing of your elected officials, to view all the bills that have been introduced and to track where the bills are in the legislative process. What’s unique this year is the button in the middle of the website’s home page: “Request to testify remotely/testify remotely.” Though this portal, you can locate the bill you are interested in following and submit written testimony or schedule a virtual testimony. These must be scheduled 24 hours in advance. You can also call the Legislative Hotline to leave messages for legislators at (406) 444-4800.

While it is important to have a relationship with your own legislators, they may not be on the committee that most pertains to issues you care about. You may wish to familiarize yourself with legislators who serve on relevant committees including but not limited to: agriculture, natural resources, fish and wildlife and taxation. 

We have started tracking bills and testifying on behalf of our farming and ranching members. Each week for the next 90 days, you can look for our update on bills we’re working, as directed by the Farm Bureau member-written policy we represent.

Here’s the first bill we’re supporting this Session:

Senate Bill 65: Revise civil liability laws, introduced by Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick (R), SD10. Farm Bureau member policy supports. This bill limits liability to the owners of a premise if a person comes there and is infected with COVID-19, as long as that owner was not negligent. This bill is primarily intended to protect business owners, which would of course include farms and ranches.

Nicole Rolf is the Director of National Affairs and a rancher from Miles City, Montana.  Nicole works closely with our Congressional delegation on national issues affecting Montana agriculture. Additionally, this is her seventh Montana Legislative Session, lobbying in Helena on behalf of MFBF members. She also works as the Eastern Montana Regional Manager. Nicole can be contacted at nicoler@mfbf.org.

Rachel Cone is the Director of State Affairs for Montana Farm Bureau Federation. She also coordinates the MFBF Water Committee, the Resource Management, Environment and Technology Committee and the Livestock Committee in addition to being the Treasurer for the Farm Bureau PAC. Rachel can be contacted at rachelc@mfbf.org.

COVID Restrictions Lifted

21 January 2021
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Montana businesses no longer have to operate within constrained hours and reduced capacity because of COVID-19, by order of Governor Greg Gianforte on Wednesday. The order eliminates the restraints imposed mid-November by former Government Steve Bullock. Gianforte said the order becomes effective within 48 hours of Tuesday afternoon, and it follows the rescinding, last week, of local mandates by Yellowstone County Health Officer John Felton.

The loosening of restrictions is being made possible by the arrival of vaccines and the decline in the number of new COVID cases in the state.

Gov. Bullock’s orders had required restaurants, bars, casinos, distilleries, etc. to operate at 50 percent capacity and to close at 10 pm. Felton had extended the limit in Yellowstone County on hours of business to all businesses, but with both state and local orders rescinded businesses in Yellowstone County may now operate at full capacity and at whatever hours they choose.

Gianforte said that previous mandates “unduly restricted” restaurants, bars and casinos. Capacity directives were arbitrary, he said, and the restrictions were complicated and confusing. He said that he heard “loud and clear” from business owners that the directives were “too complex, difficult to implement and arbitrary.”

He said that his goal in issuing the COVID directives was to reduce the burden on businesses while simultaneously reducing risks of spreading the virus. The new rules are simple and common sense, he said. They are outlined on three pages while the previous rules were 25 pages long.

 Businesses are to follow “best practices” and urged to develop policies that continue to ensure the health and safety of their customers and employees.

“We will continue to make common sense steps,” said Gianforte, saying that he encourages everyone to continue to wear masks and that he  is “looking forward to the day when we can remove them.”

Last week, Gianforte said that changes to mask mandates not would be made until vaccinations have been given to the most vulnerable in the state, and a bill is on his desk from the state legislature that provides protection from COVID-19 lawsuits for businesses, schools and non-profits. That bill is winding its way through the state legislature.

At that time, he also explained that the first people to get the vaccine were to be health care providers and those most vulnerable, in an effort to keep hospitals and deaths at a minimum. At that time he identified two categories of priority vaccine recipients. In the press conference on Wednesday he said most of those in the first category – 1A – have already received the vaccine and most of those in the second category – 1B – should have received vaccinations by the end of January.

Montana is ranked ninth in terms of how quickly and efficiently the vaccines are being delivered and administered. “We have over 70,000 first doses,” he said, which is in excess of the number needed to serve the first category. By next week, most communities will move into the treating those in the 1B category.

New deliveries of the vaccines are being made weekly.