Category: Politics
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One In, Two Out
The Trump administration has issued its fiscal year 2019 status update on one-in, two-out –“Regulatory Reform Results for Fiscal Year 2019.” According to the administration, agencies issued 61 “significant deregulatory actions,” and 35 significant regulatory ones, for a ratio of 1.7 to 1. “Close to one-in, two-out, but not quite,” commented the Competitive Enterprise Institute.…
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MSU B Changes Names of Colleges
Montana State University Billings recently received board of regents approval to rename and restructure two of their colleges. The College of Allied Health Professions’ new name will be the College of Health Professions & Science, and the College of Arts & Sciences will change to the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. This shift…
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More Workers Earning 6 Figure Salaries
From The Center Square Earning a salary of $100,000 a year is a major financial milestone for many Americans. The good news is that with steadily rising wages and increasing demand for skilled jobs, the goal of earning a six-figure salary is more attainable than ever before. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that…
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MDT Seeks to Rehab 94 Corridor
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) would like to notify the public and seek comments on a proposal to rehabilitate 10 bridges within the Interstate 94 corridor in Yellowstone County. The bridges are located between mile posts 14 and 21, starting at Ballantine and continuing to approximately 2.5 miles west of Pompeys Pillar. Proposed work…
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Federal Overtime Rule Rules
At the beginning of the year, small business owners must begin complying with changes in the federal overtime rule. The minimum salary for the overtime exemption will rise from $23,660 annually to $35,568 annually. That means employers have to pay time-and-a-half for executive, administrative, or professional employees who make less than $35,568 for any work…
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Cig Tax Prompts Smuggling
The newest report from the Tax Foundation on the consequences of high state cigarette excise taxes reveals that 21.34 percent of the total cigarettes consumed in Montana are smuggled into the state. Montana ranks twelfth highest in the nation in terms of smuggled cigarettes. The organization makes the point that crafting tax policy, often has,…
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Air Terminal Updates
A continuing resolution for federal funding for the current fiscal year gives Missoula International Airport the surety it needs in planning a proposed $67 million terminal, following a record passenger year and in anticipation of additional new flights. The project is expected to be completed in 2021. Uncooperative winter weather has slowed progress on the…
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Br-r-r-r-r, Montana, Colder than You Thought!
If, for shivering Montanans, the winters of the recent past have seemed colder and summers inordinately cooler, they would be right. The average monthly temperatures in Montana have been declining at a pace of 0.4 degrees F each decade, since 2005, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The data also reveals that…
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AG Fox Praises New ‘Waters of the U.S.’ Rule that Replaces Obama-Era Regulation
On Sept. 12, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers announced the repeal of the controversial 2015 “Waters of the U.S.” rule, which dramatically expanded federal authority beyond traditional interpretations of the Clean Water Act. The EPA and Corps also announced the finalization of a replacement rule that brings consistency and clarity…
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Montana Community Development Gets SBA PRIME Grant
The U.S. Small Business Administration announced that the Montana Community Development Corporation (“MoFi”) has been awarded a $187,270 SBA PRIME grant to help low-income entrepreneurs gain access to capital to establish and expand their small businesses through the Program for Investment in Micro-Entrepreneurs PRIME. The 2019 PRIME Grant will help MoFi offer training and technical…