Research Tax Credit/ Postal Service/ Benghazi

Missoulian: House votes to make research tax credit permanent
 H.R.4438: American Research and Competitiveness Act of 2014
“American Research and Competitiveness Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a permanent research tax credit that allows for: (1) 20% of the qualified or basic research expenses that exceed 50% of the average qualified or basic research expenses for the 3 preceding taxable years, and (2) 20% of amounts paid to an energy research consortium for energy research. Reduces such credit rate to 10% if a taxpayer has no qualified research expenses in any one of the 3 preceding taxable years.”

Missoulian: Postal service had $1.9 billion quarterly loss

USPS Quarterly Report

Missoulian: House Democrats weigh role in new Benghazi probe             
Issa Votes to Establish the Select Committee on Benghazi
Investigation of Benghazi
“For over a year now, House Committees have engaged in serious, deliberate, and exhaustive oversight investigations of what led up to this tragic event, what happened that night, and why the White House still refuses to tell the whole truth. All of the unclassified information and findings from this ongoing investigation can be found on this website.”

Elk Kill/ Weather/ Bike to Work/ Museumes and Libraries

Missoulian: Hunters file lawsuit to stop elk kill permits, fencing
Elk Management Guidelines for Areas with Brucellosis Working Group
“The charter of this working group will be to collaboratively identify a problem statement, fundamental objectives and potential management options relative to effective management of elk in areas where brucellosis has been identified and where there is concern about brucellosis transmission between livestock and elk. The working group will be diverse and include both wildlife and livestock perspectives, advocacies and concerns.”

Missoulian: Cold, wet weather challenges Montana farms

Western Region Headquarters

Missoulian: Census: More Americans biking to work
Biking to Work Increases 60 Percent Over Last Decade, Census Bureau Reports
“Many U.S. cities are seeing an increase in bicycle commuters, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released today. Nationwide, the number of people who traveled to work by bike increased roughly 60 percent over the last decade, from about 488,000 in 2000 to about 786,000 during the 2008-2012 period. This is the largest percentage increase of all commuting modes tracked by the 2000 Census and the 2008-2012 American Community Survey.”

Missoulian: First lady honors outstanding museums, libraries
Remarks by the First Lady at Museum and Library Services National Medal Awards Ceremony
“So the work that you do in the summers, and throughout the year, quite frankly, is filling a crucial role for our country as we strive to give our young people a world-class education.  And as First Lady, as many of you know, that’s one of the issues that I am very passionate about.  I am passi

Charter Tax/ Oil Shale Flowers

Missoulian: Montana initiative to reverse Charter tax increase gets OK for signatures
Initiative No.172
“BALLOT LANGUAGE FOR INITIATIVE NO.172
A LAW PROPOSED BY INITIATIVE PETITION
I-172 changes the property rates for the video portion of cable television property for companies that provide physically bundled services of cable television, phone and high speed internet. In 2009, the Department of Revenue determined that a company that upgraded its cable television services to include bundled telecommunication services should be assessed a higher rate, and sought retroactive property tax payments going back to 2006. This determination increased the property taxes owed by the company.”
2014 Proposed Ballot Issues

Missoulian: Utah plan might keep flowers off endangered list
Graham’s and White River Beardtongues
“Both Graham's beardtongue (Penstemon grahamii) and White River beardtongue (Penstemon scariosus var. albifluvis) are long-lived perennial herbaceous plants in the plantain family (Plantaginacease). both species are local endemic plants associated with soils containing calcium carbonate, derived from oil shale barrens of the Green River geologic formation. Most populations are associated with the surface exposure of the petroleum-bearing oil shale Mahogany ledge.”
Graham beardtongue
White River Beardtongue