DUI Second Chance?

Missoulian: Connell’s bill would allow driver's licenses for DUI felons
SB 93: Revise laws related to DUI convictions and restricted-use driving permit

Section 1. Restricted-use driving permit -- conditions -- definitions. (1) A person who, pursuant to 61-5-105(2), may not be issued a driver's license due to an ineligible status reported by another  state to the national driver register may apply to the department for a restricted-use driving permit for use only  within the state of Montana if:

 (a) the person has maintained continuous residence in Montana for at least 5 years and is not otherwise ineligible for a license under 61-5-105;
 (b) the person submits a certified driving record from the licensing agency of each state that has reported  the person's status as ineligible to the national driver register that shows that at least 5 years have elapsed from  the effective date of the most recent withdrawal of the person's driver's license or driving privileges by the other  state or states;

(c) for the 5-year period immediately preceding application for a restricted-use driving permit, the person  has not been convicted of a traffic violation or any crime in which the abuse of alcohol or dangerous drugs was  a contributing factor in the commission of the crime, including but not limited to driving under the influence of  alcohol or dangerous drugs;

(d) the person certifies that no traffic citations or alcohol-related or drug-related criminal charges are  currently pending against the person;

(e) the person certifies that a good faith effort was made to resolve the person's ineligible status through  the licensing agency of each state or states that reported the person's status as ineligible to the national driver register, including the payment of any pending fees or fines; and

(f) the person provides any other information required by department rule.

Montana DOTMontana Impaired Driving Data 2012

• Impaired Driving Assessment 2013 & State's Response
• 
  
  
  
  Federal DOT
  Alcohol-Impaired Driving
  "From 2012 to 2013, fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes decreased by 2.5 percent (10,336 to 10,076 fatalities). Alcohol impaired-driving fatalities in the past 10 years have declined by 23 percent, from 13,099 in 2004 to 10,076 in 2013. The national rate of alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in motor vehicle crashes in 2013 was 0.34 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT), a decline from 0.35 in 2012. The alcohol-impaired-driving fatality rate in the past 10 years has declined by 23 percent, from 0.44 in 2004 to 0.34 in 2013."

Happy New Year!/ Employment and Unemployment/ Health Care Sign-ups

Happy New Year!
Census Bureau Projects U.S. and World Populations on New Year's Day

Popular New Year's Resolutions
These New Year's resolutions are popular every year. Here’s information that can help you achieve your goals in 2015.

Missoulian: Applications for US jobless aid rise, but growth looks solid
Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary
“Regional and state unemployment rates were little changed in November. Forty-one states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate decreases from October, three states had increases, and six states had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Forty-three states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, four states had increases, and three states had no change. The national jobless rate was unchanged from October at 5.8 percent and was 1.2 percentage points lower than in November 2013.”

Missoulian: Report prompts mixed view of health care sign-ups
Health Insurance Marketplace 2015 Open Enrollment Period: December Enrollment Report 

Montana Water Claim/ Brewery Law

Missoulian: Special master rules against Montana water claims
Attorney General’s Office Comments on Latest in Montana-Wyoming Water Case
Montana v. Wyoming
Yellowstone River Compact
The Yellowstone River Compact was ratified in 1950 and became effective in 1951. The Yellowstone River Compact Commission (YRCC) is a three member commission charged with apportioning the waters of the Yellowstone River and its tributaries. The Compact was entered into by Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming to:

• provide for an equitable division and apportionment of the waters of the Yellowstone River and its tributaries.
• encourage the beneficial development and use of the Basin's waters, recognizing the great importance of water for irrigation that would arise from future projects or programs for the regulation, control, and use of water in the Yellowstone River Basin.
• further intergovernment cooperation and remove causes of controversy over distribution and use of water.

Missoulian: 2015 bill could change Montana breweries
Generally revise licensing of brewers and breweries

Where the Buffalo Roam

Last week NPR had a story called What (Not?) To Do When You Meet the Last Great Wild Buffalo. It is about the efforts of William Hornaday to preserve what he believed were some of the last bison. The story reminded me of a document I came across last year:

THE EXTERMINATION OF THE AMERICAN BISON.

BY

WILLIAM T. HORNADAY,

Superintendent of the National Zoological Park.

This document is available in the library and online through Project Gutenberg. Published in 1889 the document describes the animals and their destruction. Images of the of buffalo killed by Hornaday for exhibition are included.

Health Insurance/ Smithsonian/ Renewable Energy

Missoulian: Being uninsured in America will cost you more
Affordable Care Act (ACA) Tax Provisions
Health Care Law: What’s New for Individuals & Families
Affordable Care Act Tax Provisions for Individuals and Families

Missoulian: Smithsonian's federal funds increasing by $14.5M
National Museum of African American History and Culture

Missoulian: Program that backed Solyndra now showing successes
The Journey to Commercializing Cellulosic Biofuels in the United States
“The Abengoa plant is designed to produce up to 25 million gallons per year of cellulosic ethanol from non-edible corn stalks, stems and leaves, harvested within a 50-mile radius of the plant. The state-of-the-art facility will feature an electricity cogeneration component that will generate up to 21 megawatts of electricity -- enough to power the plant and provide excess clean, renewable power to the local community. This project is an ideal example of the Department of Energy’s coordinated efforts along the path to commercialization.”

Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy