Native American Health Disparity / Montana Infrastructure/ Death Certificates

Missoulian: Report shows disparity in health insurance, access to care for Native Americans
Breaking Barriers: Improving Health Insurance Enrollment and Access to Health are in Montana
Indian Health Service: Disparities
“The American Indian and Alaska Nativepeople have long experienced lower health status when compared with other Americans. Lower life expectancy and the disproportionate disease burden exist perhaps because of inadequate education, disproportionate poverty, discrimination in the delivery of health services, and cultural differences. These are broad quality of life issues rooted in economic adversity and poor social conditions.”

Missoulian: Montana House endorses revised infrastructure bill
SB 416: Provide for statewide infrastructure.

Missoulian: Montana lawmakers pass increased death certificate costs

HB 223: Revise cost of death certificates and use for funding board of funeral service

Campaign Finance/ State Budget/ Eastern Montana Crime Lab/ Recognition of Indian Tribes/ Poland and the Holocaust

Missoulian: Gov. Bullock signs campaign finance bill into law
SB 289: Revise campaign finance laws
Governor Steve Bullock Signs Montana Disclose Act Into Law
“Governor Steve Bullock today signed the Montana Disclose Act into law. This law requires that any group, regardless of their tax status, that spends money or resources to influence an election within 60 days of when voting begins, must disclose how they are spending that money and the source of the money. At the bill signing, Bullock was joined by Sen. Duane Ankney (R-Colstrip) who sponsored the bill and Representative Frank Garner (R-Kalispell) who carried the bill in the House”

Missoulian: Compromise budget proposal includes state employee pay plan
HB 2:  General Appropriations Act

Missoulian: Committee agrees on deal for Eastern Montana Crime Lab
HB 512:  Establish an eastern Montana crime laboratory

Missoulian: Lawmaker tells administration: Pull back Indian tribe rules
Bipartisan Congressional Leaders Urge Interior to Refrain on Tribal Status Modifications
“House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs Don Young (R-AK), along with Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), and Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) sent a letter today to Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, requesting that the Department refrain from issuing a final rule on tribal acknowledgement regulations as set forth in 25 C.F.R. Part 83, cautioning that the proposed rule poses a range of “unintended and unjustifiable” consequences.”

Missoulian: Poland accepts FBI boss' regrets with reserve
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Annual Dinner, Washington, D.C.
“In their minds, the murderers and accomplices of Germany, and Poland, and Hungary, and so many, many other places didn’t do something evil. They convinced themselves it was the right thing to do, the thing they had to do. That’s what people do. And that should truly frighten us.”

Anti-Bullying/ No New Schools/ Uber/ Unemployment/ Suing the Government

Missoulian: Gov. Bullock signs Montana anti-bullying bill into law
HB 284: Generally revise laws related to bullying

Missoulian: House votes to kill bill allowing new high schools in Missoula, other cities
SB 107: Revise K-12 school district expansion laws

  

Missoulian: Bill to encourage Uber, similar services in Montana doesn’t sit well with taxi firms
SB 396: Generally revise regulation of transportation for hire laws

Missoulian: Montana's unemployment rate falls to 4.1 percent in March
Montana’s Unemployment Rate Drops Again to 4.1 Percent
“Montana’s unemployment rate dropped 0.2 percentage points in March, down to 4.1 percent.  Montana’s unemployment rate has not been this low since October 2007.  The U.S. unemployment rate was flat over the month at 5.5 percent in March.

‘Montana’s economy is off to a strong start in 2015, with nearly 9,000 jobs added in the first quarter,” Governor Steve Bullock said.  “Montana businesses and workers are on the right track to building a stronger economy, and I’m committed to building on this success for our state.’”

Missoulian: High court makes it easier to sue government for negligence
United States v. Kwai Fun Wong
“Kwai Fun Wong and Marlene June, respondents in Nos. 13–1074 and 13–1075, respectively, each missed one of those deadlines. Wong failed to file her FTCA claim in federal court within 6 months, but argued that that was only because the District Court had not permitted her to file that claim until after the period expired. June failed to present her FTCA claim to a federal agency within 2 years, but argued that her untimely filing should be excused because the Government had, in her view, concealed facts vital to her claim.”

New High Schools

Missoulian: Bill to allow new high schools in Missoula, other cities revived
SB 107: Revise K-12 school district expansion laws

Hunting Tags/ Raw Milk/ Gender Pay Gap/ Wisconsin Night Hunts

Missoulian: New Montana game tagging law doesn't salve hunters' anger
HB 279: Clarify laws related to when and how to legally tag game animals

Missoulian: Montana Senate rejects bill allowing sales of raw milk
HB 245: Revise laws related to raw milk

Missoulian: Study: Montana has larger gender pay gap than all but five states
OCCUPATION BY SEX AND MEDIAN EARNINGS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2013 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS) FOR THE CIVILIAN EMPLOYED POPULATION 16 YEARS AND OVER  more information
2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Missoulian: High court rejects Wisconsin appeal over tribal night hunts
LAC COURTE OREILLES BAND OF LAKE SUPERIOR CHIPPEWA INDIANS OF WISCONSIN  v. STATE OF WISCONSIN, et al