National Bison Range, Gas Tax, Medical Marijuana, Bombing Afghanistan

Missoulian: Zinke halts plan to transfer National Bison Range to tribal control

Statement from Secretary Zinke on the National Bison Range

“Twenty years of negotiation for an Annual Funding Agreement (AFA) with CSKT was met with mixed success due to litigation, personnel management issues, and differences in expectations regarding how the agreement should be crafted. In January of 2016, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) informed the Tribe that due to issues with AFA negotiations, they were changing the preferred path forward, instead supporting a legislative transfer of the NBR. In June of 2016, CSKT released draft legislation that would transfer management of NBR from the FWS to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to be held in trust for the CSKT. FWS supplied technical drafting assistance to Senator Jon Tester on the initial idea of a legislative transfer, but did not formally offer comment or directly engage on the bill crafted by CSKT.”

Missoulian: 4.5-cent-a-gallon hike in gas tax moves forward

HB 473: Revise highway revenue laws

Missoulian: Medical marijuana regulation bill has seen many amendments so far in Montana Legislature

SB 333: Generally revise medical marijuana laws

Missoulian: In first-ever combat use, US drops its largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan

U.S. Bombs, Destroys Khorasan Group Stronghold in Afghanistan