Government News for Montana

• National Forest Insect and Disease Emergency Act of 2009

  From the Associated Press: "The insect infestation that has killed millions of pine trees is one of the West's 'biggest natural disasters,' says U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, sponsor of a bill to give forest managers more ways to respond to the outbreak."
  
  You can read and follow [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 9:06am EST
  by J. Burroughs

• Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Helena Independent Record: "A bill written by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., passed the Senate on 98-0 vote Thursday, locking in benefits for rural veterans including those living across Montana.
  
  "The Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act will now be combined with a similar bill in the [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 12:23pm EST
  by J. Burroughs

• Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations

  Number of comments: 0
  From the New York Times: "The Obama administration distanced itself Wednesday from new standards on breast cancer screening that were recommended this week by a federally appointed task force, saying government insurance programs would continue to cover routine mammograms for women starting at age 40."
  
  The breast [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 4:43pm EST
  by J. Burroughs

• Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

  Number of comments: 0
  From the New York Times: "Democratic leaders in the Senate on Wednesday unveiled their proposal for overhauling the health care system, outlining legislation that they said would cover most of the uninsured while reducing the federal budget deficit."
  
  The text of the new "Patient Protection and Affordable" [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 4:29pm EST
  by J. Burroughs

• Presidential Memorandum on Tribal Consultation

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Washington Post: "President Obama on Thursday told what he called the largest gathering of Native American tribal leaders that 'you will not be forgotten by this White House,' pledging to work with them to address their community's chronic problems with health care, economic development, land management and'" [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 12:40pm EST
  by J. Burroughs

• Unemployment and Foreclosure Assistance

  Number of comments: 0
  From the New York Times: "In separate actions to address Americans’ continuing economic hardship, the government moved Thursday to assist long-unemployed workers and struggling businesses, as well as home buyers and homeowners facing foreclosure."
  
  Congress passed H.R.3548, the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, this [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 12:22pm EST
  by J. Burroughs

• Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., was the only Democrat on Thursday to vote against a climate change bill that Democrats rammed through a Senate committee - but said he still supports the effort to limit greenhouse gases and pass a bill."
  
  The Senate Committee on [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 12:04pm EST
  by J. Burroughs

• Kootenai Creek Fire Hydrology Review

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "In mid-October, the U.S. Forest Service conducted a Burned Area Emergency Response assessment on the after-effects of the Kootenai Creek fire.
  
  "On Monday, they released a report detailing the burn's effects on watersheds."
  
  The Kootenai Creek Fire Hydrology Report is available on the'" [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 10:50am EST
  by J. Burroughs

• Affordable Health Care for America Act

  Number of comments: 0
  From the New York Times: "House Democrats on Thursday unveiled their bill to remake the health care system and said they had the votes to pass it. But Republicans said gimmicks had been used to hide the measure's long-term costs."
  
  The text of H.R. 3962, Affordable Health' [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2009, 12:47pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• State Education Standards and NAEP

  Number of comments: 0
  From the New York Times: "A new federal study shows that nearly a third of the states lowered their academic proficiency standards in recent years, a step that helps schools stay ahead of sanctions under the No Child Left Behind law. But lowering standards also confuses parents about how" [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2009, 12:34pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Washington Post: "When a gay Wyoming college student was slain in 1998, congressional Democrats pledged to broaden the definition of federal hate crimes by the end of that year to include attacks based on sexual orientation.
  
  "The effort instead turned into a decade-long proxy war between [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2009, 12:05pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Health Reform Bill Round-up

  Number of comments: 0
  From the New York Times: "After months of relentless courting and suspense, Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Republican of Maine, cast her vote with Democrats on Tuesday as the Senate Finance Committee approved legislation to remake the health care system and provide coverage to millions of the uninsured."
  
  Several [...]
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  Posted: October 14, 2009, 4:18pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Blackfoot River Recreation Management Plan and EA

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "A draft environmental assessment issued last week considers using permits to control traffic on the 12-mile reach between the Harry Morgan and Russell Gates fishing accesses."
  
  The Draft Recreation Management Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Blackfoot River is available on the Montana Fish, [...]
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  Posted: October 14, 2009, 4:06pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Sixth Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Plan

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "Proposals to forego future fossil fuel power plants and wring more conservation savings out of the Pacific Northwest electricity market pleased many attendees at Tuesday night's Northwest Power and Conservation Council public hearing in Missoula."
  
  You can find the draft Sixth Northwest Electric Power' [...]
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  Posted: October 14, 2009, 3:59pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Post Deployment Health Assessment Provision

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "Legislation sponsored by Rep. Denny Rehberg requiring veterans to undergo face-to-face mental health screenings before deploying to war zones passed the House of Representatives on Thursday."
  
  The requirement is included in the Defense Authorization Act, under Title VII, Subtitle B. You can find the [...]
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  Posted: October 10, 2009, 9:04pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• CBO Analysis of America's Healthy Future Act

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Washington Post: "Congressional budget analysts gave an important political boost Wednesday to a Senate panel's health-care overhaul, projecting that the $829 billion measure would dramatically shrink the ranks of the uninsured and keep President Obama's pledge that doing so would not add 'one dime' to federal budget" [...]
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  Posted: October 08, 2009, 10:52am EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Kulstad v. Maniaci

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "The Montana Supreme Court Tuesday upheld parental rights for a Missoula woman who'd been part of a same-sex couple that cared for two adopted children, saying she's entitled to joint custody of the kids."
  
  The Montana Supreme Court opinion in Kulstad v. Maniaci is [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2009, 8:46am EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• H1N1 Vaccine

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "Students got the nod for vaccination because the first round of vaccine being delivered to Missoula County comes in nasal spray form. The nasal spray, which contains a live attenuated virus, can only be given to people in good health."
  
  The Centers for Disease Control [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2009, 8:37am EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Short-Term Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Associated Press: "Staying warm won't be quite as expensive this winter. People who heat with natural gas should do especially well, seeing their lowest bills in five years."
  
  The Short-Term Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook, produced by the Energy Information Administration, includes Projected Winter Fuel' [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2009, 8:33am EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Missoula City Code Title 20

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "The long-awaited update to outdated development regulations got overwhelming support Monday from the Missoula City Council.
  
  "The council voted 10-2 in favor of the new rulebook, Title 20, a victory for people whose jobs have mired them in the old and tangled rules."
  
  The" [...]
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  Posted: October 06, 2009, 1:23pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Associated Press: "A House-passed bill to give another 13 weeks of unemployment benefits to people from states where the jobless rate is at least 8.5 percent has bogged down in the Senate because of resistance from lawmakers whose states have lower unemployment and would be left out."
  [...]
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  Posted: October 02, 2009, 1:23pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Discussions of Senate Finance Health Reform Bill

  Number of comments: 0
  From the New York Times: "After an intense debate that captured the essence of the national struggle over health care, a pivotal Senate committee on Tuesday rejected two Democratic proposals to create a government insurance plan to compete with private insurers."
  
  The Senate Finance Committee is airing [...]
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  Posted: September 30, 2009, 2:22pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Washington Post: "The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will unveil a bill Wednesday that aims to make deep cuts in U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions in the near and long term while setting a limit on the cost of carbon allowances, according to several sources and a [...]
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  Posted: September 30, 2009, 2:02pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Fantasy Sports Gambling in Montana

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "The Montana Lottery's involvement in fantasy sports gambling doesn't comply with state law, a legislative performance audit has concluded."
  
  The Montana Legislative Audit Division released the report on their website: "Fantasy Sports Parimutuel Gambling." A summary version is also available.
  
  Source: Johnson, [...]
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  Posted: September 30, 2009, 1:41pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Montana and Yellowstone Fires

  Number of comments: 0
  You can keep up to date with reports from fires in Montana using Inciweb, an "incident information system" produced through the partnership of Several federal agencies. Inciweb includes quick facts about a fire (such as its size and its cause), a map of the area, and latest reports. The [...]
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  Posted: September 28, 2009, 12:45pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009

  Number of comments: 0
  From the New York Times: "The House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation that expands federal aid to college students while ending federal subsidies to private lenders."
  
  The House passed H.R.3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, with roll call vote 719. The [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 12:12pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Montana Year End Surplus Revision

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "The state ended the budget year in mid-2009 with a preliminary general fund surplus of $392 million, or nearly $23 million more than the Legislature had projected, a legislative fiscal analyst told a committee Thursday."
  
  The Legislative Fiscal Division issued a FY 2009 [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 11:33am EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• New GAO Border Report

  Number of comments: 0
  From the New York Times: "Government auditors reported Thursday that the effort to secure the Mexican border with technology and fences has fallen years behind schedule, will cost billions of dollars extra in maintenance costs and has no clear means of gauging whether illegal crossings have been curtailed."
  
  [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 11:23am EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• America's Healthy Future Act of 2009

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "Sen. Max Baucus today unveiled his long-awaited health reform bill, which would require all Americans to buy or maintain health insurance starting in 2013."
  
  The Senate Finance Committee website has a PDF of the Chairman's Mark of the new America's Healthy Future Act [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2009, 12:05pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Income, Poverty and Health Insurance in the United States: 2008

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Washington Post: "More Americans went without health insurance last year, median income fell and the poverty rate rose to its highest level in 11 years as the recession took root, according to a Census Bureau report released Thursday."
  
  The Census Bureau released new data on [...]
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  Posted: September 10, 2009, 3:02pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• President's Address to Congress on Health Reform

  Number of comments: 1
  From the Washington Post: "Declaring that the 'time for bickering is over,' President Obama sought to revive the prospects for far-reaching health-care legislation Wednesday night, pressing lawmakers to act this year on his signature domestic priority."
  
  The White House website has a transcript of the President's speech, [...]
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  Posted: September 10, 2009, 10:30pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Highlights of the Baucus Health Plan

  Number of comments: 2
  From the Washington Post: "Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) will seek a $900 billion bipartisan health-care deal Tuesday afternoon when he meets with Republican negotiators, but several key issues remain unresolved."
  
  Ezra Klein, of the Washington Post, has posted a scan of the "Baucus" [...]
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  Posted: September 08, 2009, 1:13pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• President's Speech to Students

  Number of comments: 0
  From the New York Times: "Ignoring the uproar surrounding his back-to-school address, President Obama plans to urge America's schoolchildren on Tuesday to dream big dreams and respect their teachers, to study hard and learn from failure."
  
  The text of the President's speech to students has been posted [...]
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  Posted: September 08, 2009, 11:14am EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Unemployment Numbers

  Number of comments: 1
  From the Washington Post: "The job market continued its long, steep decline in August, with the jobless rate soaring to 9.7 percent and employers continuing to shed jobs, albeit at a slower rate than expected.
  
  "Analysts generally believe that economic output began rising by late summer. But new [...]
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  Posted: September 04, 2009, 12:54pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Swine Flu Updates and Guidance

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Washington Post: "Day-care centers and other facilities responsible for young children should make sure their employees get vaccinated against the seasonal flu and the swine flu to keep facilities open during the upcoming flu season, federal health officials said Friday."
  
  The Centers for Disease Control and [...]
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  Posted: September 04, 2009, 12:29pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Wolf Hunting in Montana

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 2 headquarters in Missoula sold 119 wolf licenses Monday and had a steady stream of customers Tuesday."
  
  The Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks website has information about wolf hunting, including dates, regulations, and license applications.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: September 02, 2009, 11:23am EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Doing Better for Children Report

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Associated Foreign Press: "The United States allocates more public funds to its children than most other industrialised states but gets relatively less than its peers in return, the OECD said in a report on Tuesday."
  
  Portions of the new Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [...]
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  Posted: September 02, 2009, 11:08am EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• USA v. Gallenardo

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "U.S. Attorney Bill Mercer said Thursday a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling frees his office to resume prosecuting one segment of the sex offender population. That's people who are convicted of a sex offense in another state or in Indian Country and then move to" [...]
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  Posted: August 28, 2009, 12:26pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Home Sales and Durable Goods Figures

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Associated Press: "Consumers and businesses went on a big- ticket spending spree in July, sending home, car and equipment sales soaring by the largest amount in years."
  
  The numbers for new home sales and durable goods are posted on the Census Bureau's Economic [...]
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  Posted: August 27, 2009, 8:20am EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Mid-session Review of the Budget

  Number of comments: 0
  From the New York Times: "The nation's fiscal outlook is even bleaker than the government forecast earlier this year because the recession turned out to be deeper than widely expected, the budget offices of the White House and Congress agreed in separate updates on Tuesday."
  
  The Office of [...]
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  Posted: August 26, 2009, 12:14pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• CIA Inspector General Report on Detention Practices

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Washington Post: "A partially declassified CIA report released Monday by the Obama administration describes the early implementation of the agency's interrogation program in 2002 and 2003 as ad hoc and poorly supervised, leading to the use of "unauthorized, improvised, inhumane and undocumented" techniques."
  
  The CIA [...]
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  Posted: August 25, 2009, 8:30am EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Health Care Reform

  Number of comments: 0
  There is a tremendous amount of debate about health care reform in the news, and there appears to be an interest in more information about the issues. This blog is intended to share government-produced information in a non-partisan fashion, in keeping with principles 6 and 7 of the American [...]
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  Posted: August 18, 2009, 3:42pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• National Park Use Statistics

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Associated Press: "It could be the upside of the economic downturn: The Obama administration says visits to national parks are up nearly 4 percent this year.
  
  "The National Park Service said Monday that 127.7 million visits were made to national parks in the first six months [...]
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  Posted: August 18, 2009, 3:34pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Bitterroot National Forest Travel Management Plan

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "The Bitterroot National Forest's brand new draft travel management plan is no easy read.
  
  "At close to 400 pages filled with charts, all manner of data and more than 40 full-size maps, it might even be considered confusing.
  
  "Starting this week, Bitterroot Forest officials" [...]
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  Posted: August 11, 2009, 10:54am EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• California v. USDA

  Number of comments: 1
  From the Associated Press: "A federal appeals court Wednesday blocked road construction in at least 40 million acres of pristine national forests.
  
  "The decision by a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reinstates most of a 2001 rule put in place by President Bill Clinton [...]
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  Posted: August 07, 2009, 1:29pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Cash for Clunkers

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "A number of Missoula dealerships will delay making deals through the federal government's 'Cash for Clunkers' program until the future - and finances - of the system are clear."
  
  Information about the CAR Allowance Rebate System (CARS), also known as Cash for Clunkers, can be [...]
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  Posted: August 04, 2009, 11:47am EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Sotomayor Update

  Number of comments: 0
  From the New York Times: "President Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, moved closer to taking her seat on Tuesday as the Senate Judiciary Committee overwhelmingly approved her nomination and sent it on to the full Senate."
  
  The Senate Judiciary Committee website has details [...]
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  Posted: July 29, 2009, 7:38pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• New Home Sales Data

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Commerce Department press release: "The U.S. Bureau of the Census released new residential sales for June 2009. Sales of new one-family houses rose 11.0 percent in June, well above the rise of 2.3 percent expected by private-sector analysts."
  
  The Census Bureau website has June figures for [...]
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  Posted: July 29, 2009, 7:26pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Kids Count

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Missoulian: "Montana, in terms of the well-being of its children, ranks below the national average and has even slipped slightly, according to a national report released Tuesday.
  
  "The 2009 Kids Count report, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, shows federal data in 10 key areas [...]
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  Posted: July 29, 2009, 6:11pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs

• Health Care Proposals

  Number of comments: 0
  From the Washington Post: "President Obama confronted increasing doubts about the impact of widespread changes to the health-care system, seeking to assure middle-class Americans on Wednesday that the landmark legislation he envisions would improve their quality of life and is essential to curing the nation's economic ills."
  
  Video [...]
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  Posted: July 24, 2009, 3:33pm EDT
  by J. Burroughs