Government News for Montana

Friday, March 27, 2009

Latest Unemployment Data

From the Montana Department of Labor and Industry press release: "Montana's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 6.0% in February. Despite the slight increase from 5.6% in January, Montana continues to be well below the national average of 8.1%. 'Although the employment situation in Montana continues to deteriorate in response to the national recession, I feel confident that once the various projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act come online, we’ll be able to put many of these Montanans back to work,' says Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly. 'In fact, we are already helping the economy recover by issuing an additional $25 increase in weekly unemployment benefits paid for through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and we look forward to providing additional stimulus funding for the Montana economy.'"

The Montana Department of Labor and Industry website has information on unemployment benefits and includes a form for filing for unemployment online.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released unemployment figures for February 2009 for regions and states. The BLS also provides information on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and other employment and income-oriented figures.

Source: Associated Press (27 March 2009). "State unemployment rate up to 6 percent." Missoulian.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Montana Bill on Stimulus Funds

From the Missoulian: "Capping more than a week of marathon committee sessions and one-on-one negotiations among its members, a key legislative panel Tuesday approved the bill outlining how to spend Montana's $870 million share of federal economic 'stimulus' money."

The House Appropriations Committee passed House Bill 645, Implement receipt of and appropriate federal stimulus and recovery funds, yesterday. You can find the latest text of the bill on the Montana Legislature website. The bill now heads to the floor of the Montana House.

Source: Dennison, M. (25 March 2009). "Legislature 2009: Key panel approves stimulus measure." Missoulian. A1.

GAO Report on the Labor Department

From the New York Times: "The federal agency charged with enforcing minimum wage, overtime and many other labor laws is failing in that role, leaving millions of workers vulnerable, Congressional auditors have found."

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has prepared testimony on this investigation, "Department of Labor: Wage and Hour Division's Complaint Intake and Investigative Processes Leave Low Wage Workers Vulnerable To Wage Theft." The testimony is scheduled to be presented at a House Education & Labor Committee hearing.

Source: Greenhouse, S. (24 March 2009). "Labor Agency Is Failing Workers, Report Says." New York Times.

NIOSH Vermiculite Study

From the Missoulian: "A corporate insider testified Tuesday that he helped top W.R. Grace & Co. officials stymie a federal health study of the Libby vermiculite mine.

"The study, which was promoted in 1980 and 1981 by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, would have assessed the public health hazards of asbestos-laced vermiculite mined near Libby. The ore was freighted to expansion plants across the country and used in a range of consumer products."

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) website has fact sheets on exposure to vermiculite, asbestos exposure, and research conducted in Libby, MT. The NIOSH publications database points to several publications on vermiculite exposure and mortality in Libby, including one published in Environmental Health Perspectives, "Vermiculite, Respiratory Disease, and Asbestos Exposure in Libby, Montana: Update of a Cohort Mortality Study."

NIOSH included data from the early 1980's study on vermiculite exposure in Libby in the 1986 report, Occupational Respiratory Diseases. This report is available at many federal depository libraries, including the University of Montana Mansfield Library (call number: HE 20.7102:R 31/3).

Source: Scott, T. (25 March 2009). "Witness says W.R. Grace foiled health study." Missoulian. B1.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Property Tax and Reappraisal Bills

From the Missoulian: "This week, legislative committees finally will hear bills aiming to ease the potential financial sting on homeowners from the latest statewide reappraisal of residential property.

"If nothing is done, homeowners throughout Montana would see the value of their property soar by an average of 56 percent since the last reappraisal that took effect in 2003. That is a statewide average, with the amounts varying widely by county, within counties and by individual properties."

There are several bills that may address the property reappraisal and property tax issues:

House Bill 658, Mitigate reappraisal

Bill text

House Bill 663, Generally revise taxes and mitigate reappraisal

Bill text

House Bill 666, Mitigate property tax reappraisal and equalize property taxes

Bill text

House Bill 672, Constitutional amendment to cap property taxes

Bill text

House Bill 673, Narrowly mitigate reappraisal

Bill text

Source: Johnson, C. S. (23 March 2009). "Panels will hear bills on taking sting out of new property values." Missoulian. A1.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

State of the Birds Report

From the New York Times: "Habitat destruction, pollution and other problems have left nearly a third of the nation's 800 bird species endangered, threatened or in serious decline, according to a study issued on Thursday."

The State of the Birds website includes the full report. The Department of the Interior website has the press release for the report, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife website has video of Secretary Salazar's remarks upon the release of the report.

Source: Dean, C. (19 March 2009). "One Third of U.S. Bird Species Endangered, Survey Finds." New York Times.

CBO Report on the President's Budget

From the Washington Post: "In the first independent analysis of Obama's budget proposal, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office concluded that Obama's policies would cause government spending to swell above historic levels even after costly programs to ease the recession and stabilize the nation's financial system have ended."

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released the analysis "A Preliminary Analysis of the President's Budget and an Update of CBO's Budget and Economic Outlook." The full report is available as a PDF file and a CBO blog post summarizes the report.

Source: Montgomery, L. (21 March 2009). "Deficit Projected To Swell Beyond Earlier Estimates: CBO Expects Trillions More in Borrowing." Washington Post. A01.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Badger-Two Medicine Travel Plan

From the Missoulian: "The Badger-Two Medicine area of the Rocky Mountain Front has been reserved for horse and foot travel in a new decision by the Lewis and Clark National Forest.

"The 130,000-acre region just south of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and Glacier National Park has been in contention for decades as energy prospectors, tribal cultural authorities, conservation groups and off-highway vehicle users debated its use. It was the last part of the 1.8 million-acre forest without a travel plan until this week's decision."

The Lewis and Clark National Forest website includes motor vehicle use maps for the Rocky Mountain Ranger District, including the Badger-Two Medicine area. The site also includes the Rocky Mountain Ranger District Travel Management Plan (Birch Creek South and Badger-Two Medicine) final environmental impact statement and record of decision.

Source: Chaney, R. (18 March 2009). "Badger-Two Medicine: Motors banned from area." Missoulian. B1.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Clean Coal Hearing

From the Washington Post: "The Bush administration's decision to halt production of an experimental power plant that would capture and store carbon dioxide emissions underground may have set back "clean coal" technology in the United States by as much as a decade, according to a congressional report released at a hearing yesterday."

The House Committee on Science and Technology held a hearing on March 11, 2009, on "FutureGen and the Department of Energy's Advanced Coal Programs." The hearing webpage includes links to the staff report, committee letters, press releases, the archived webcast of the hearing, and related hearings and markup.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) website includes the testimony presented at the hearing and the full report, "Clean Coal: DOE's Decision to Restructure FutureGen Should Be Based on a Comprehensive Analysis of Costs, Benefits, and Risks."

Source: Kindy, K. (12 March 2009). "Bush May Have Set Back 'Clean Coal' Efforts by 10 Years, Report Says." Washington Post. A03.

Bartlett v. Strickland

From the Washington Post: "A fractured Supreme Court yesterday narrowed the protections of the Voting Rights Act, saying it does not require governments to draw electoral districts favorable to minority candidates in places where minorities make up less than half the population."

Bartlett v. Strickland
Docket no. 07-689

Questions presented

Merit and amicus briefs

Transcript of oral arguments

Supreme Court opinion

Source: Barnes, R. (10 March 2009). "Supreme Court Restricts Voting Rights Act's Scope: N.C. Redistricting Plan Favoring Minority Group Is Tossed." Washington Post. A02.

HB 2 Update

From the Missoulian: "The legislative session's major budget bill easily won endorsement by the Montana House on Monday, as all 50 House Democrats and some Republican allies beat back attempts by conservatives to reduce the measure's $8.1 billion price tag."

You can find the latest version of HB 2, the General Appropriations Act, on the Montana Legislature's Detailed Bill Information website.

Source: Dennison, M. (17 March 2009). "Legislature 2009: House endorses budget proposal." Missoulian. A1.

Monday, March 02, 2009

W.R. Grace Case Update

From the Missoulian: "Responding to a recent appellate court order, an incensed federal district judge suspended the proceedings in the W.R. Grace & Co. criminal trial until Tuesday and ordered prosecutors to call their closing witnesses out of order.

"U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy previously barred 34 witnesses with asbestos exposure from attending the environmental crimes trial until after their testimony is complete. The order precluded Libby residents Mel and Lerah Parker from observing any of the government's case in chief, because prosecutors anticipated calling the couple as their final witnesses."

The order in Parker vs. U.S. District Court was posted on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals website. Judge Molloy's order is available on the U.S. vs. W.R. Grace Case File website. The Cops and Courts blog provides more quick links to documents of interest in the case.

For additional information, the Montana District Court website includes archived audio files and exhibits from the courtroom.

Source: Scott, T. (2 March 2009). "W.R. GRACE TRIAL UPDATE: Molloy suspends proceedings after witness order." Missoulian.

Montanore Project EIS

From the Missoulian: "The U.S. Forest Service has released a draft environmental impact statement for a proposal to mine copper and silver beneath northwestern Montana's Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, a project that would occupy a slice of prime grizzly bear country and has critics forming a new group."

The draft environmental impact statement for the Montanore Project has been posted on the Kootenai National Forest website. The public comment period runs through May 28, 2009.

Source: Gallagher, S. (28 Feb. 2009). "Draft EIS released for Cabinet mine." Missoulian.

Office of Legal Counsel Memoranda

From the Department of Justice press release: "The Department of Justice today released two previously undisclosed Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) memoranda and seven previously undisclosed opinions.

"'Americans deserve a government that operates with transparency and openness,' said Attorney General Eric Holder. 'It is my goal to make OLC opinions available when possible while still protecting national security information and ensuring robust internal executive branch debate and decision-making.'"

The Department of Justice website has posted nine memoranda created between September 25, 2001, and January 15, 2009. The memoranda relate to FISA, detention activities, and the use of military force within the U.S. to combat terrorism.

Source: Associated Press (2 March 2009). "Obama releases secret Bush anti-terror memos." Yahoo! News.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

America's Families and Living Arrangements: 2008

From the Census Bureau press release: "With declining fertility rates and the aging of baby boomers, the percentage of families with their own child living at home decreased to 46 percent in 2008, from 52 percent in 1950, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau."

The new Census Bureau report, America's Families and Living Arrangements: 2008, offers information on marital status, household relationships, poverty status, teen employment numbers, children's health insurance coverage, and much more.

Source: Roberts, S. (25 Feb. 2009). "Census Finds Fewer Homes Have a Child in Residence." New York Times.

Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2010

From NPR.org: "President Barack Obama unveiled a multi-trillion-dollar spending plan Thursday that would boost taxes on the wealthy, curtail Medicare, lay the groundwork for universal health care and leave a string of deficits dwarfing any in the nation's history."

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) website has the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget of the United States Government. The White House site has the transcript of the President's remarks on the budget.

Source: Associated Press (26 Feb. 2009). "Obama Plan Would Boost Taxes On Wealthy." NPR.org.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

President's Address to Congress

From the Washington Post: "President Obama offered a grim portrait of America's plight in an address to a joint session of Congress last night, but he promised to lead an economic renewal that would lift the country out of its current crisis without bankrupting its future."

The White House website has the transcript and video of the President's remarks at last night's address to Congress. Additional information about economic recovery efforts has been added to Recovery.gov.

Source: Shear, M.D., and Kornblut, A.E. (25 Feb. 2009). "'Day of Reckoning': Obama Outlines Road to Economic Recovery, Stressing Education, Energy and Health Care." Washington Post. A01.

New Canada Lynx Critical Habitat Designation

From the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) press release: "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced a revised critical habitat designation for the Canada lynx, a species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. In total, approximately 39,000 square miles fall within the boundaries of the revised critical habitat designation in the States of Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington."

Information about the new critical habitat designation has been posted on the FWS Mountain-Prairie Region website. The site includes a questions and answers document and maps of the habitat units. The details about the new designation have been published in the February 24, 2009, Federal Register.

Source: Chaney, R. (25 Feb. 2009). "Lynx gain ground from USFWS." Missoulian. B1.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

2007 Census of Agriculture

From New West: "Farmers in the West have the better access than the rest of the nation to high-speed Internet, according to data from the 2007 Census of Agriculture."

The 2007 Census of Agriculture website includes detailed reports on farm characteristics (such as acreage, employees, internet access, expenses, and government payments), crop and livestock production, and more. You can retrieve detailed tables on states or counties.

The Online Highlights section offers fact sheets, the ability to create customized tables, and detailed maps.

Source: Lowery, C. (22 Feb. 2009). "When it Comes to Broadband Access, Rural West is Doing Dandy: The Rural West leads the nation in access to high-speed Internet." New West.