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Seaborn Larson

Montana Legislature wraps after passing property tax relief, but not without final drama

Montana Legislature wraps after passing property tax relief, but not without final drama

The 69th Montana Legislature adjourned Wednesday after passing sweeping property tax legislation and a far-reaching spending bill, but not before a final dose of drama in the Senate. The headlining policies such as property tax relief and the GOP’s judicial reform agenda were the fodder of the final

Montana House endorses $16.6 billion budget after daylong debate

Montana House lawmakers on Wednesday endorsed a $16.6 billion two-year budget that includes a hearty investment in the state’s correctional facilities, the renewal of government-funded health care for low-income earners and hunter’s safety education. What emerged from the House floor with a preliminary vote

Montana Senate votes to censure Sen. Ellsworth, revoking nearly all legislative abilities

The only presence Sen. Jason Ellsworth will have in the Senate Chamber at the Montana State Capitol going forward will be the nameplate clinging to his vacated desk, and even that will expire in a matter of weeks. The Montana Senate on Tuesday resoundingly voted for a censure that stripped

Democratic coalition blocks expulsion of GOP Sen. Ellsworth; leaders to broker discipline

The Montana Senate was at an impasse on Monday over how to punish Hamilton Republican Sen. Jason Ellsworth after he attempted to use state money he had control over to arrange a contract for his longtime friend and former business partner. The chamber considered two punishments: One to expel him

Contractor subpoenaed after declining ethics committee's call to testify in Ellsworth case

The consultant on the other end of a state-funded contract that sparked splintering investigations into Sen. Jason Ellsworth declined a legislative ethics committee's request for his testimony on Friday, prompting lawmakers to issue a subpoena to the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office. Bryce Eggleston, the owner

Before controversial contract, Sen. Ellsworth pushed state job for business associate

Before Sen. Jason Ellsworth quietly tried shepherding a $170,000 state-funded contract for his longtime business associate, he sought to clear the way for Stevensville’s Bryce Eggleston to land a job in state government. The Montana State News Bureau on Monday obtained Eggleston’s resume for a communications

Montana Senate spirals as Ellsworth ethics probe paused, investigation sent to DOJ

Senate Democrats and a faction of GOP lawmakers on Thursday paused an ethics investigation into Sen. Jason Ellsworth’s controversial contract arrangement and referred the probe to the Montana Department of Justice, bringing the tensions that have embroiled the state Legislature for weeks to a 90-minute meltdown. The move