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united states senate

Montana Senate advances bill to define 'sex' as binary, despite past legal challenges

Only weeks after a Missoula district court judge ruled a Montana law defining sex as binary was unconstitutional, the Senate passed a bill Thursday that seeks to do the same thing. Senate Bill 437 takes another stab at writing into state law that there are only two sexes: male and

Bill to allow political party donations to Montana judicial candidates heads to gov's desk

The first bill of the highly anticipated package of judicial reform proposals is headed to Gov. Greg Gianforte’s desk. House Bill 39 would repeal a law banning political parties from donating to judicial candidates in Montana. The legislation is one of 27 bills recommended by the Senate Select Committee

Bill to allow political party donations to Montana judicial candidates heads to gov's desk

The first bill of the highly anticipated package of judicial reform proposals is headed to Gov. Greg Gianforte’s desk. House Bill 39 would repeal a law banning political parties from donating to judicial candidates in Montana. The legislation is one of 27 bills recommended by the Senate Select Committee

Montana DOJ opens criminal investigation into Senator Ellsworth's $170K contract deal

The Montana Department of Justice is opening a criminal investigation into Sen. Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, after he attempted to use state money to contract a longtime friend, the department announced Wednesday. This investigation was prompted by a referral from the Legislative Audit Division to Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s

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

Ethics panel on Ellsworth's contract investigating potential criminal violation

A legislative ethics committee is investigating the idea that a Hamilton senator's state-funded business contract may have violated criminal statute, according to a letter adopted at the second of two committee meetings Monday. The Montana Senate voted last week to convene an ethics committee after news of