If this week’s newsletter had a theme, we’d be calling it Money Week. Yes, we talk about money a lot here and in the Capitol, but this week is special because we are talking! about! taxes! There has maybe never been anyone as hyped to write about revenue streams as I am right now, but…
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Lobbying 101: MLK Lobby Day at the Capitol
By Erin Miller, Missoula Field Manager On Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year, I was in Helena with the Montana Human Rights Network lobbying in the State Capitol. Lobbying is something that is very new to me so I was eager to learn as much as I could! We started the day with a…
What the Helena: Week 4
Hey friends. I finally made it up to the Helena this week — and let me tell you, that place is popping. The session is in its prime and you should definitely find some time to jump in the figurative deep end. Honestly, the capitol building can be kind of intimidating — at least for…
What the Helena: Week 3
Week 3, baby. Let’s start with some good news. Senate Bill 143 took a brief run at ending election-day voter registration before it was tabled in committee on Wednesday, which means it’s more than likely dead. Montanans voted overwhelming in favor of Election Day Registration in 2014, but apparently we have to keep reminding some…
FMT’s Public Statement on NorthWestern Energy’s Resource Procurement Plan
On Friday, January 19th, the Montana Senate & House Energy Committees hosted the Public Service Commission and held a public hearing on Northwestern Energy’s 20-year procurement plan. You can listen to the full meeting here. House and Senate Energy Committee members, Public Service Commissioners, and Northwestern Energy representatives: My name is Caitlin Piserchia, and I’m…
Public Lands Rally reminds legislators not to duck out on public lands
By Caitlin Piserchia, Conservation Outreach Fellow For the third legislative session in a row, the Public Lands Rally stormed the Capitol building to remind legislators that protecting public lands is part of what it means to be a Montanan. Over a thousand Montanans from across the state filled the Capitol rotunda on Friday, January 11th…
Legislative Tele-Townhall 2019
Montana’s 2019 legislative session is upon us, and there are countless issues up for debate that will affect young people in our state. Get educated without leaving your couch with Forward Montana’s statewide tele-townhall. This tele-townhall is for young Montanans by young Montanans with young Montanans. So, you know it’s gonna be great. #YoungPeoplePower We’ve…
What the Helena: Week 2
Hi. It’s me again. We’re through week two of the legislative session. If you’re already feeling a little overwhelmed, WELCOME. This is the space for you. I have like fifteen tabs open on my computer right now. Two of them are the same news story. Three of them are just my email inbox. I…
What the Helena: Week 1
WELCOME to the first edition of the 2019 What the Helena newsletter. I’ll be writing every week to let y’all know what’s going on in the capitol and how it affects young Montanans. Our goal? That the legislative session doesn’t need to be a 90-day anxiety stomach ache. (I mean, it still might be, which…
It’s beginning to look a lot like Legislative Season!
It’s not quite the “Night before Legislative Session” yet but to get into the holiday spirit, we hope you’ll pour yourself an eggnog and read our legislative session update to the poetic beat of the ‘Night before Christmas’… It’s that time of the biennium for the session to start. We’ve researched committees (allies & foes)…