Gideon Knox Group

The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Gianforte’s 15 Page Executive Order

Governor Greg Gianforte was elected by Montana’s many conservatives in the expectation that he would governor as a conservative. The Big Sky Public Policy Institute greatly favored Gianforte’s election and continues to support Gianforte as our new governor. However, it is necessary for the sake of intellectual honesty to review his executive orders objectively and without bias.

Energy Emergency Necessitates Legislature Keeping Power Plants Online

On February 12, Governor Greg Gianforte wisely declared an energy emergency. In the executive order, 2021-4, entitled, Executive Order Declaring a State of Energy Emergency and Temporarily Exempting Certain Carriers from Hours of Service Regulations Under Montana Law to Help Meet Fuel Demands, Governor Gianforte has wisely recognized the severity of our current energy problems.

SB162 Protects First Amendment Rights and is Good Policy

Senate Bill 162, sponsored by Sen. David Howard (SD29), is a necessary clarification for the Montana law code and will protect First Amendment rights of both the freedom of speech and the free exercise of religion.

SB160 Is Bad Policy, Reduces Representation, and Grows Bureaucracy

Although it is not rare for a Republican to introduce a bill that’s better off left for Democrats, it’s still unfortunate. That’s what SB160 amounts to, sponsored by Douglas Kary (R-SD22). Not only does the bill reduce the “consent of the governed” by eliminating direct elections for Public Service Commissioners, it increases the size of unelected Helena bureaucracy. And even worse, it potentially places control of the PSC into the hands of who one day will likely be a Democrat governor.

Call to Action: Rep. Mary Dunwell Needs Your Help Understanding Firearms

Earlier today, Rep. Mary Dunwell (D-HD84) demanded that the State Capitol Information Technology (IT) team require Rep. Braxton Mitchell (R-HD3) to remove a photo avatar on his personal Zoom account, which depicted her colleague holding an AR-15 semi-automatic sporting rifle.