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☆ TikTok ban is the least palatable of options
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Montana is following a movement around the United States to try to keep Americans from using TikTok. That has consequences: The United States has never pulled a platform used by so many people to communicate. China, which before TikTok had never cracked the U.S. market with a successful social media network, is unlikely to let ByteDance part with TikTok. More recently the company had been working with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to ease concerns. TikTok users in the United States could still binge on short videos, but the company – and its rivals – would face tougher constraints.

— The Montana House of Representatives took the extraordinary step of blocking the state’s only transgender lawmaker from the House floor for the remainder of the legislative session on Wednesday after an escalating standoff over her ability to speak in the House led to heated protests and arrests on Monday and the abrupt cancellation of Tuesday’s session. The barred lawmaker, Representative Zooey Zephyr, will still be allowed to cast votes during House proceedings for the remainder of session, which concludes on May 5, but must do so remotely. The move is the culmination of a weeklong battle between House leadership and Ms. Zephyr, who was prohibited from participating in deliberations on the House floor after she made impassioned comments during debate over a bill that would prohibit hormone treatments and surgical care for transgender minors. It was one of a half-dozen similar bills targeting transgender youth that the Legislature had considered in the last week alone. And it comes amid an avalanche of similar legislation in Republican-controlled legislatures across the country.

☆ Montana Republicans are trying to censure a transgender legislator for castigating them about a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Democratic Montana Rep. Zooey Zephyr is the state's first openly transgender legislator. Following her speech, Montana's Freedom Caucus demanded Zephyr be censured. Additionally, the caucus also misgendered Zephyr, the first openly transgender member of the Montana legislature, in the letter. House Minority Leader Kim Abbott, in a statement to the Helena Independent Record, admonished the Montana Freedom Caucus for disrespecting her colleague. "I stand by my accurate description of the devastating consequences of banning essential medical care for transgender youth," Zephyr wrote.

☆ Montana Lawmakers Approve Statewide Ban on TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Meghan Bobrowsky | Stu Woo | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Montana lawmakers on Friday approved a first-of-its-kind bill to ban TikTok across the state, setting the stage for future court battles that could determine the fate in the U.S. of the popular, Chinese-owned social media app. The Montana House voted 54-43 to send the bill to Gov. Greg Gianforte ’s desk. The governor’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on whether or when he might sign the bill.

☆ Montana lawmakers vote to completely ban TikTok in the state
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington CNN —Montana became the first US state on Friday to pass legislation banning TikTok on all personal devices, sending a bill to Gov. Greg Gianforte prohibiting TikTok from operating within state lines and barring app stores from offering TikTok for downloads. The legislation marks the furthest step yet by a state government to restrict TikTok over perceived security concerns and comes as some federal lawmakers have called for a national ban of TikTok. Individual users of TikTok, meanwhile, would not be penalized for accessing TikTok. In December, Gianforte banned TikTok from state government devices and the following month urged the Montana University System to follow suit, which it did.

☆ Montana Republicans are appealing to anti-California sentiment to pass a slew of bipartisan pro-housing policies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Montana Republicans are aligned behind zoning reform and other pro-housing policies. And everybody in Montana is asking this question of, you know, how can we keep Montana feeling like Montana?" Preventing a 'California-style housing crisis'Montana's ultra-conservative GOP governor, Greg Gianforte, recently called the housing crisis "probably the number one issue faced by working Montanans." Conservative supporters of pro-housing policies in the state have successfully tied anti-California sentiment to anti-sprawl and pro-housing policies. "The fear is that in 25 years, we're going to have a California-style housing crisis," Cotton said.

☆ Montana lawmakers pass bill to ban TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Montana legislators approved a bill on Friday that would ban TikTok from being offered in the state in a 54-43 vote. Beyond Montana, federal lawmakers have for months been pushing an act that would ban TikTok across the country if ByteDance won't sell its stake in the viral video app. The Montana bill cited likely Chinese surveillance and the potential theft of state intellectual property as some of the impetus behind the ban. TikTok said it opposes the bill, adding that there's no clear path for the Montana government to enforce it or punish violators. "We will continue to fight for TikTok users and creators in Montana whose livelihoods and First Amendment rights are threatened by this egregious government overreach."

☆ Montana's legislature has passed a statewide ban on TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The bill bans TikTok on nearly all personal devices and also bars app stores from offering TikTok. The bill is pending a signature from Montana's governor, Greg Gianforte, but would go into effect in 2024. On Friday, Montana legislators voted in favor of a bill to ban TikTok within state lines. The bill is now pending approval from Montana's governor Greg Gianforte. Other groups like the American Civil Liberties Union are also protesting Montana's bill.

☆ Montana Legislature Approves Outright Ban of TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Montana House of Representatives on Friday approved a total ban on TikTok inside the state, setting up the state’s Republican governor to sign the first-of-its-kind prohibition into law. The legislation, which would also bar app stores from carrying TikTok, the wildly popular viral video app, was approved 54 to 43 in the last of two votes in the State House. Greg Gianforte must decide whether to sign the bill into law, veto it or do nothing for 10 days after receiving the bill and let it become law without his signature. A spokeswoman for Mr. Gianforte did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A TikTok spokeswoman, Brooke Oberwetter, said in a statement that supporters of the bill had admitted they didn’t have a feasible plan for carrying out the ban.

☆ Fact Check-Fabricated Montana Governor Gianforte tweet claiming child was ‘immaculately conceived’ is shared online
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A fabricated screenshot that purports to show a tweet published by the Governor of Montana claiming a child of his was “immaculately conceived” has been shared online. The screenshot shows what resembles a tweet from Governor Greg Gianforte’s Twitter account that reads, in part, “Much like my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, my child was immaculately conceived.”Examples of the image are viewable (bit.ly/3HDgZ7x) and (bit.ly/3HCxHnm). A spokesperson for Gianforte told Reuters: “The governor did not tweet this absolutely absurd tweet.”A Twitter advanced search via Gianforte’s Twitter account did not reveal any such post (archive.is/wip/URInq). A Google advanced search did not reveal any media outlets reporting on the supposed post either (archive.is/wip/bMr27). Reuters did not find any media reports suggesting that Gianforte made any related claim in the past (archive.is/wip/eLBJI).

Bills to block the app on state devices in California, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont have also been proposed. University of IdahoSchool’s policy: TikTok must be removed from university equipment "regardless of funding source," according to the school's help page. South Dakota University SystemSchool’s policy: The South Dakota Board of Regents, which governs six universities including Black Hills State University, University of South Dakota, Northern State University, Dakota State University, South Dakota State University and South Dakota Mines, told employees they could not use, download or access TikTok on university devices. University of Texas — AustinSchool’s policy: On Dec. 16, university officials announced that TikTok would be banned on state-issued devices. Texas Tech UniversitySchool’s policy: University employees are prohibited from using TikTok on school-issued devices and official university TikTok accounts must be deactivated.

Closely watched state Supreme Court races in which divisive issues such as abortion rights and redistricting fueled political donations and record campaign fundraising ended with mixed results on Election Day. Republican Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine speaks to supporters at an election watch party on November 8, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. Andrew Spear / Getty ImagesIn North Carolina, Republicans were victorious, claiming the two open seats on the state Supreme Court and flipping its makeup to a 5-2 Republican majority — clinching power for the first time in six years. The 6th Supreme Court District is comprised of 13 largely Republican-leaning counties, and eight of them rejected the amendment, she added. While the state Legislature is controlled by Republicans, voters may not have been swayed by politics when it came to deciding who sits on the state Supreme Court.

☆ LR-131: Montana could establish law that makes any infant born alive a legal person
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Proponents say that the law is necessary to preserve infant life after birth. Opponents say the measure is misleading and infringes on the right of providers to make medical decisions. Ballot measure detailsThe state of Montana is set to vote on a controversial amendment that would establish any infant born alive, including infants born alive as a result of abortion, must have its life preserved by medical staff. The proposed law would also require medical staff to provide care to keep the infant alive and report the born-alive infant. They also argue that the law will put an unnecessary burden on healthcare providers who try to make the best decisions for their patients.

Fischer is also the author of Kentucky’s 2019 “trigger” law, which went into effect when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June and makes most abortions illegal in the state. This year, with 84 seats up for election in state supreme court races nationwide – the highest number in recent years, according to election tracking organization Ballotpedia – these down-ballot races are taking on a heightened significance and scrutiny. Four out of seven of Kentucky’s state Supreme Court seats are up on Nov. 8, with three of those races contested. But if the amendment loses, a legal challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood attempting to overturn the ban would move forward before the state Supreme Court. A ‘new frontier’In Montana, Republicans have accused the seven-member state Supreme Court of holding a “liberal bias,” particularly while Democratic governors filled court vacancies in recent years.

☆ Montana defies order on transgender birth certificates
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

— Just hours after a Montana judge blocked health officials from enforcing a state rule that would prevent transgender people from changing the gender on their birth certificate, the Republican-run state on Thursday said it would defy the order. District Court Judge Michael Moses chided attorneys for the state during a hearing in Billings for circumventing his April order that temporarily blocked a 2021 Montana law that made it harder to change birth certificates. Moses said there was no question that state officials violated his earlier order by creating the new rule. ACLU attorney Malita Picasso expressed dismay with the agency’s stance and said officials should immediately start processing requests for birth certificate changes. State officials denied that the new rule preventing birth certificate changes was adopted in bad faith.

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