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Articles written by Austin Knudsen


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  • Tester and Dark Money

    Austin Knudsen, Political Views|Jun 28, 2017

    In April, Senator Jon Tester joined an unsuccessful partisan effort to filibuster Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court. To justify his actions, Tester said at the time, “With Judge Gorsuch on the bench, I am deeply concerned that dark money will continue to drown out the voices and votes of citizens.” It seems Tester has changed his tune on “dark money” just a few months later. While the liberal “dark money” group, Majority Forward, has been pummeling Montana’s voters with television ads on Tester’s behalf – Senator Tester has...

  • The Speaker Chimes In

    Austin Knudsen, Legislative Update|Feb 15, 2017

    The Montana Legislature is now 1/3 of the way done, and as your representative and Speaker of the Montana House, I wanted to drop you all an update about what’s going on. This session has been much calmer than the previous three sessions I have been involved in, and that is because frankly, there is no money. In 2011, we left Helena with a $500 million budget surplus. In 2013, there was a $350 million budget surplus, and in 2015 the legislature left town with a $300 million budget surplus. Throughout the last election cycle, you heard G... Full story

  • Republican Plan for Montana's Future

    Austin Knudsen and Ron Ehli, Majority Voices|Jan 4, 2017

    Welcome to a new year and a new legislative session. With our eyes toward Montana’s future, we are hopeful that the next 90 days will bring badly needed changes. We must put our state back on a path toward economic stability that creates greater opportunities for all Montanans. This November, the people of Montana sent a strong message to Helena: we are ready for a change in the way our state is run. And with a legislative session ahead that will be largely focused on the budget this will be critical for all Montanans. In our time serving Monta...

  • Knudsen Proposes Infrastructure Bill

    Austin Knudsen, Montana Speaker Of The House|Feb 18, 2015

    Greetings from Helena. The 64th Montana Legislature is in full swing, it now being the fifth week of the session. As Speaker of the House, I have been very busy managing and administering the Montana House of Representatives by assigning bills to appropriate committees, scheduling bills for floor debate, and meeting with various interest groups on legislation. There are several big issues that are currently before the Legislature, and several more to come. First and foremost is tax relief. I am thrilled to announce that the Republican House...