Blog – Page 3 – Montana Budget & Policy Center

Tribal Sovereignty During COVID-19

Tribal nations are showcasing leadership during COVID-19 by prioritizing the safety and health of vulnerable populations, tribal citizens, and non-citizens. To fight the spread of COVID-19, many tribal nations have exercised their sovereign right to regulate the movement of peoples on their lands. This includes opening travel check points and shelter-in-place orders.

Despite Montana’s decisions to enter phase two of reopening, some tribal nations have extended stay-at-home orders and continued to implement travel checkpoints to protect their citizens and non-citizen travelers.

Children are going hungry with school closures. Montana can help.

Montana can help thousands of low-income students get enough to eat during school closures, but it must act swiftly. 

A new program established through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Coronavirus Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), allows states to provide assistance to families with children who would otherwise be receiving free or reduced-price school breakfasts and lunches if schools were in session.

COVID Lays Bare Inequities for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color

The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the inequities built into the very systems that are meant to serve families facing financial insecurity.

MBPC Recommendations to Governor Bullock and Coronavirus Fund Relief Task Force on Use of CARES Act Funding

The Honorable Steve Bullock, Governor and the Coronavirus Relief Fund Task Force Office of the Governor PO Box 200801 Helena, MT 59602 Dear Governor Bullock and the Coronavirus Relief Fund Task Force: This pandemic and resulting economic crisis have merely laid bare the longstanding inequities built into our social, economic, and political systems. Our response […]

Montana’s Frontline Workers Are Mostly Women and People of Color

In Montana and across the world, the coronavirus pandemic is keeping many of us safely in our homes. Frontline workers are making this protection possible, providing deliveries, healthcare, childcare, social services, and stocking stores with food and necessities.

The Power to Tax in Indian Country

Even though the novel coronavirus pandemic has pushed back Tax Day this year from April 15 to July 15, MBPC wanted to honor April 15, the day we all recognize as Tax Day under normal circumstances, by discussing taxation authority in Indian Country.

Every government relies on tax revenues to fund the essential programs, services, and functions that benefit us all. The power to tax is an inherent right of self-government and is one of many rights retained by tribal nations.

CARES Act: Frequently Asked Questions About Recovery Rebates

On March 27, 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) a $2.2 trillion package that includes direct financial assistance to many families, unemployment support, necessary resources to address impending fiscal cliffs faced by state and local governments, and more.

The CARES Act and Unemployment Insurance: Who Is Eligible?

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides important expansions to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program to help relieve some of the economic decline caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unemployment has risen at an unprecedented rate. Nationwide, over the past two weeks, nearly 10 million people applied for UI.

Food Access: Changes to SNAP, WIC, and Child Nutrition During COVID-19

In times of crisis and uncertainty, Montanans come together to take care of each other. In the last two weeks, record numbers of people have lost their jobs and are at risk of hunger.

In order to address this potential crisis, Montana, the federal government, and local communities have taken great strides to help ensure no one goes hungry during this pandemic.

State Action on Evictions, Foreclosures, and Utilities

This week, Governor Bullock issued an executive order to place a moratorium on evictions in light of COVID-19. We included this recommendation in our report released earlier this week, and it is a step that many other housing advocates are calling for. With thousands of workers facing reduced hours or layoff, families are grappling with how to cover basic necessities, like food, utilities, and housing costs.