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There’s no better place to live, work, and play than Montana. Building a successful life here starts with having an affordable and accessible place to call home. Still, for many Montanans finding a stable home can come with barriers. We know families are encountering rising housing costs, a low supply of affordable apartments, and housing choice barriers. Every day our teams here at the Montana Department of Commerce are working to break down these barriers and make access to safe housing affordable and accessible

The Justice Department announced today that the developers and designers of 31 apartment buildings in or near Helena, Montana, have agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging that the buildings were not built to be accessible to people with disabilities, as required by the Fair Housing Act.

The Senate passed three of Senator Jon Tester's provisions today that will help Montana veterans access health care and housing. "Our veterans put their lives on the line and they deserve to be honored when they come home,"Tester said. "These bills will provide valuable services to veterans and I was happy to see the Senate reauthorize them. Now if only Senate leadership would get off their hands and allow a vote on the Veterans First Act we could really get to work on getting our veterans the care they earned."

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau released today highlights that Montana is number one in the nation for percentage increase in median household income from 2014 to 2015

Lt. Governor Mike Cooney joined Department of Commerce officials Aug. 25 for a ribbon cutting at the Gallatin Forks Apartments in Manhattan. These 16-unit apartments have been acquired and rehabilitated to preserve affordable housing for Gallatin County families for the next 46 years through Housing Credits from the Montana Board of Housing

The Montana Department of Revenue encourages Montana property owners whose homes or other property are damaged or destroyed during wildfire or other natural disaster to apply for property tax relief.

During a hearing on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation's (BOR) budgets today, Senator Jon Tester told agency heads that they must prioritize water projects in rural America where access to water is a growing problem.

Montana communities use these Army Corps grants, which are made possible through the Water Resources Development Act Section 595 program. The grants can be used to upgrade wastewater treatment facilities, water supply infrastructure, environmental restoration, and surface water resource protection and development

Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke released the following statement on the Obama administration’s proposal to place a $10 tax on every barrel of oil to pay for green energy projects

Senator Jon Tester joined with colleagues today to file his bipartisan Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act as an amendment to comprehensive energy legislation that is currently being debated by the entire Senate

Rep. Ryan Zinke Statement on President Obama’s Gun Grab. Today the President announced new gun control measures that undermine law-abiding Montanans’ Second Amendment Rights. The following statement is from Rep. Ryan Zinke:

As lawmakers draft budget bills ahead of the December 11th deadline, Senator Jon Tester is urging the Senate Appropriations Committee to provide critical support for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the final appropriations bill of the year.

After unanimously passing the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, Senator Jon Tester's rural water bill is on its way to the President's desk and is set to become law

U.S. Senate After Congress last month finally agreed to a bipartisan budget deal that prevents devastating across-the-board spending cuts, Senator Jon Tester is pushing the Senate to support water projects that could mean life or death for communities in rural Montana.

Since 2008 the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has administered the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) initiative to support homeless veterans. But prior to 2015 tribes and tribal housing authorities had been unable to receive HUD-VASH funds.