The legislature's Economic Affairs Interim Committee has sent a letter to the district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration asking that the agency provide flexibility in its guidelines for loans available under the Payroll Protection Program, which Congress passed as part of the CARES Act - H.R. 748).

The Economic Affairs Interim Committee of the Legislature has invited Montana officials involved in unemployment and housing issues to provide updates via a teleconference meeting April 9 on impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Economic Affairs Interim Committee moved to reintroduce in the 2021 Legislature a bill from a previous session to provide incentives to expand broadband or coaxial cable to more parts of Montana. One difference from SB 239 would be to require those who get incentives to provide mapping data.

The 10-member Economic Affairs Interim Committee of the legislature will begin hearing from stakeholders in two of its assigned studies and from the alcohol industry at meetings running Feb. 12-13 at the State Capitol in Helena.

In hearing from a range of Montana telecommunications companies at a Jan. 15 meeting, the Economic Affairs Interim Committee (EAIC) learned that federal money alone will not deliver access across the state, although it helps.