News

Daines: Montana’s Wilderness Shouldn’t Be Used as a Playground for the Rich & Famous

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced he will be introducing a bill that would increase the penalties for landing any unauthorized aerial vehicles on designated wilderness areas in national forests. His bill will raise the maximum penalty to $20,000. “Montana’s wilderness shouldn’t be taken advantage of and exploited as a playground for the rich and famous,” Daines said. “Montanans value wilderness for the solitude it provides and the adventure that is involved to travel to so many beautiful locations. My bill will make folks with a deep pocket think twice before entering our pristine wilderness areas unlawfully.”

Letter to the editor: Passage of Great American Outdoors Act is a win

The Great American Outdoors Act passed the Senate on Wednesday, which is a huge win for our national parks and public lands. While our country is obviously going through a very difficult time, this represents a bipartisan effort to preserve our nation’s natural beauty. This legislation addresses the $12 billion National Parks Service deferred maintenance backlog and permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund. In Montana, our national parks are my weekend getaway. Being outside helps me clear my mind and just connect with the great outdoors, which is even more important now. It’s not only me, but many

Daines signs on to JUSTICE Act as Congress explores police reforms

Sen. Steve Daines this week signed on to bill aimed at reforming law enforcement policies, saying it will help increase accountability and transparency and provide incentives to limit controversial tactics. The JUSTICE Act was introduced by Senate Republicans on Wednesday and included the leadership of Sen. Tim Scott, the chamber’s only African American Republican. Daines is a cosponsor of the bill. “The men and women who serve our communities in law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to protect our families, and a few bad actors have reflected poorly upon the values of their service,” Daines said

Daines Signs On To Major Police Reform Legislation in Senate

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines cosponsored a major police reform bill in the Senate, the JUSTICE Act, which will help restore confidence between communities and law enforcement by increasing accountability, transparency and commonsense training. Click HERE for the video statement. “The men and women who serve our communities in law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to protect our families, and a few bad actors have reflected poorly upon the values of their service,” Daines said. ”We must work to restore confidence between our communities and law enforcement, and this bipartisan bill does just that by increasing accountability,

Daines backs police reform bill that includes more body cameras and accountability

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, is backing a police reform bill that would among other things promote body camera use by Montana law enforcement and require the footage be made available to the public. The bill, requiring more police accountability for use of force, calls for spending $100 million a year on police body cameras and body camera training. Police departments that accept the money would face future funding reductions for both turning body cameras off and for not releasing footage to the public under the terms of the law. States where body cameras aren’t used would receive less federal

Steve Daines Receives Bipartisan Praise For Public Lands Victory

Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) received bipartisan praise for his leadership in helping pass the Great American Outdoors Act through the Senate, a bill to preserve America’s forests and national parks. The Senate overwhelmingly passed on Wednesday the Great American Outdoors Act, 73-25, which serves as a strong victory for “conservative conservationist” Daines. The legislation would permanently provide $900 million in oil and gas revenues for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which secures land for trails and parks. The bill also reserves $6.5 billion for ending the maintenance backlog for the country’s national parks. The legislation served as a

U.S. Senate passes major public lands bill

The U.S. Senate passed a landmark conservation bill on Wednesday. The Great American Outdoors Act provides $9.5 billion to address deferred maintenance on public lands and puts $900 million annually from oil and gas royalties into the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Montana Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester, both bill sponsors, celebrated its success on Wednesday. “Today, this is about protecting our Montanan outdoor way of life for future generations and it increases public access to our public lands in addition to supporting our national parks and really preserving and protecting our western heritage,” said Daines, a Bozeman Republican who’s running for reelection.

Sen. Daines signs on to police reform legislation in Senate

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines cosponsored the JUSTICE Act, a major police reform bill in the Senate, which aims to help improve the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve. “The men and women who serve our communities in law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to protect our families, and a few bad actors have reflected poorly upon the values of their service,” Daines said. “We must work to restore confidence between our communities and law enforcement, and this bipartisan bill does just that by increasing accountability, transparency and training. This provides real

Daines Cosponsors Bill to Ban No-Knock Warrants

U.S. SENATE –Senator Daines today cosponsored a bill to ban no-knock warrants federally and incentivize states and localities to stop using the tactic by restricting grant eligibility. “No-knock warrants are an unconstitutional tool that often puts the lives of both law enforcement and individuals in danger. It’s time that we follow the constitution and end this practice all together,” said Daines. This bill would require federal law enforcement officers to announce their authority and purpose before executing a warrant. It will also ban no-knock warrants federally and would use the Spending Clause to deter states from using no-knock warrants at