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U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced bipartisan legislation, the Mitigating the Methamphetamine Epidemic and Promoting Tribal Health Act, or the Mitigating METH Act, to combat methamphetamine use across Montana and strengthen Indian tribes’ ability to fight this epidemic. “Methamphetamine use in Montana is tearing apart families and taking lives,” said Daines. “This is a crisis that needs immediate attention and more resources.” Background: • In the 21st Century Cures Act, enacted in 2016, Congress authorized $1 billion in funding over two years to address the opioid epidemic.  • Daines’ legislation would make efforts to combat methamphetamine use, alongside opioid abuse, eligible for funding under

Sanders and Mineral County residents can get excited as Missoula International Airport is set to pick up two more direct routes. Routes to Dallas and Chicago are all thanks to American Airlines. American Airlines will begin their daily service from Dallas to Missoula on June 7, 2018. A daily summer seasonal service from Chicago to Missoula will also begin on that date. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., applauded the airline for the two new additions when announced last week. “More flights in and out of Missoula also means more choices for Montana families and more business and job opportunities in our

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., introduced bipartisan legislation, the Mitigating the Methamphetamine Epidemic and Promoting Tribal Health Act, or the Mitigating METH Act, to combat methamphetamine use across Montana and strengthen Indian tribes’ ability to fight this epidemic. In the 21st Century Cures Act, enacted in 2016, Congress authorized $1 billion in funding over two years to address the opioid epidemic. The legislation would make efforts to combat methamphetamine use, alongside opioid abuse, eligible for funding under the 21st Century Cures Act.   Methamphetamine Crisis in Montana: Montana saw a 427 percent increase in methamphetamine violations from 2010-2015. 54 percent of

BUTTE, Mont. (AP) — Montana‘s congressional delegation wants an independent investigation of the Food Safety and Inspection Service. The Montana Standard reports Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines and U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte outlined their concerns about what they termed “alleged misconduct” within the agency in a jointly signed letter to the Inspector General of the United States Department of Agriculture. The delegation is seeking an investigation of the way the agency has treated Montana meat plants from the Inspector General’s office. The Inspector General is tasked with promoting “economy, efficiency, and integrity in U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and

Two U.S. senators are proposing to reauthorize a grant program in the 2018 Farm Bill that compensates landowners who open their property to public access. Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., introduced legislation Monday to renew the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program, which was met with cheers from sportsmen’s groups. Steve Kline, director of government relations for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership in Washington, D.C., said the VPA-HIP is the only federal program aimed at enhancing access to private lands for hunters and anglers. “One of the reasons people stop hunting and fishing is lack of

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The U.S. Senate has approved measures to protect a creek that flows through south-central Montana and to rename a peak in the southwestern portion of the state. The bills approved Wednesday had backing from Montana’s two U.S. senators — Democrat Jon Tester and Republican Steve Daines. The East Rosebud Wild and Scenic Rivers Act would designate a 20-mile stretch of East Rosebud Creek as part of the National Wild and Scenic River System. The designation preserves rivers as free-flowing and prevents development. The Alex Diekmann Peak Designation Act names a peak in the Madison range after