Daines’ Amendment to Provide Security for Nuclear Sites Passes Senate
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines’ amendment to provide additional security for land based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) sites, like Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB) today unanimously passed the United States Senate and will now be included in the National Defense Authorization Act. It was confirmed this year that the UH-1N Huey helicopter does not meet the security requirements for land based missile sites. The Air Force has known this since before 2001 and is working currently to replace the Huey’s. Daines’ amendment requires the Department of Defense to certify what security shortfalls the UH-1N has created, and how it
Daines Ensures Due Process for Veterans Erroneously Discharged
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today applauded unanimous Senate passage of his amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to help veterans who may have been erroneously given a less than honorable discharge from the military due to negative behavior resulting from mental traumas such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The bipartisan amendment codifies the principles of the Hagel memo, ensuring Discharge Review Boards (DRBs) give liberal consideration to petitions for changes in discharge status to honorable if the servicemember has PTSD, TBI or related conditions in connection with their military service. Additionally,
KMMS: Daines’ Amendment to Provide Security for Nuclear Sites Passes Senate
Senator Steve Daines’ amendment should provide additional security for land based intercontinental ballistic missile sites like Malmstrom Air Force Base; Today the amendment unanimously passed the United States Senate and will now be included in the National Defense Authorization Act. “The Department of Defense has failed to recognize the urgency in replacing the Vietnam-era helicopters at Malmstrom, and the increased security is needed until they are replaced,” Daines stated. “I am pleased that the Senate is taking the appropriate steps to study the shortfalls and provide increased security from an outside resource until that replacement takes place.” It was confirmed
The Daily Interlake: Polson Receives Hospital Grant
St. Joseph Hospital in Polson will receive $99,023 to address health-care needs in rural areas, according to a news release from U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont. The grant will be used by St. Joseph to engage a network of hospitals serving rural communities through development of a Western Montana Rural Nursing Collaborative. The collaborative provides a unique partnership of hospitals that seek to expand, enhance and improve access to services in rural communities and allow patients to receive high-quality care closer to home. “This is a collaborative project and a made-in-Montana solution that supports our nurses, helps lower health-care costs
Daines Introduces Tribal Forestry Legislation
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today introduced major legislation that will improve the health of both Indian and federal forest land. Daines’ bill, the Tribal Forestry Participation and Protection Act helps keep Indian forest land and nearby federal forest land healthy by fostering greater cooperation between tribes and the Departments of Agriculture and Interior. This legislation will empower Montana tribes and federal agencies with a new tool to expedite critical restoration projects on certain federal lands, thereby increasing active management and improving forest health. “We need commonsense forest management reform that cuts through the bureaucratic red tape, improves the health
Sidney Herald: Sidney ARS Wins a Round in the Senate
A successful haymaker has just been thrown in the funding fight for the Sidney ARS unit. The 2017 Ag Appropriations Bill is headed to the floor of the U.S. Senate for a vote with language that ensures the Northern Plains Research Lab in Sidney will remain fully staffed and operational. Senator Jon Tester, who is a member of the subcommittee that authored the bill, said the language should guarantee that the lab in Sidney can continue to research the impact of the wheat stem sawfly, which annually causes more than $250 million in crop damage every year across the nation,
Daines Announces over $400,000 for Rural Hospitals
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced that Montana State University was awarded $428,617 for the Montana Office of Rural Health and Area Health Education Center to improve services at small rural hospitals in Montana – all but one are Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). “Ensuring rural hospitals have the tools and training they need will provide a better healthcare system and better care for all Montanans,” Daines stated. There are forty-eight rural hospitals in Montana which meet the requirements for participation in the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant Program (SHIP), forty-seven of which are CAHs. Montana is one of the
KPAX: Polson Hospital Picks Up Grant
Montana U.S. Senator Steve Daines has announced today a Polson hospital will be awarded nearly $100,000 to address healthcare needs in rural areas. The grant will be used by St. Joseph Hospital to engage a network of hospitals serving rural communities through development of a Western Montana Rural Nursing Collaborative (WMRNC). WMRNC hopes to expand, enhance and improve access to services in rural communities and allow patients to receive high-quality care closer to home. “This is a collaborative project and a made-in-Montana solution that supports our nurses, helps lower healthcare costs and maintains high-quality care for Montanans in rural communities across the
Daines Introduces Bill to Temporarily Stop Gitmo Transfers
Nearly Two Dozen Detainees Reportedly Set for Release This Summer U.S. SENATE –U.S. Senator Steve Daines today introduced legislation to temporarily ban the transfer or release of detainees from Guantanamo Bay. The administration reportedly is set to release nearly two dozen Gitmo detainees to several different countries this summer amid efforts to close the prison before the end of the president’s term. Daines’ bill, S. 2999 would prohibit these transfers until either the end of this year or enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2017. “Terrorists captured by U.S. forces belong in Guantanamo period,” Daines stated.“President Obama is prioritizing