ABC FOX Montana: Senator Daines Talks Montana’s Business Climate
BOZEMAN – Senator Steve Daines attended the Bozeman Sunrise Rotary Club meeting Friday morning to talk about Montana’s business climate, ways to improve the economy and job creation. Wake Up Montana’s Nina Sveinson caught up with Senator Daines before the meeting.
Daines, Forest Service Affirm Importance of Categorical Exclusions as Forest Restoration Tool
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today pressed the U.S. Forest Service to outline reforms needed to restore the health of the National Forest system and clarify the importance of Categorical Exclusions (CEs) as utilized by the Forest Service in forest health restoration projects. Click here to download Daines’ questioning. Click here to watch Daines’ questioning. During today’s Energy and Natural Resources hearing, Daines reaffirmed his commitment to forest management reform and asked Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell about how CEs are used to expedite forest restoration projects and enhance the environment. “I’m very determined, I’m very motivated to pass
Daines Fights to Give Montana Farmers Certainty in Federally Mandated Grain Inspections
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today fought to secure key provisions for Montana farmers and ranchers and provide farmers greater certainty in federally mandated grain inspections to protect against disruptions like those that occurred last summer at the Port of Vancouver. Daines successfully worked to include provisions addressing concerns voiced by Montana’s farmers and ranchers in the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2016, which was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee this morning by a vote of 28-2. “Montana’s hardworking farmers deserve certainty that their grain can get to market in a timely
Daines Works to Move Forward Long-Term Highway Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines joined the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee last night in approving key components of a multi-year transportation bill and reaffirmed his call for Senate leadership to move forward a long-term highway bill that provides Montanans with much-needed certainty for infrastructure investments. “This vote is an important step forward in getting a long-term highway bill across the finish line. Montana’s short construction season is well underway, and it’s critical that Congress approves a multi-year solution that provides our state with the certainty needed to make long-term infrastructure investments. We need to quickly move forward
The Hill: Senators offer rival bill on student data privacy
The Senate now has competing bills aimed at restricting education companies from selling or using student data for targeted ads. Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) on Thursday introduced the Safe Kids Act. The measure would also require private companies to meet certain data security standards when handling student information. Federal regulators would be empowered to punish any companies violating the bill’s provisions.“The perils of privacy invasion and data abuse must be stopped at the classroom door with laws that match advancing technology,” Blumenthal said in a statement. The Daines-Blumenthal bill is nearly identical to a measure from
Senate bill would lift ban on goods made with legal ivory
GOP senators are trying to stop the Obama administration from regulating lawfully owned ivory found in antique firearms, musical instruments and other family heirlooms. The African Elephant Conservation and Legal Ivory Possession Act of 2015, which Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) introduced this week, would lift the ban the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) placed on the importation, exportation and sale of lawfully possessed ivory in February 2014. Ivory is a hard white material found in tusks of Elephants.“The Obama Administration’s plan to limit the trade of legal ivory — such as that found in legally
Daines, Blumenthal Introduce Bill to Protect Students’ Data
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today introduced legislation to ensure proper safeguards are in place to protect students’ data. The Safeguarding American Families from Exposure by Keeping Information and Data Secure (SAFE KIDS) Act protects student privacy by establishing clear parameters for third-party operators when using data collected from students. The legislation empowers parents to control access to their children’s information. The current federal protections for student data, including the tools currently available to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), are woefully inadequate. The SAFE KIDS Act empowers the FTC to oversee and enforce collection, storage and usage of
Daines, Alexander Introduce Legislation to Halt Over-Regulation of Legal Ivory
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) today introduced legislation to halt the Obama administration’s over-regulation of lawfully owned ivory found in antique firearms, musical instruments and other family heirlooms and antiques often sought by collectors. The African Elephant Conservation and Legal Ivory Possession Act of 2015 ends the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s unilateral moratorium on the importation, exportation, and sale of lawfully possessed ivory, while also making significant efforts to assist anti-poaching efforts in countries with elephant populations. “It’s senseless that the Obama administration wants to retroactively penalize Montanans who have legally owned ivory-containing antique firearms, musical
Daines, Zinke Announce Legislation to Protect Tribes from Costly Obamacare Employer Mandate
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) and Representative Ryan Zinke (R-MT) today announced the introduction of legislation to protect Native American tribes from Obamacare’s costly employer mandate. The Tribal Employment and Jobs Protection Act, which was introduced today in the Senate and House, will exempt tribes and tribal employers from Obamacare’s employer mandate. The bills prevent massive fines that tribal employers would incur under Obamacare’s employer mandate. “Tribes should not be forced to pay severe fines due to duplicative federal mandates in the President’s flawed health care law,” Daines stated. “These unreasonable fines have the potential to kill jobs