Daines’ Bills to Provide Critical Funding for Montana’s Rural Water Infrastructure Receive First Hearing
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines’ bills to provide much-needed funding for Montana rural water infrastructure received their first Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing today. Daines’ bills— S. 1552 the Clean Water for Rural Communities Act and S. 1365, the Authorized Rural Water Projects Completion Act – provide much-needed funding and authorization for the construction and completion of critical rural water infrastructure projects in Montana and other states. Daines’ remarks can be viewed here and downloaded here. “Water is a basic need of life. In Montana, we depend on a steady supply to irrigate our crops, water our livestock
Daines Applauds Passage of Critical Defense Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today hailed the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which provides critical support for the nation’s military and national security. “This legislation is critical to ensuring our men and women in uniform have the funding and support they need to fulfill their missions,” Daines stated. “The NDAA prioritizes the needs of our service members while protecting the important role that Montana holds in our national defense.” Daines successfully included an amendment to the NDAA that would protect military couples from abrupt reductions in their housing allowances. Under the NDAA, current dual housing
Missoulian: Daines to Treasury: Put Missoula’s Jeannette Rankin on $10 bill
Jeannette Rankin is a popular woman this week. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines introduced a proposal to put her face on the $10 bill Thursday, only two days after she became a finalist for the name of a new Billings middle school. The U.S. Treasury announced Wednesday that Alexander Hamilton is getting the boot and a woman’s portrait will be featured on a redesigned $10 bill. Daines is determined that Rankin, the Missoula woman who was the nation’s first female member of Congress, be first in line. His bill mandates that “Federal Reserve notes bear the likeness of Jeannette Rankin before
Daines Secures Additional Support for LWCF
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today secured close to $14 million in additional funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a program of critical importance to increasing access to Montana public lands and protecting Montana’s outdoors heritage. During today’s mark up of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY2016, Daines and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) successfully passed an amendment to increase LWCF programs by nearly $14 million, bringing the overall total funding for LWCF to the FY2015 enacted level of $306 million. “LWCF is an important program for Montana that helps expand access to
Daines Announces First Biannual Montana High Tech Jobs Summit
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today announced that he will be hosting the first biannual Montana High Tech Jobs Summit in Bozeman this fall. The Summit, sponsored by Daines, the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Montana Chamber of Commerce, will take place at Montana State University on September 13 and 14 and will feature Safra Catz, Chief Executive Officer of Oracle, among other national tech and business leaders. “Working at RightNow Technologies, I experienced firsthand the opportunity that technology gives us to grow jobs right here in Montana,” said Senator Daines. “Technology has removed geography as a constraint and
Associated Press: Daines seeks hearing on pipeline safety agency
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is calling for a congressional hearing on the government’s pipeline safety agency following two oil spills into Montana’s Yellowstone River in the past five years. The Montana Republican requested the hearing into the actions of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in a Tuesday letter to Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune of South Dakota. Daines said he wants to examine how effectively the agency is overseeing and enforcing pipeline rules. An Exxon Mobil Corp. pipeline spilled 63,000 gallons of crude into the Yellowstone near Laurel in 2011. Federal regulators issued a $1 million penalty
Daines Urges Commerce Committee to Hold Oversight Hearing on PHMSA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines is calling on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to hold an oversight hearing on the reauthorization of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). In a letter to Chairman John Thune (R-SD), Daines urged the Committee to convene a hearing on the reauthorization PHMSA to examine the federal government’s responsibility in ensuring safe and environmentally sound transportation of natural resources through America’s pipelines, railroads, highways, waterways and airspace. Daines’ calls come in light of the millions of miles of pipeline across Montana and the need to upgrade and better maintain failing pipelines.
U.S. News & World Report: Traditional Energy Sources Are Key to Our Future
Access to affordable energy is critically important to every American family. While the United States should aggressively pursue an all-of-the-above energy approach, it is clear that traditional energy sources will play a vital role in powering our nation for generations to come. As a proponent of an all-of-the-above energy plan, I know we need alternative energy sources to remain globally competitive and meet our nation’s rising demand for energy. But in order to keep energy prices low for all Americans and support our nation’s energy needs, traditional energy sources must remain at the center of America’s energy policy. In Montana,
Daines Works to Ensure Due Process for Veterans Erroneously Discharged
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today announced he has helped introduce two measures to ensure due process for veterans who suffer from mental health illnesses who may have been erroneously given an administrative discharge, rather than an honorable discharge. Daines has joined Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) to introduce S. 1567 which ensures active duty members who suffer from invisible wounds, like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) aren’t incorrectly administratively discharged. An administrative discharge is often given for minor misconducts, which can be attributed to behaviors seen in those suffering from PTSD or TBI.