Daines, Montana Ag & Business Leaders Call for Passage of Trade Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today joined Montana farmers, ranchers, manufacturers and business leaders in calling for the swift passage of bipartisan legislation to give Congress and the American people a greater voice in trade negotiations. “Montanans know the importance of trade to our state’s economy. Montana ag producers, manufacturers and small businesses need fair and transparent trade policies that increase access to new markets and help grow their businesses,” Daines stated. “This bipartisan trade legislation is an important first step in establishing clear guidelines that enforce transparency, maintain Congress’ important role in the process and ensure Montanans’ voices
Billings Gazette: Daines: Fast-tracking trade agreements right for Montana’s economy
Because exports to the Asian Pacific are crucial to Montana’s economy, Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines said Thursday he will support fast-tracking trade agreements for President Barack Obama. The announcement made between votes on the Senate floor was the first time Daines publicly confirmed granting Obama trade promotion authority, or TPA. TPA would bind Congress to an up or down vote on two major upcoming trade agreements, meaning Congressional amendments would be off limits on agreements negotiated by the Democratic president. The first trade agreement coming up, the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, would have the biggest effect on Montana, particularly agriculture,
Daines Introduces Bill to Roll Back EPA Regs
“A War on Coal is a War on the Crow People” WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today joined a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce legislation that ensures Montanans have access to affordable energy and protects good-paying coal jobs. Daines is an original cosponsor of The Affordable Reliable Energy Now Act (ARENA), which holds the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accountable and protects states’ rights by requiring the EPA to demonstrate how their proposed regulations could impact each state. This legislation preempts the EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plan, set to be released this summer, which could shutter Montana’s coal-fired power
Daines Statement on BBER Study on Timber Sale Litigation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement on the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research’s (BBER) study examining the costs and impacts associated with litigation of U.S. Forest Service timber sales in the Northern Region. “This eye-opening study confirms what we long suspected: Litigation against commonsense timber projects is having far-reaching, damaging impacts on Montana jobs, access to recreation and our environment,” Daines stated. “It is unacceptable that mills in Montana have to go far outside of our state to get logs, largely because 40 to 50 percent of the timber sale volume
Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: Big Sky Students and Teacher
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today recognized the hard work of Ms. Jennifer Zirbel and her class at Lone Peak High School in Big Sky. Ms. Zirbel’s class competed in the Capitol Hill Challenge for the 12th annual Stock Market Game. Through his “Montanan of the Week” initiative, Daines each week will highlight a Montanan by submitting a statement of recognition in the official Congressional Record, the document that reflects the official proceedings of Congress. Daines’ recognition in the Congressional Record is available here. Daines welcomes anyone to nominate fellow Montanans for Daines’ “Montanan of the Week” program by
Daines: Court Ruling Bulk Phone Collection Illegal is Welcome News
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today welcomed a federal court ruling that the National Security Agency’s (NSA) bulk telephone metadata collection program is illegal and reaffirmed his commitment to ending the federal government’s mass collection of Montanans’ personal information. The New York-based 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals unanimously ruled today that the NSA does not have the legal authority to widely collect Americans’ bulk telephony metadata. “Montanans have long known that the federal government’s mass collection of our personal data is an unacceptable overreach of power and today’s court ruling confirms it,” Daines stated. “It’s long past time
Daines, Klobuchar Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Consumers Correct Errors on Credit Reports
A report by the Federal Trade Commission found that millions of consumer credit reports contain mistakes and errors, often leading to less favorable loan terms or denial of credit; Resolving these errors can take a long time and many consumers have incorrect information on their credit reports as they go through the dispute process The FIX Credit Reporting Errors Act would require credit reporting agencies to forward any documents the consumer has provided as evidence in their dispute to parties seeking their credit score Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) today introduced bipartisan legislation
Daines Salutes Montana Small Businesses on Senate Floor
Senator Steve Daines today saluted Montana small businesses in recognition of National Small Business Week. During remarks made today on the Senate floor, Daines highlighted the important role that Montana small businesses hold in supporting Montana’s economy and creating good-paying Montana jobs. Daines also outlined many of the challenges facing Montana’s small businesses, and called for reforms that reduce Washington’s regulatory overreach, simplify the nation’s tax code and repeals and replaces Obamacare and its job-killing mandates. Below are key excerpts from Daines’ floor speech: “During ‘National Small Business Week,’ we recognize all of the hardworking Montana men and women who
Daines: Increased Forest Management Vital to Reducing Threat of Wildfire in Montana
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today emphasized the importance of proper management of Montana’s National Forests to reduce the costly threat of devastating wildfires in Montana. During today’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the federal government’s role in wildfire management, the impact of fires on communities and potential improvements to be made in fire operations, Daines called on Congress to find long-term solutions for funding wildfire suppression. “I’ve spent a lot of time traveling across Montana hearing from conservation groups, sportsmen groups and the timber industry, and I think we’ve got great, broad spectrum agreement that we have to change