In The News

HELENA – Montana lawmakers plan to revisit a familiar front in their ongoing battle against federal driver’s license requirements. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., on Thursday said he would reintroduce legislation to repeal the federal Real ID Act, a decade-old law requiring all states to adopt more stringent security and fraud-prevention features on state-issued driver’s licenses. On Wednesday, Montana officials announced the release of new driver’s licenses and identification cards that include increased security features. Montana’s licenses already are largely in compliance with the act, despite state legislators’ unanimous vote in 2007 to forbid implementation of federal standards they said would

Today Senator Steve Daines was joined by Attorney General Tim Fox to announce his plan to reintroduce the a bill repealing “Real ID.” The bill will work to protect Montanans from the Department of Homeland Security’s identification requirements. Senator Daines says Montanans have made their opinion loud and clear about being opposed to “Real ID.” He says with the federal government having access to citizens private information, the risk increases of that information falling into the wrong hands. Both Daines and Fox shared personal experiences in which their information was compromised when it became accessible to the U.S. government. In

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said Wednesday that North Korea’s apparent testing of a hydrogen bomb is the direct result of President Obama projecting weakness around the world. “As we look at the failed policies of the Obama administration, I think what we’re seeing is the world’s response to the weakness that is projected by our current president,” Daines said on CNN. “Our enemies no longer fear us, our allies no longer trust us.” He said the test also shows that Democrats are wrong to trust the International Atomic Energy Agency to curb the appetites of countries looking to develop weapons

Montana’s congressional delegation and Gov. Steve Bullock are seeking a meeting with officials at GE Capital this month to urge the company to keep its Billings facility. Bullock and fellow Democrat Sen. Jon Tester, and two Republicans, Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Ryan Zinke, jointly sent a letter released Wednesday to Jeffery Bornstein, chief financial officer for parent company General Electric, requesting a meeting in Washington, D.C. The push is in response to the October announcement that Connecticut-based GE is selling its commercial lending and leasing businesses, including the Billings facility, to Wells Fargo for $30 billion. The sale was

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The two Republican members of Montana’s congressional delegation criticized President Barack Obama’s executive action on gun control Tuesday, calling it unlawful and an attack on the Second Amendment. “President Obama is jeopardizing the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans with his latest efforts to undermine the Second Amendment,” Sen. Steve Daines said via email. “It is a gross abuse of executive authority for the president to unilaterally move forward his ineffective, anti-gun agenda with the stroke of his pen.” He said he would continue to fight the president’s “endless assault on Montanans’ Second Amendment rights.” Rep. Ryan Zinke

Senator Steve Daines today hailed the unanimous Senate passage of his bill to protect and expand protections for Montana pilots – the Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2 (PBOR 2). “Today’s unanimous vote is a victory for those working to contribute to Montana aviation and make our skies safer,” Daines stated. “I am proud to see the Senate prioritize legislation that protects the aviation industry and works to further expands the rights of hardworking pilots nationwide. This bill cuts down unnecessary bureaucratic regulations and institutes commonsense and necessary reforms to protect general aviation pilots.” Daines’ efforts were acknowledged across Montana: Montana

Senator Steve Daines today applauded the unanimous Senate passage of his legislation to protect consumers who want to write honest online reviews of companies, without fear of financial repercussions from the businesses being reviewed. Daines’ bill, the Consumer Review Freedom Act, would prohibit the use of non-disparagement clauses referred to as “gag clauses,” which are often found in little-read online user agreements. “The Senate took an important step forward in protecting the First Amendment rights of Americans who want to provide honest feedback about the products and services they purchase,” Daines stated. “We should encourage competition and let consumers’ voices

Montana farm and ranch groups are angry at the Environmental Protection Agency, which was caught running a secret propaganda campaign to sway public opinion about new clean water rules affecting agriculture. But Montana already has laws that protect public water, said Errol Rice, of the Montana Stockgrowers Association. Federal regulations on top of those that ranchers already follow will make it hard to tell who has jurisdiction, he said. Fly over the dry Montana plains, and it’s easy to see why the rule matters so much to people with livestock. Stock ponds are spread a mile or so apart on

Montana’s congressional delegation is still waiting for answers to letters they sent regarding cross-border issues with Canada, but that could be because Canadians are waiting for answers themselves. “With the election of (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau, the tone and outlook of the federal government took a pretty big change,” said political science assistant professor Greg Anderson of the University of Alberta. “And even though (former Prime Minister Stephen) Harper and his people were sourced from Alberta, the conservative government here wasn’t the same as the conservative government in Ottawa. It’s a pretty complicated landscape, with a lot of nuances in