In The News

The U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee held its first hearing Wednesday on the Montana Water Rights Protection Act. The legislation would settle long-disputed water rights claims of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The bill would prevent costly litigation over thousands of water rights claims filed by the tribes, and would fund the rehabilitation of the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project. Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines spent much of his time during the hearing asking U.S. Department of Interior Assistant Secretary Tim Petty about whether the department supported the bill. Petty said the department supports the bill over costly litigation, but

Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana introduced legislation Monday that would impose stiffer fines for landing unauthorized aerial vehicles in national forest wilderness areas. The proposal comes after Samuel Schwerin, 48, landed a helicopter last month in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in northwest Montana. A horseback rider alerted the Forest Service after seeing the helicopter parked alongside the Flathead River, according to a Justice Department news release. “Wilderness areas were created to be free of motorized activity, including helicopters,” U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. The pilot was charged the maximum fine of $500. Daines’ bill, S. 4028, would raise the maximum

Montana’s U.S. senators announced that $1 million in federal funding is on the way to the state to to help communities combat meth use and trafficking in Montana. Sens. Jon Tester, D- Mont., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., announced that a $1 million U.S. Department of Justice grant was awarded to the state. The grant is from the Community-Oriented Policing Service — COPS — Anti-Meth Task Force funding, awarded will help stem the flow of meth and other dangerous drugs into Montana communities and help local officials prevent the manufacture of dangerous drugs in across the state. “Meth use is a serious problem

BOZEMAN- A new veterans Community-Based Outpatient Clinic will replace the existing VA clinic in Bozeman.  The new 12,000 square foot facility will be twice the size of the former location and will offer primary care, behavioral health, laboratory and telehealth services to veterans. Both senators from Montana, Senator Tester and Senator Daines, were involved in helping to open the facility. “I’m excited to announce that Bozeman is on track to receive a new, state-of-the-art facility to serve veterans in the area,” Tester said via press release, “I look forward to the completion of this new clinic, which will provide a wide-range of

If this were a normal year, Montana’s national parks and recreation areas would already be filled nearly to capacity. The visitors center at Logan Pass would be crowded with motorists pausing midway through their journey across Going-to-the-Sun Road. The ring of cash registers would echo throughout cafes and souvenir shops in West Yellowstone, and the docks at Ok-A-Beh Marina would be filled with boaters preparing to explore Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. However, the summer of 2020 is not a normal one. While millions of Americans are eager to escape the strictures of stay-at-home orders to visit our National Parks,

U.S. SENATE – At a U.S. Senate Hearing today, the Trump administration expressed support for U.S. Senator Steve Daines’ bipartisan bill, the “Montana Water Rights Protection Act,” which permanently settles the century-long Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) water dispute. At the hearing, Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary Tim Petty discussed the benefits of the bill which will create more than 6,000 jobs, modernize critical NW Montana infrastructure, avoid costly litigation, protect the water rights of all Montanans and provide certainty for Montana’s farmers and ranchers.  Daines kicked off the hearing by emphasizing why the bill is necessary, how

Montana’s U.S. senators announced Monday that Montana universities are receiving nearly $1 million in federal funding for health care workforce training. Releases from the offices of Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., said University of Montana in Missoula will receive $438,278 and Montana State University in Bozeman will receive $344,880. The release from Tester’s office said UM’s funding will be for a program that trains medical residents in rural and underserved areas, and MSU’s will be for scholarships to increase diversity in the health care workforce. The funds are coming through the U.S. Department of Health and Human

Montana’s Republican Sen. Steve Daines announced Friday a plan to introduce a bill increasing the penalties for landing aircraft in designated wilderness areas. Landing a helicopter in a wilderness area is considered a federal misdemeanor and carries a maximum penalty of a $500 fine, six months in prison or both. Daines’ bill will propose raising that fine to $20,000. “Montanans value wilderness for the solitude it provides and the adventure that is involved to travel to so many beautiful locations. My bill will make folks with a deep pocket think twice before entering our pristine wilderness areas unlawfully,” Daines said

Sen. Steve Daines this week signed on to bill aimed at reforming law enforcement policies, saying it will help increase accountability and transparency and provide incentives to limit controversial tactics. The JUSTICE Act was introduced by Senate Republicans on Wednesday and included the leadership of Sen. Tim Scott, the chamber’s only African American Republican. Daines is a cosponsor of the bill. “The men and women who serve our communities in law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to protect our families, and a few bad actors have reflected poorly upon the values of their service,” Daines said