Daines calls for greater transparency on prescription-drug pricing
BILLINGS- More Americans struggle with paying for prescription drugs, and many times there’s someone in between the drug company and the consumer who negotiates the price. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said Monday he’s introduced a bill to create transparency around what that “middle man” is doing. That includes looking into the effects of company consolidation on drug pricing. As many companies merge, it creates less competition and allows for an increase in drug prices, according to Daines. In fact, three companies control a 73 percent share of the pharmacy benefit manager industry. One of the most well-known spikes is the 500 percent
Daines wants details on incoming Mexican meth, calls on Border Patrol to answer
Sen. Steve Daines on Wednesday urged U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials to gather specific information on drug seizures at the southern border, and on what law enforcement there is doing to stem its rush into the U.S. In a letter to Acting Commissioner John Sanders, Daines wants to know the specifics of every seizure between Jan. 1, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2018, including the amount seized, method of transport, location of seizure and the source of its production. A a roundtable discussion in Missoula last week, Daines heard from local and state law enforcement about the limited resources available
Daines’ conservation efforts invaluable to Montana
As the long time president of ConservAmerica and a relatively new resident of Montana, I’m dismayed at the partisan rhetoric aimed at Sen. Steve Daines. ConservAmerica has worked on the right side of the aisle since 1995 to restore the GOP’s great conservation tradition. That legacy lives on in the heart of Steve Daines. Every great conservation and environmental act we take for granted today enjoyed broad bipartisan support in Congress. In other words, one party can’t go it alone. Scorecards from partisan organizations can’t be relied upon because they cherry pick votes, often obscure procedural votes, and don’t give
Daines hears local law enforcement’s plea for more resources, tighter southern border
Montana Sen. Steve Daines on Thursday heard the plight of western Montana law enforcement agencies who’ve become embattled with the methamphetamine trade. “It’s overwhelming our communities,” Daines told reporters after the roundtable at the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office. “Law enforcement does not have enough resources to deal with this crisis in Montana.” Sheriffs, deputies, detectives, National Guard officers and community coordinators from Ravalli to Lincoln counties offered the Republican senator a glimpse into the front lines of their fight with drugs, specifically meth. Many asked for more resources to both investigate and prosecute drug trafficking in their areas, as well
Daines calls prescription drug pricing ‘broken’ at Helena event
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines told seniors in Helena that he expects a package of bills to move in the Senate this summer that will increase transparency and lower the costs of prescription drugs. Daines spoke and took questions from residents at Touchmark on Wednesday afternoon on prescription drug prices. The topic is one that he hears plenty about from Montanans, with many sharing stories of high prices. Daines, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, says members are looking at differences between the “list price” set by drug companies and the “net price” of what customers actually pay. That difference can be
Support for tax deduction urged, good for agriculture
Farm and ranch owners are urging their Congressional delegations to support S. 1149, which is sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines and co-sponsored by Sens. Pat Roberts, R-KS and John Thune, R-SD. This legislation will make permanent the Section 199A qualified business income deduction, which is set to expire after 2025. The 199A deduction allows a business that operates as a sole proprietorship, partnership or S-corporation to take a tax deduction of up to 20 percent of qualified business income. According to a press release, USDA’s Economic Research Service estimates that had the deduction been available in 2016, almost half of
Daines honors Great Falls veteran for his work with the VA
GREAT FALLS – A Montana veteran was honored Wednesday morning for his work as a nurse practitioner with the Great Falls VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic. Senator Steve Daines presented a congressional record to Jason Gleason after honoring him in November of 2018 when he spoke about Gleason on the Senate floor. “It is such a humbling experience to have the Senator come to our clinic,” Gleason said. Gleason retired from the Montana Air National Guard in 2015. He was the officer in charge of health and promotion, medical readiness, staff development, and was also assistant chief nurse. “I know
Sen. Daines helps Tech celebrate 70 years of petroleum engineering
When Montana Tech graduated its first petroleum engineers back in 1949, there were eight of them. This year’s class will include 65. Sen. Steve Daines, who was on the university’s campus Friday to help celebrate 70 years of Tech petroleum graduates, celebrated the growth in the program over that time — but also made a pitch for more of it. “We need more graduates in engineering,” Daines said to an audience of students, faculty, alumni, and industry insiders gathered for the 24th annual spring symposium hosted by Montana Tech Petroleum Department and the student chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Billings cadet nurse closely watching U.S. Senate bill that would grant her veteran status
BILLINGS – A Billings World War II-era nurse is hoping a new proposed bill will grant her veteran’s status and allow her to be buried where she wants. Laura Koch-Natvig, 93, said Thursday she wants to be buried in the Yellowstone National Cemetery in Laurel, but her role as a cadet nurse during the war didn’t qualify her. “It would be a blessing to be able to know where I’ll be buried, anyway,” Koch-Natvig said from her Billings South Side apartment. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., cosponsored a bill April 3 that would give former United States Cadet Nurse Corps