Daines Calls for Passage of National Defense Authorization Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today took to the Senate floor to call on the Senate to swiftly pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes critical support for Montana’s military missions. Daines also called on Senate Democrats to stop blocking the Department of Defense Appropriations Act and fund the military. Click here to watch Daines’ remarks. Click here to download Daines’ remarks. Daines made the following remarks on the Senate floor this afternoon: “Montana has a rich legacy of service to our country— from maintaining our nation’s ‘peace through strength’ strategy at Montana’s Malmstrom Air Force Base, where we oversee one-third of
Daines Hails Passage of Legislation to Protect Small Businesses from Costly Obamacare Mandates
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines hailed the unanimous passage of bipartisan legislation to protect small businesses from costly and burdensome Obamacare mandates. H.R. 1624, the Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees (PACE) Act sponsored by Representative Brett Guthrie (R-KY) would alter the definition of the state based small group markets under Obamacare. The Act allows states to change their definition of “small employers” from businesses with 50 or fewer employees to businesses with up to 100 employees. “I am pleased that the Senate passed bipartisan legislation to ensure that our small businesses and mid-size businesses that provide health care coverage
Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: Sally Aschim of Sunburst
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today honored Sally Aschim of Sunburst. Sally will be retiring after 38 years of dedicated teaching. 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 calling Daines’ office at 202-224-2651 or by filling out the contact form on Daines’ website: http://www.daines.senate.gov/connect/email-steve The following is the statement submitted
Daines Honors Jean Turnage on Senate Floor
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today spoke on the Senate floor to honor Jean Turnage, former Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice and State Senate President who passed away earlier this week. Click here to download Daines’ remarks. Click here to watch Daines’ remarks. Daines made the following remarks on the Senate floor: “I rise today in recognition of Jean Turnage, former Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice and State Senate President who passed away earlier this week. “Chief Justice Turnage was a true public servant who always put Montana and this nation first. He is remembered as a fair and tolerant judge, and a true gentleman
Daines, Coons Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Promote Open Science and Innovation in Government
WASHINGTON, D.C. —Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced bipartisan legislation to encourage and increase the use of crowdsourcing and citizen science within the federal government to advance and accelerate scientific research, literacy, and diplomacy. This is the first ever legislation to grant explicit authority to the government to use these methods. “In the private sector, I’ve seen firsthand how empowering Americans to innovate can yield cost savings, greater efficiencies and better results,” Daines stated. “The federal government should encourage the same by enlisting tools like crowdsourcing and citizen science in many of its projects. The best solutions to the challenges
Daines Blasts Senate Democrats’ Refusal to Fund the Department of Veterans Affairs
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today blasted Senate Democrats’ obstruction of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which provides critical funding for veterans services: “Our nation’s heroes should have easy access to the resources, services and medical care that they need and deserve. It’s unconscionable that Senate Democrats would rather make our veterans pawns in political games. This legislation contains numerous important provisions to address Montana veterans’ long-standing concerns and it would be shameful to see these much-needed reforms fall victim to Democrats’ obstructionism. I urge Senate Democrats to quickly pass this legislation, which contains increased
Daines Applauds SEMPER FI Provisions in NDAA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today applauded a provision included in the National Defense Authorization Act that allows military officers the ability to carry weapons at military recruitment centers. The NDAA conference report, agreed to by the House and Senate conference committee, includes a provision that mirrors Daines’ legislation, the Securing Military Personnel Response Firearm Initiative (SEMPER FI) Act. “The fastest way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. I’m glad that our men and women in uniform will be able to protect and defend themselves,” Daines stated. “Our military recruiters should be able to
Daines Announces Kick Off of Veterans History Project in Montana
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today announced that he will be bringing the American Folklife Center’s Veterans History Project (VHP) to Montana to collect and preserve the stories of Montana’s wartime veterans in the Library of Congress. Montana veterans who served in the United States military during wartime in any capacity from World War I through the present and are no longer serving, as well as civilians who served in support of a U.S. war effort in a professional capacity, are eligible to participate. “The Veterans History Project’s mission is to collect, preserve and make accessible the personal accounts
Daines Rallies Senators in Support of LWCF Reauthorization
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today led a coalition of Senators in support of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), an important tool for increasing public access to public lands, on the Senate floor. Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Richard Burr (R-NC) joined Daines on the Senate floor to urge their House and Senate colleagues to reauthorize LWCF and not allow authorization to lapse. “We’re not going to let this conversation die. We’re going to continue to fight for the permanent reauthorization of LWCF. It is a tool for public access to ensure that Montanans