Daines’ Bills to Provide Critical Funding for Montana’s Rural Water Infrastructure Receive First Hearing
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines’ bills to provide much-needed funding for Montana rural water infrastructure received their first Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing today. Daines’ bills— S. 1552 the Clean Water for Rural Communities Act and S. 1365, the Authorized Rural Water Projects Completion Act – provide much-needed funding and authorization for the construction and completion of critical rural water infrastructure projects in Montana and other states. Daines’ remarks can be viewed here and downloaded here. “Water is a basic need of life. In Montana, we depend on a steady supply to irrigate our crops, water our livestock
Daines Applauds Passage of Critical Defense Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today hailed the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which provides critical support for the nation’s military and national security. “This legislation is critical to ensuring our men and women in uniform have the funding and support they need to fulfill their missions,” Daines stated. “The NDAA prioritizes the needs of our service members while protecting the important role that Montana holds in our national defense.” Daines successfully included an amendment to the NDAA that would protect military couples from abrupt reductions in their housing allowances. Under the NDAA, current dual housing
Daines Secures Additional Support for LWCF
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today secured close to $14 million in additional funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a program of critical importance to increasing access to Montana public lands and protecting Montana’s outdoors heritage. During today’s mark up of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY2016, Daines and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) successfully passed an amendment to increase LWCF programs by nearly $14 million, bringing the overall total funding for LWCF to the FY2015 enacted level of $306 million. “LWCF is an important program for Montana that helps expand access to
Daines Announces First Biannual Montana High Tech Jobs Summit
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today announced that he will be hosting the first biannual Montana High Tech Jobs Summit in Bozeman this fall. The Summit, sponsored by Daines, the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Montana Chamber of Commerce, will take place at Montana State University on September 13 and 14 and will feature Safra Catz, Chief Executive Officer of Oracle, among other national tech and business leaders. “Working at RightNow Technologies, I experienced firsthand the opportunity that technology gives us to grow jobs right here in Montana,” said Senator Daines. “Technology has removed geography as a constraint and
Daines Urges Commerce Committee to Hold Oversight Hearing on PHMSA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines is calling on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to hold an oversight hearing on the reauthorization of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). In a letter to Chairman John Thune (R-SD), Daines urged the Committee to convene a hearing on the reauthorization PHMSA to examine the federal government’s responsibility in ensuring safe and environmentally sound transportation of natural resources through America’s pipelines, railroads, highways, waterways and airspace. Daines’ calls come in light of the millions of miles of pipeline across Montana and the need to upgrade and better maintain failing pipelines.
Daines Works to Ensure Due Process for Veterans Erroneously Discharged
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today announced he has helped introduce two measures to ensure due process for veterans who suffer from mental health illnesses who may have been erroneously given an administrative discharge, rather than an honorable discharge. Daines has joined Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) to introduce S. 1567 which ensures active duty members who suffer from invisible wounds, like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) aren’t incorrectly administratively discharged. An administrative discharge is often given for minor misconducts, which can be attributed to behaviors seen in those suffering from PTSD or TBI.
Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: Jaydyn Child of Dillon
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Senator Steve Daines today honored Jaydyn Child, a Dillon high school student who recently received the Girl Scouts’ highest possible award, the Gold Award, for her project to raise awareness about suicide prevention among teens and adults in Montana. Daines presented Jaydyn with her award today at the ribbon cutting ceremony for a new Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming office in Bozeman. Click here to download the high-resolution photo. 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
Daines Statement on Reported Chinese Cyber Attacks
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement in response to reports that Chinese hackers have accessed the private security clearance information of millions of military and intelligence personnel: “Reports that Chinese hackers have hacked into private security clearance information from our nation’s military and intelligence agencies is deeply concerning and could have devastating implications for our national security. This is the second major cyber attack on the federal government in just a week, and it is deeply troubling that the Obama administration has yet to prioritize addressing this serious problem. These attacks reaffirm the importance of strengthening
Daines, Senate Appropriations Committee Move Forward Critical Montana Defense Priorities
Senate defense appropriations bills approved by committee, contains key provisions to support Montana defense priorities WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today helped move forward support for important Montana defense priorities in the Senate Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2016. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the bill today with a strong bipartisan vote of 18-3. “This bill is essential to funding our military,” Daines stated. “I’m proud that this bill contains critical funding for our national security and protects the important role that Montana plays in our national defense.” With Daines’ support, the Defense appropriations bill contains several key provisions to support Montana’s military missions and national security interests, including: Protecting