Senators Call on Commerce, Ag Secretaries to Prioritize Broadband Access for Rural Americans
Daines, Manchin, King lead bipartisan effort to ensure high-speed broadband for rural communities WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Angus King (I-ME) today led a bipartisan effort to ensure the federal government prioritizes high-speed broadband access for rural Americans. In a bipartisan letter signed by more than a dozen Senators, the Senators pressed Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Co-Chairs of the Broadband Opportunity Council, for a detailed analysis of the various federal broadband initiatives that can be coordinated across agencies to bridge the digital divide and bring rural America into the
Montana’s Senators Work to Improve Access to Montana’s Outdoors
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In honor of the upcoming National Trails Day, Montana Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester are working to improve maintenance of Montana’s National Forest trails. Daines and Tester have signed onto S.1110, the National Forest System Trails Stewardship Act of 2015, which would ensure existing Forest Service resources are better used to maintain National Forest trails. It would also significantly increase the role of volunteers and local partners in maintaining the usability and sustainability of the National Forest trail system. “Montana has a rich outdoor heritage that is critical to our state’s economy and our way of
Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: Jim Weber of Helena
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today recognized Jim Weber, a welding and machining teacher at Capital High School in Helena, Montana. Under Mr. Weber’s leadership his class recently made 15 machined fly rods to donate to the Big Hearts Under the Big Sky program. Big Hearts Under the Big Sky allows service members, children with life-threatening illnesses and women battling breast cancer, opportunities to enjoy the outdoors at no cost. 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
Daines Takes to Senate Floor to Blast Rising Costs of Obamacare
Senator Steve Daines today took to the Senate floor to blast the rising costs of Obamacare in Montana, as insurers across the state have asked for double-digit increases in premiums for 2016. Below are key excerpts from Daines’ floor speech: “Look no further than Montana, where it is evident that health care premiums aren’t as affordable as President Obama promised they would be. “Policies sold through Obamacare exchanges are becoming even more expensive. “In Montana, according to fillings with the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance…insurers across the board are asking for double-digit increases for 2016 policies. “Blue Cross Blue
Daines Statement on EPA Study Confirming Safety of Hydraulic Fracturing
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) draft assessment concluding that hydraulic fracturing has not led to “widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources.” “The EPA assessment reflects what Montanans have long known: hydraulic fracturing is a safe and effective way to access Montana’s vast energy resources. The federal government needs to step back and allow states to take the lead in regulating hydraulic fracturing.” ###
Daines Introduces Legislation to Decrease Regulatory Burden on Montana Small Businesses
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today introduced legislation to rollback the regulatory burdens and uncertainty facing too many Montana small businesses. Daines’ bill, S.1487, the Regulatory Predictability for Business Growth Act, ensures that small businesses aren’t subjected to unexamined and altered regulations that change at the whims of Washington bureaucrats. The bill requires any interpretative rule to undergo the Notice and Comment process if there is a change to a previously issued rule. The bill will ensure that any federal agency will not have broad unchecked authority to burden without notice businesses with dramatically altered rules without discussion and
Daines Hails Long Overdue Passage of USA Freedom Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today hailed the long overdue passage of the bipartisan USA Freedom Act: “I look forward to seeing this bipartisan legislation quickly signed into law by the President. The USA Freedom Act takes the long overdue step to end the NSA’s bulk collection of Americans’ phone records and secures important reforms to protect Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights. Today’s vote is a win for our civil liberties and our constitutional rights. ” Daines has long worked to protect Americans’ civil liberties and Fourth Amendment rights. Daines is an original cosponsor of the USA Freedom Act of
Daines Statement on the USA Freedom Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement after the Senate voted to advance the bipartisan USA Freedom Act. “I’m pleased to see the Senate take a critical step towards ending the bulk collection of Americans’ phone records by advancing the USA Freedom Act. The USA Freedom Act strikes the right balance between protecting the homeland from terror attacks while protecting the constitutional rights and liberty of the American people. I urge the Senate to pass the USA Freedom Act swiftly.” With today’s vote the Senate cleared a critical procedural hurdle that sets up a vote on
Daines Statement on BLM and USFS’s Greater Sage-Grouse Plan
“Obama Administration’s Land Use Plans Are One-Size-Fits-None” WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today expressed his deep concerns about the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) newly released federal plan to manage the greater sage-grouse habitat. “We can’t protect the greater sage-grouse in a checkerboard-like fashion — after all, the bird can’t tell the difference between federal, state and private lands. I have serious concerns that the Obama administration’s land-use plans will have a detrimental impact on Montana’s economy, our land users and Montanans’ way of life. It’s the people of Montana, not federal bureaucrats