Daines: VA Reforms are Welcome First Step in Ensuring Veterans Receive Needed Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today commended the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for addressing Montana veterans’ long standing concerns and taking steps to ensure veterans are able to receive health care services close to home. The VA announced today that it is reforming its calculation used to determine distance between a veteran’s residence and the nearest VA health facility when allowing veterans who live more than 40-miles from a VA facility to receive care closer to home. Daines called the reform “an important step forward,” while also reiterating his call to address a loophole that prevents some veterans from receiving
Daines Focuses on Solutions to Better Federal Forest Management
Lincoln County Commissioner testifies about importance of forest management reform for rural jobs, tax revenue WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today pressed the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to find solutions to increase timber harvests and called on them to work with local leaders to achieve increased harvests. During today’s Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on improving forest health, Daines pressed USDA Under Secretary Robert Bonnie on solutions to increase timber harvests after U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell acknowledged to Daines last week that a goal of nearly tripling harvests in Montana’s National Forests is “very reasonable.” The Forest Service
Daines Announces Four Montana Schools to Receive Computers Through Senate Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today announced that he has helped facilitate a donation of 25 computers to four Montana public schools as part of the United State Senate’s Computers for Schools Program. Through the program, four Montana schools have received multiple HP8000 computers to enhance and encourage education and learning. Recipients include: Ashland Public School in Ashland, MT received 10 computers Hays-Lodge Pole School in Hays, MT received five computers Sidney Public School in Sidney, MT received five computers Bainville Public School in Bainville, MT received five computers “As someone who spent 12 years in the technology sector, I
Daines Works to Protect Montanans’ Civil Liberties and Right to Privacy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today worked to protect Montanans’ privacy from commercial and non-commercial use of drones and other remotely piloted aircraft. During today’s Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Daines pressed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to address Montanans’ significant privacy concerns over this emerging technology. “I come from the state of Montana that places a great value in privacy – in fact, you might argue that we have different privacy expectations than people in large urban areas, and that’s why people like to live in places like Montana,” Daines stated. “I do have concerns
Daines: FAA Decision on Powder River Training Complex is Disappointing, but Fight to Ensure Regional Safety Continues
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today expressed his disappointment with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) decision to approve the proposed expansion of the Powder River Training Complex, but reaffirmed his commitment to working with the FAA and Air Force to protect general aviation safety and economic activity in the region. The FAA today announced that it has approved and signed the Record of Decision for the Air Force’s proposed Powder River Training Complex. The designated airspace will become effective on September 17, 2015. “It’s disappointing that the FAA has approved this expansion without addressing Montanans numerous concerns about the proposal’s
Daines: Obamacare Needs to be Repealed and Replaced
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the five-year anniversary of President Obama’s signing Obamacare into law, Senator Steve Daines today called for the President’s health care overhaul to be repealed and replaced with state-led solutions that put patients in the center of the health care equation: “Here we stand at the five-year anniversary of Obamacare. I remember hearing President Obama and Nancy Pelosi tell us that premiums would go down, that we’d have better access to health care and that if we like our health care plans, we could keep them. Well five years later, we look behind at a trail of broken
Daines Slams New Fracking Rule As Direct Attack on American Jobs, Energy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today blasted the Department of Interior’s new regulations on hydraulic fracturing on federally-owned lands as a direct attack on American jobs and American energy. “The Obama administration is at it again. States like Montana have successfully overseen hydraulic fracturing for years, but once again, the Obama administration seems more set on overregulating our energy industry than promoting the responsible development of our nation’s vast energy resources,” Daines stated. “This top-down regulation is duplicative, burdensome and ultimately, a direct attack on American energy production, critical tax revenue for our schools and communities, and thousands of good-paying jobs across
Daines Introduces Bill to Increase Government Accountability, Rein in Outdated Regulations
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today introduced legislation to ease the regulatory burden facing Montanans by bringing much-needed accountability and transparency to the regulatory process. Daines’ bill, S. 826 the Regulatory Examination Vital for Improving and Evaluating Working Solutions (REVIEWS) Act, implements a decennial review of all federal rules to ensure that the American people aren’t subjected to regulations that are outdated, unworkable or simply no longer make sense. The bill requires federal agencies to subject all existing regulations to the Administrative Procedure Act’s Notice and Comment process every 10 years – allowing the American people to review and provide feedback on
Daines: It’s Time for Democrats to Put Politics Aside and Do What’s Right for the Victims of Human Trafficking
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today called on Senate Democrats to put politics aside and end their obstruction of the bipartisan Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. “Montanans know firsthand the immeasurable damage that human trafficking has inflicted on our communities, our schools, and most of all, the victims of these horrific crimes. We also know the importance of coming together to support the victims of this modern-day slavery,” Daines stated. “That’s why I can’t understand why some Senate Democrats are obstructing this bipartisan, broadly supported bill. It’s unconscionable that anyone would rather place political games above abolishing human trafficking and securing long-overdue