Daines Leads Hearing on Implementation of Great American Outdoors Act
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines, the top Republican on the Senate National Parks Subcommittee, today led a hearing on the implementation of the historic conservation bill, “Great American Outdoors Act” or “GAOA,” which Daines championed in 2020. To watch Daines’ full opening remarks, click HERE. “This bill was one of the greatest conservation victories in the last 50 years. Republicans and Democrats came together to pass a historic bill that would invest in our parks, public lands, and outdoor recreation economies and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation program. As a fifth generation Montanan and avid outdoorsman and sportsman,
Daines, Rosendale Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Ban Members of Congress from Trading & Owning Individual Stocks
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines and Representative Matt Rosendale today introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill to ban Members of Congress and their spouses from owning and trading individual stocks. The bill, the “Bipartisan Ban on Congressional Stock Ownership Act of 2022,” was introduced by Daines and Senator Elizabeth Warren in the U.S. Senate and Rosendale and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal in the U.S. House. This is the first bipartisan effort on this issue in the Senate and the proposal goes farther than others that have been introduced. “Congress is here to serve, not be served. The American people should have faith in that fact,” Daines said. “Members shouldn’t be able to make legislative decisions
Daines: Pandemic, Lockdowns have Heightened Mental Health Challenges for Montana Youth
U.S. SENATE – Today at a Senate Finance Committee hearing, Senator Steve Daines emphasized the concerning mental health impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on young Montanans. Specifically, Daines highlighted how pandemic policies like lockdowns have had a profound effect on our nation’s children. Daines is thankful for the leadership of Governor Gianforte who worked to end lockdowns and support the health and well-being of our children by getting them back to school. Daines has been selected as a co-chair of the Finance Committee’s Workforce Working Group to develop bipartisan legislation to bolster the mental health workforce and improve behavioral health care for patients in Montana and nationwide. To watch Daines’ remarks,
Daines, Colleagues: Federal Broadband Projects Must Prioritize Rural America
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines and several of his Senate colleagues sent a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) expressing the importance of reliable broadband service for rural America. They requested that Federally-funded broadband projects prioritize unserved areas instead of overbuilding existing broadband infrastructure in areas with reliable broadband service. “NTIA has an opportunity to make substantial impact on connecting rural America. However, doing so will require that your agency outline rules that specifically prohibit overbuilding and that set clear criteria to ensure projects targeted at unserved areas are actually prioritized. The regulations and methodology for
Daines, Rosendale Fight for Montana Truckers, Urge Biden Admin to Honor Montana’s Request to Extend Federal ELDT Deadline
U.S. CONGRESS – U.S. Senator Steve Daines and Congressman Matt Rosendale urged the Biden administration to extend the deadline for the Entry Level Driver Training program for all new commercial driver license (CDL) applicants to give the State of Montana time to implement the necessary change, protect Montana trucking jobs and prevent more issues with the supply chain. “We write in response to the impending February 7th, 2022 deadline for the Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) program, which requires all new commercial driver license (CDL) applicants and those applying for certain CDL upgrades to have completed instruction on theory and performance
Daines Demands Answers from the VA on Decisions Impacting Veterans Health Care
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines sent a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs calling for transparency and answers on decisions impacting Montana veterans. This includes an investigation which found 1,600 potentially ineligible providers in the VA’s system, the VA quietly consolidating Community Care offices and pending VA health care facility closures. “As you know, the GAO recently flagged some 1,600 health care providers as potentially ineligible to participate in the VCCP, including many who were deceased, had violent criminal records, and had revoked or suspended medical licenses. Our veterans and taxpayers deserve better. I would like to know
Daines, Tester Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Clean Up Montana’s Abandoned Mines
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester today introduced a bipartisan bill to make it easier for “Good Samaritans” to help clean up and improve water quality in and around abandoned hardrock mines across Montana. “My bipartisan bill will help remove obstacles to abandoned mine clean up in Montana,” Daines said. “Cutting burdensome red tape and shielding Good Samaritan organizations from liability will increase the pace and scale of reclamation and in turn, support rural Montana communities, create jobs and restore and enhance our environment.” “Montana has a long rich history of hardrock mining, but all too often abandoned mines are left untreated and aren’t reclaimed,” said Tester. “The metals
Daines Demands Answers from Biden on Mass Release of Illegal Immigrants into the U.S. on Taxpayer Funded Flights
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines is demanding answers from the Biden administration about recent reports of taxpayer dollars being used to transport illegal immigrants on “midnight flights” and the mass release of illegal immigrants into American communities. “We write today regarding the movement of dangerous illegal immigrants from the border for release into law-abiding American communities. In light of the public reporting around “midnight flights” of illegal immigrants, we request a full accounting of your Department’s activities so that we can understand the scope of this challenge. We are concerned that the use of these midnight flights by Immigration
Daines, King Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Address Increased Visitation on Public Lands and Support Partnerships with Montana Gateway Communities
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Angus King (I-Maine), top Republican and Democrat on the Senate’s National Parks Subcommittee, introduced the bipartisan “Gateway Community and Recreation Enhancement Act” to support gateway communities and address challenges facing national parks and public lands like increased visitation and housing shortages. The bipartisan bill also aims to help boost visitation at lesser known parks and recreation areas. “Our national parks and public lands set us apart from the rest of the world, and Montana’s gateway communities know firsthand the benefits and challenges they bring. While increased recreation on our public lands and