Tag: Economy

Daines Introduces Legislation to Increase Transparency in Regulatory Rules

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today introduced legislation to provide oversight in the federal regulatory structure by creating much needed transparency for the American people. Daines’ bill, the Regulatory Impact Scale on the Economy Small Business Act of 2015 (RISE Act), would provide the federal government with a proper framework to effectively monitor regulatory activity.  The bill brings essential accountability and transparency to the federal regulatory process, which currently lacks a codified, standardized means to measure economic impact. “Too often the federal government keeps the public in the dark when issuing regulations that have the potential to create billions

Daines Works to Move Forward Long-Term Highway Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines joined the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee last night in approving key components of a multi-year transportation bill and reaffirmed his call for Senate leadership to move forward a long-term highway bill that provides Montanans with much-needed certainty for infrastructure investments. “This vote is an important step forward in getting a long-term highway bill across the finish line. Montana’s short construction season is well underway, and it’s critical that Congress approves a multi-year solution that provides our state with the certainty needed to make long-term infrastructure investments. We need to quickly move forward

Daines, Zinke Announce Legislation to Protect Tribes from Costly Obamacare Employer Mandate

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) and Representative Ryan Zinke (R-MT) today announced the introduction of legislation to protect Native American tribes from Obamacare’s costly employer mandate. The Tribal Employment and Jobs Protection Act, which was introduced today in the Senate and House, will exempt tribes and tribal employers from Obamacare’s employer mandate. The bills prevent massive fines that tribal employers would incur under Obamacare’s employer mandate. “Tribes should not be forced to pay severe fines due to duplicative federal mandates in the President’s flawed health care law,” Daines stated. “These unreasonable fines have the potential to kill jobs

Daines Statement on Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA et. al.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA et. al.: “The Court took an important step today to help ensure the EPA takes into account the true cost of excessive regulations on the American people, their jobs and their livelihoods. This rule is just one of the numerous burdensome regulations the Obama administration has cooked up that has the potential to eliminate good paying jobs and devastate the livelihoods of hardworking American families. “But while today’s ruling is welcome news, Montanans have already seen the real

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 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

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