Author: Reilly Lowery

Montana Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines are applauded for introducing legislation to make permanent full funding for the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. Now Rep. Greg Gianforte needs to get on board. When the state’s delegation speaks with unanimity, it wields much more influence in the halls of Congress. Democrat Tester and Republican Daines introduced a measure recently that would allocate $900 million – the maximum – every year for the LCWF. The fund is fed by royalties paid on offshore drilling and it helps pay for a variety of outdoor amenities – from city parks to fishing

With the backing of Montana’s Congressional delegation, the Land and Water Conservation Fund saw permanent reauthorization earlier this year – a significant victory for conservation groups and lawmakers who spent years advocating for the program. Now the funder of major public access projects to municipal parks is in the midst of another debate: How much money it will receive this year and into the future? LWCF uses a portion of offshore oil and gas royalties to fund a variety of conservation and recreation projects across the country. While the program may be most recognized for federal land purchases, state grants go to

Sen. Steve Daines criticized the state of Montana on Wednesday during a Senate subcommittee hearing, saying its policies on Medicaid has made it more at risk to abuse and fraud compared to other states. He made his comments after noting the U.S. government improperly spent $36 billion in Fiscal Year 2018. “The sad reality is that for every dollar that is lost to waste, fraud and abuse means a lost investment in improving the health and well-being of vulnerable Montanans,” the Montana Republican said.  He noted a 2018 report from the Montana Legislative Audit Division that he said found Montana

The USDA  announced the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program. It establishes a national regulatory framework for hemp production in the United States. The 2018 Farm Bill allowed for the legalization of hemp in the United States but with little rules or regulations.  The new provisions for hemp production include requirements for maintaining information on the land where hemp is produced, testing the levels of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinoil, better known as THC, disposing of plants not meeting necessary requirements and licensing requirements. These new provisions provide clarity to hemp farmers in what they can and can’t do moving forward.   Senator Steve Daines said,

Montana’s federal lawmakers are moving ahead with their effort to rename the Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Bozeman after local Medal of Honor recipient and Army Staff Sgt. Travis Atkins. Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester and Rep. Greg Gianforte sent a letter on Tuesday to the chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee asking that he advance the bill that would rename the clinic. “On behalf of Montana’s service members, veterans, family members and citizens, we write to express the unanimous support of the Montana congressional delegation for the designation of one Department of Veterans Affairs health care facilities