Efforts made to prevent cuts to Amtrak Empire Builder rail amid coronavirus pandemic
Montana’s congressional delegation is trying to derail plans by Amtrak to deal with impacts of the coronavirus by temporarily reducing runs of its Empire Builder, which glides across the Hi-Line and through northwest Montana and celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2019. On June 17, Amtrak officials said they will temporarily decrease service from seven days to three for several routes, including the Empire Builder, which runs along the Hi-Line with stations from Wolf Point to Libby. This will be effective Oct. 1 through at least the summer of 2021. But daily service could be restored if demand improves along its
Daines Continues Push to Extend Census Deadline
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today joined a bipartisan bill that would extend the Census field collection data deadline from September 30th, 2020 to October 31st, 2020. “The 2020 Census will have a lasting impact on Montana; including the distribution of federal resources to the state and even the potential for more representation in Congress,” Daines said. “We must extend the census deadline to October 31st to ensure a proper count is completed in Montana.” To view the bill, click HERE. Much of Montana remains historically undercounted. Ensuring an accurate census count is critical to potentially gaining additional Congressional representation
Senate COVID-19 Nursing Home Report Confirms Daines’ Bill Critical to Helping MT Seniors
U.S. SENATE – Yesterday, the Senate Finance Committee released a report on care in nursing homes and assisted living facilities during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that highlighted the need for Senator Daines’ bill to help nursing homes promptly identify and contain outbreaks of COVID-19. Daines’ bill would help ensure Montana’s nursing homes and assisted living facilities are equipped to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) and support diagnostic testing in order to protect our most vulnerable. “Montana seniors are some of the most at risk in our communities during this public health emergency. As we continue to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s clear from this
Daines urges Senate to stop Amtrak cuts
WASHINGTON, DC — US Senator Steve Daines is urging Senate leaders to take action to block upcoming Amtrak service cuts in Montana. Community leaders across the Hi-Line and Northwest Montana have expressed concern about the passenger rail agency’s plans to trim service on the Empire Builder” to three trains per week, as soon as next month. Sen. Daines says Amtrak’s daily service cut for the Empire Builder, and trimming staff by 20% will “decimate the economies in Montana” and leave “tens of thousands” without rail access. The Republican had already noted that Amtrak was making the cuts even after receiving
Daines Continues Push to Extend Census Deadline
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today joined a bipartisan bill that would extend the Census field collection data deadline from September 30th, 2020 to October 31st, 2020. “The 2020 Census will have a lasting impact on Montana; including the distribution of federal resources to the state and even the potential for more representation in Congress,” Daines said. “We must extend the census deadline to October 31st to ensure a proper count is completed in Montana.” To view the bill, click HERE. Much of Montana remains historically undercounted. Ensuring an accurate census count is critical to potentially gaining additional
Daines’ Bipartisan Bill to Protect Montana Veterans from Scam Artists Passes Senate Committee
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced that his bipartisan bill protecting Montana veterans and their families from pension poachers passed out of the U.S. Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. “The fact that scam artists are taking advantage of Montana veterans – our nation’s heroes – and their families is beyond disappointing. It’s reprehensible,” Daines said. “I’m glad to see my bipartisan bill which will protect Montana veterans and their families from pension poachers is one step closer to being signed into law. I will always stand with Montana veterans, and will keep fighting until we get this done.” Daines’ bipartisan bill will now move to the full U.S. Senate for a
Daines: It’s Time to Pass My Bill to Prevent Child Predators from Receiving Government Pensions
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today urged his Senate colleagues to pass his bill that would prevent convicted pedophiles from receiving a federal government pension. Daines introduced his bill in response to Stanley Patrick Weber – a former U.S. Indian Health Services pediatrician and convicted child molester who abused children for decades, including on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. “I write to highlight my legislation, the Denying Pensions to Convicted Child Molesters Act, which has been pending before your committee for more than a year,” Daines wrote. “In that time, perpetrators of some of the most heinous crimes imaginable remain eligible to receive
Daines urges Senate to pass bill preventing pedophiles from receiving pension
Sen. Steve Daines is urging his colleagues in the U.S. Senate to pass a bill that would prevent convicted pedophiles from receiving federal pensions. Daines, R-Mont., introduced the bill, called the Denying Pensions to Convicted Child Molesters Act, in 2019. The bill comes in response to Stanley Patrick Weber, a former Indian Health Services pediatrician and convicted child molester who abused children for decades, including on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Weber is reportedly due $1.8 million in government pension from the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps during his prison term, which lawmakers argue does not hold him accountable for his
Daines: We Must Support Amtrak Employees
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today urged Senate Leadership to stop the reduction of services and staff for Amtrak along the Hi-Line. Daines stressed the need to protect jobs and the local economy that Amtrak supports in Montana. “Amtrak’s plan to cut staff by twenty percent, and reduce service on the Empire Builder from daily to tri-weekly on October 19, would decimate rural economies in Montana and leave tens of thousands without daily access to the national transportation network,” Daines wrote. “The Empire Builder provides rural Montanans a safe and reliable mode of transportation to and from major cities, giving them greater access to necessities