U.S. Senate passes major public lands bill
The U.S. Senate passed a landmark conservation bill on Wednesday. The Great American Outdoors Act provides $9.5 billion to address deferred maintenance on public lands and puts $900 million annually from oil and gas royalties into the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Montana Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester, both bill sponsors, celebrated its success on Wednesday. “Today, this is about protecting our Montanan outdoor way of life for future generations and it increases public access to our public lands in addition to supporting our national parks and really preserving and protecting our western heritage,” said Daines, a Bozeman Republican who’s running for reelection.
Sen. Daines signs on to police reform legislation in Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines cosponsored the JUSTICE Act, a major police reform bill in the Senate, which aims to help improve the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve. “The men and women who serve our communities in law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to protect our families, and a few bad actors have reflected poorly upon the values of their service,” Daines said. “We must work to restore confidence between our communities and law enforcement, and this bipartisan bill does just that by increasing accountability, transparency and training. This provides real
Daines Cosponsors Bill to Ban No-Knock Warrants
U.S. SENATE –Senator Daines today cosponsored a bill to ban no-knock warrants federally and incentivize states and localities to stop using the tactic by restricting grant eligibility. “No-knock warrants are an unconstitutional tool that often puts the lives of both law enforcement and individuals in danger. It’s time that we follow the constitution and end this practice all together,” said Daines. This bill would require federal law enforcement officers to announce their authority and purpose before executing a warrant. It will also ban no-knock warrants federally and would use the Spending Clause to deter states from using no-knock warrants at
What They Are Saying: MT Conservation, Public Lands Leaders Applaud Daines’ Leadership on the Great American Outdoors Act
U.S. SENATE – Today, U.S. Senator Steve Daines secured Senate passage of his bipartisan conservation bill, the “Great American Outdoors Act” out of the Senate. Daines’ bill provides full, mandatory funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and addresses the national park and public lands maintenance backlog. Here’s what Montana conservation, sportsmen and public lands leaders and stakeholders are saying about the passage of the “Great American Outdoors Act” out of the Senate. F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Company is very appreciative of the leadership of Senator Daines to introduce and pass the Great American Outdoors Act through the
Daines Secures Historic Senate Passage of Major Conservation Bill, the Great American Outdoors Act
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today voted for and secured Senate passage of his bipartisan bill, the Great American Outdoors Act. Daines’ bill requires full, mandatory funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and addresses the maintenance backlog facing the nation’s national parks and public lands. Click HERE to download the video. “Today, we passed the most important conservation bill for Montana and the nation in decades – one that will increase public access to our public lands, support our national parks and importantly, protect our Montana outdoor way of life,” Daines said. “I
Montana delegation lauds passage of major conservation bill
Montana’s congressional delegation and conservation groups applauded Thursday’s passage of the Great American Outdoors Act by the U.S. Senate. The Senate voted 73-25 to pass the bill that fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund at $900 million annually and removes it from the annual appropriation process. The bill also generates roughly $9.5 billion to finance backlogged maintenance on federal lands, including more than $6 billion toward the more than $12 billion backlog at national parks. Democrat Sen. Jon Tester and Republican Sen. Steve Daines co-sponsored the legislation, with Daines credited with recent negotiations with President Donald Trump and
Daines Celebrates Senate Passage of Great American Outdoors Act
Montana Senator Steve Daines met with the media on Wednesday morning to celebrate the Senate’s passage of the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act. “This has been a great day in the U.S. Senate,” said Daines. “We made history today in the United States Senate by passing the Great American Outdoors Act. We had a strong bipartisan vote or 73 to 25 because this is a bipartisan bill that protects a critical conservation program, the Land and Water Conservation Program.” Daines described just one aspect of the bill that will help rebuild our national parks. “The bill addresses our maintenance backlog that
Senate Passes Bill Permanently Funding Public Land Management Programs
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed a landmark bill to permanently fund public lands management programs and maintenance in national parks. Montana’s U.S. senators, Republican Steve Daines and Democrat Jon Tester, both voted in support of The Great American Outdoors Act. The Act received broad bipartisan support passing with a 73-25 vote. If approved by Congress and signed by president Donald Trump, the act promises $900 million annually for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The LWCF uses offshore oil and gas lease royalties to pay for playgrounds, parks and other local projects. The Act also sets aside $9.5 billion
Montana senators celebrating the passage of Great Outdoors Act
MISSOULA — There was cause for celebration on Wednesday, but also a little bit of surprise because of our political divisions, as the Senate passes the Great American Outdoors Act. It’s a sweeping piece of legislation designed to provide permanent funding to the 55-year old Land and Water Conservation Act (LWCF). Montana’s senators had been expressing confidence the Great American Outdoors Act would finally succeed where other efforts had failed, permanently allocating dollars for the LWCF, the primary tool for conservation and public lands access. When the votes were counted early Wednesday, the idea passed with a huge majority across