Daines: No pensions for federal workers convicted of child sexual assault
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines pushed ahead Wednesday an attempt to cut retirement benefits to Indian Health Service pediatrician Stanley Patrick Weber, who sexually assaulted Blackfeet children. The Republican senator for Montana questioned Assistant Surgeon General Michael D. Weahkee on Wednesday about Indian Health Service’s handling of reports against Weber. The questions came as the assistant surgeon general appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee to make his case for the IHS 2020 budget. After the hearing Daines introduced a bill to cut off retirement benefits for federal workers convicted of on-the-job child sexual assault. “Despite numerous reported suspicions of Weber’s inappropriate
Daines, Tester Introduce Bill to Fix Burdensome Regulations on Livestock Haulers
U.S. Senate – U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester today introduced a bill that will ease burdensome regulations on livestock haulers. The bipartisan Transporting Livestock Across America Safely Act changes a Department of Transportation rule that requires drivers who haul live animals to adhere to strict time constraints monitored by Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs), exempting them from some road time requirements and allowing them to better care for the live animals they are transporting. “Our ranchers and livestock haulers don’t need some burdensome government mandate telling them how to do their jobs,” Daines said. “This legislation is about strengthening
Senator Daines co-sponsors drug pricing bill
U.S. Senator Steve Daines is co-sponsoring a bipartisan bill to shed light on the drug pricing process and the middlemen responsible for negotiating prescription drug costs. The Bipartisan bill, “The Prescription Pricing for the People Act of 2019”, helps shed light on the pharmacy benefit manager industry by examining the effects of consolidation on pricing and other potentially-abusive behavior. Specifically, the bill requires the Federal Trade Commission to study the role and recent merger activity of PBMs as well as possible anti-competitive behavior. The bill requires the FTC to provide policy recommendations to congress to improve competition and protect consumers.
Daines calls for greater transparency on prescription-drug pricing
BILLINGS- More Americans struggle with paying for prescription drugs, and many times there’s someone in between the drug company and the consumer who negotiates the price. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said Monday he’s introduced a bill to create transparency around what that “middle man” is doing. That includes looking into the effects of company consolidation on drug pricing. As many companies merge, it creates less competition and allows for an increase in drug prices, according to Daines. In fact, three companies control a 73 percent share of the pharmacy benefit manager industry. One of the most well-known spikes is the 500 percent
Daines Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Increase Transparency, Accountability in Drug Pricing
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today introduced a bipartisan bill to shed light on the drug pricing process and the middlemen responsible for negotiating prescription drug costs. “Montanans can’t afford to keep paying the outrageous costs of prescription drugs,”Daines said. “Transparency and accountability in drug pricing is long overdue. That’s why I’m introducing this bill to protect Montanans and ensure those responsible for negotiating drug prices are focused on driving costs down, not lining the pockets of their own industry.” The bipartisan bill, the Prescription Pricing for the People Act of 2019, helps shed light on the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) industry
Daines wants details on incoming Mexican meth, calls on Border Patrol to answer
Sen. Steve Daines on Wednesday urged U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials to gather specific information on drug seizures at the southern border, and on what law enforcement there is doing to stem its rush into the U.S. In a letter to Acting Commissioner John Sanders, Daines wants to know the specifics of every seizure between Jan. 1, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2018, including the amount seized, method of transport, location of seizure and the source of its production. A a roundtable discussion in Missoula last week, Daines heard from local and state law enforcement about the limited resources available
Daines’ conservation efforts invaluable to Montana
As the long time president of ConservAmerica and a relatively new resident of Montana, I’m dismayed at the partisan rhetoric aimed at Sen. Steve Daines. ConservAmerica has worked on the right side of the aisle since 1995 to restore the GOP’s great conservation tradition. That legacy lives on in the heart of Steve Daines. Every great conservation and environmental act we take for granted today enjoyed broad bipartisan support in Congress. In other words, one party can’t go it alone. Scorecards from partisan organizations can’t be relied upon because they cherry pick votes, often obscure procedural votes, and don’t give
Daines hears local law enforcement’s plea for more resources, tighter southern border
Montana Sen. Steve Daines on Thursday heard the plight of western Montana law enforcement agencies who’ve become embattled with the methamphetamine trade. “It’s overwhelming our communities,” Daines told reporters after the roundtable at the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office. “Law enforcement does not have enough resources to deal with this crisis in Montana.” Sheriffs, deputies, detectives, National Guard officers and community coordinators from Ravalli to Lincoln counties offered the Republican senator a glimpse into the front lines of their fight with drugs, specifically meth. Many asked for more resources to both investigate and prosecute drug trafficking in their areas, as well
Daines calls prescription drug pricing ‘broken’ at Helena event
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines told seniors in Helena that he expects a package of bills to move in the Senate this summer that will increase transparency and lower the costs of prescription drugs. Daines spoke and took questions from residents at Touchmark on Wednesday afternoon on prescription drug prices. The topic is one that he hears plenty about from Montanans, with many sharing stories of high prices. Daines, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, says members are looking at differences between the “list price” set by drug companies and the “net price” of what customers actually pay. That difference can be