Lawmakers split on gun control after Orlando mass shooting
Montana’s congressional delegation is split on whether gun control is needed after Sunday’s mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., the worst in U.S. history. U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., told The Gazette it was past time to stop selling weapons to people on terrorist watch lists, as well as people who have been declared mentally ill by a court of law. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., disagreed, telling Senate colleagues the focus needed to be on radical Islam and ISIS, not the Second Amendment. It was the same focus Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., called for Sunday. Given that Sunday’s gunman, 29-year-old
Daines to Listen to Montanans, After Snubbed by Interior
On the same day, BLM is hosting an official meeting in Seattle, Washington with no plan to hear Montanans’ voices U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced that he will hold a public meeting on June 21, 2016 in Billings, Montana to ensure that the Department of Interior (DOI) hears the voices that will be most impacted by their review of the federal coal program. While the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) claims that they are “particularly interested in gathering public input on the issues and policies that should be outlined in the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement” on June 21 they are holding
Daines’ Bill to Protect Small Businesses Passes Commerce Committee
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today applauded the overwhelming bipartisan passage of his legislation to protect Montana small businesses from burdensome regulations found in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) 317-page “net neutrality” rules. The Small Business Broadband Deployment Act of 2015 passed the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee this morning. It extends a temporary exemption from the FCC’s new so-called “enhanced transparency requirements,” which would require internet service providers to disclose an excess of information about their network performance, some of which may require investing in new equipment and hiring an engineer. “Too many small businesses have suffered due
Daines Works to Stop President Obama’s WOTUS Rule
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today successfully worked to stop President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) overreaching Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule that seeks regulate virtually every ditch and pond that may be occasionally wet across the United States. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, of which Daines is a member, approved a bill that would prohibit the WOTUS rule. This bill is set to be taken up by the full Senate Committee on Appropriations on Thursday. “The WOTUS rule is a clear effort by the Obama administration to gain control over
Politico: Senators Want Cyber Command Language in Final Defense Policy Bill
Sens. Steve Daines and Mark Warner are asking the leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services panels to include a provision in the final defense authorization bill that would elevate U.S. Cyber Command to a full, unified command. “At a time when ISIS is rapidly recruiting online and the cyber battlefield is evolving at a rapid rate, the United States needs to ensure cyber warfare is at the top of our priorities,” the duo said in a letter today addressed to Sens. John McCain and Jack Reed and Reps. Mac Thornberry and Adam Smith . The pair originally planned
KTVH: Sen. Daines and Tester express condolences to the families in Orlando
On Monday, Montana Senator Steve Daines expressed his condolences to the families of those involved in the horrific Orlando shooting on the Senate floor. “My deepest condolences are with the victims and the families of this appalling attack. I am grateful for the law enforcement and first responders who bravely put their lives on the line to save others,” said Sen. Steve Daines. Senator Jon Tester released this statement on Sunday saying in part, “we must come together to put an end to this terrorism, intolerance and senseless violence that is attempting to steal our freedom.”
Fox Montana: Orlando shooting prompts talk of legislation in Senate
Sunday morning’s Orlando attack has renewed conversation in the Senate about proposed firearm legislation. Democratic Senators are pushing for a new vote on the “Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act,” which would keep any suspected terrorist from buying firearms in America. This isn’t the first time this legislation has come up. Neither Senator Jon Tester or Senator Steve Daines acted as co-sponsors when the bill was defeated last December, but Senator Tester voted to support it while Senator Daines voted against it. On Monday, several Democratic Senators from California, New York, Connecticut and Florida revisited the idea and
E&E: Daines touts conservative conservationism
Earlier this spring, Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines drew loud applause from a crowd of union activists — traditionally a Democratic constituency — with his stinging attack of U.S. EPA’s Clean Power Plan. “You talk to our unions back in Montana, they sometimes wonder if [EPA] shouldn’t stand for the Employment Prevention Agency,” Daines told the North America’s Building Trades Union at its Washington, D.C., convention. He warned that thousands of “good-paying union” jobs would disappear because of the administration’s efforts to limit carbon emissions from power plants. Only a few days later, Daines was speaking out on the other
Daines Announces Grants for MSU for Rural Healthcare & Asbestos Research
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced Montana State University (MSU) received $190,000 to increase quality healthcare services and for asbestos research. MSU received $172,000 for the State Office of Rural Health (SORH) to improve access to, and the quality of, healthcare for rural Montana. “I look forward to seeing Montana State University use this funding to expand their healthcare services to increase the quality of services for rural Montanans,” Daines stated. Kristin Juliar, Director of Montana Area Health Education Center and Office of Rural Health: “We find inspiration every day in the work of the healthcare organizations that serve rural and