Tag: Indian Affairs

Daines to Haaland: We Need More Law Enforcement, Resources to Address MMIW Crisis in Montana

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines is urging Secretary of the Interior Debra Haaland to direct the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to hire and transfer more law enforcement personnel to Montana. Increased law enforcement personnel would provide Montana tribal nations with more resources to combat the ongoing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis. “As you are aware, Indian Country is fighting an ongoing crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW). Tribal members make up 6.7% of Montana’s population, yet are 26% of our missing persons cases,” the letter states. “Our state’s Indian Reservations are hurting, and tribal leadership find themselves desperate

Daines Fights for Montana Indian Country, Urges Treasury Secretary to Establish Office of Tribal Affairs

U.S. SENATE —U.S. Senator Steve Daines joined a group of bipartisan senators to urge U.S. Department of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to establish an Office of Tribal Affairs to strengthen the Department’s relationship with Montana’s tribal nations and provide more in-house expertise on matters affecting Indian Country. “The recent tribal consultations and interactions between Treasury and tribal nations underscore the need for sufficient, dedicated, in-house expertise at Treasury on tribal policy matters. The establishment of such an office has support from Indian Country and would improve Treasury’s ability to fulfill its trust responsibilities to respect the nation-to-nation relationship between the federal government

Daines, Klobuchar Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Combat Fraudulent Schemes Impacting Tribal Members

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) introduced a bipartisan bill to increase awareness and reporting of fraud and scams that target Tribal members.  “The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on enough hardships, and now Montana triba lmembers are being targeted by scammers,” Daines said.  “This is unacceptable, and we must do more to protect our tribes and bring awareness to these predatory acts.” “For too long fraud and scams have targeted tribal communities, and the pandemic has only made this issue worse,” said Klobuchar. “We must ensure we have policies in place to prevent future schemes and stop bad actors, and this bipartisan legislation will do just

Daines, Tester Bring Awareness to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Crisis

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester’s resolution marking May 5th, 2021, as a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls passed the U.S. Senate. “It’s important to keep the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis at the forefront of the national conversation. On May 5 we remember Hanna Harris, who would be celebrating her 29th birthday, and the countless other lives that have been lost due to this crisis. Shedding a light on this tragic issue is a way to effectively address and protect our native communities,” Daines said. “I will continue to advocate for public safety as we look

Daines Announces Two Dot, Montana’s Margaret Evelyn Martin Has Accepted Offer of Appointment from U.S. Air Force Academy

U.S. SENATE —U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced academy nominee Margaret Evelyn Martin has accepted an offer of appointment from the United States Air Force Academy. Margaret lives in Two Dot, Montana. “Margaret is an outstanding young Montanan who has a bright future ahead of her. She has displayed true leadership and determination by juggling work, sports, and volunteer and family responsibilities, all while maintaining above average grades in her classes, including her advanced placement courses,” Daines said. “I look forward to following her success at the academy as well as her future career.” Margaret will graduate from Harlowton High School in May. She

What They Are Saying: Montana Leaders Praise Montana Water Rights Protection Act Being Signed into Law

U.S. SENATE – On Sunday, U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester celebrated their bipartisan bill, the “Montana Water Rights Protection Act,” being signed into law by President Trump. The bill permanently settles the century long CSKT water dispute, supports Montana jobs, saves taxpayer dollars, modernizes rural infrastructure and protects the water rights of all Montanans. Several Montana leaders issued statements in support following the President’s signing of this critical legislation.  “After years of effort, our bipartisan bill that settles the century long CSKT water dispute is now law. This is a huge win for all Montanans. Our bill protects

Daines, Tester Bipartisan Bill Settling Century Long Montana Water Dispute Signed Into Law

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester today celebrated their bipartisan bill, the “Montana Water Rights Protection Act,” being signed into law by President Trump. The bill permanently settles the century long CSKT water dispute, supports Montana jobs, modernizes rural infrastructure and protects the water rights of all Montanans. “After years of a lot of effort, our bipartisan bill that settles the century long CSKT water dispute is now law,” Daines said. “This is a huge win for all Montanans. Our bill protects the water rights of all Montanans, saves taxpayer dollars, creates jobs, modernizes rural infrastructure, protects Montana

Daines, Tester Bipartisan Bill Settling Century Long Montana Water Dispute Passes Senate, Heads to President’s Desk

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester today celebrated Senate passage of their bipartisan bill, the “Montana Water Rights Protection Act.” The bill will permanently settle the century long CSKT water dispute, support Montana jobs, modernize rural infrastructure and protect the water rights of all Montanans. “After years of hard work, the U.S. Senate just passed our bipartisan bill that permanently resolves the century long CSKT water dispute, and will soon become law. Without our bill, thousands of Montanans would be forced into very expensive litigation and our ag economy would’ve taken over a one billion dollar hit,” Daines said. “That’s why we’ve worked so hard to pass

Daines’ Bipartisan Montana Water Rights Protection Act Passes Senate Committee

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today secured passage of his bipartisan bill, the “Montana Water Rights Protection Act,” out of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, clearing the way for a Senate vote on the bill. “For decades, the CSKT water dispute has gone unresolved in Montana, leading to uncertainty for thousands of Montanans across our state. That’s why I introduced the bipartisan Montana Water Rights Protection Act which permanently settles the CSKT water dispute, protects the water rights of all Montanans, creates jobs, modernizes critical infrastructure needs in Northwestern Montana, protects Montana agriculture, avoids costly litigation and has the Trump administration’s

Daines Distributes PPE to Crow Tribe, Tours Detention Facility at Crow Agency

CROW AGENCY, MT – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today joined Crow Chairman AJ Not Afraid on the Crow Reservation to distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) to Crow tribal members.    Following the distribution of PPE, Daines toured a detention facility the Crow tribe is looking to utilize as they continue to lack enough holding space to maintain their policing needs on the reservation.     Background:   Daines is committed to ensuring that Montana tribes have the critical resources they need to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. To read about Daines’ COVID-19 related efforts, click HERE.  Daines strongly backs strengthening law