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Tag: Technology

Daines Introduces Bipartisan Pipeline Safety Bill

November 10, 2015

“SAFE PIPES” Act Would Reauthorize PHMSA Through 2019  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today introduced bipartisan legislation to help ensure the safety of America’s pipeline network.  The legislation, known as the Securing America’s Future Energy: Protecting Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (SAFE PIPES) Act, would reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) through 2019. The SAFE PIPES Act is also sponsored by U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.). “Safe and secure pipeline infrastructure is critical to our nation and is especially important to Montanans – both for economic opportunity and environmental

Daines Pushes to Expand Rural Broadband

October 28, 2015

Click here to watch Daines’ remarks. Click here to download Daines’ remarks.  Senator Steve Daines today pushed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to close the gap in connectivity between rural and urban areas. Daines called on the FCC to expand connectivity in rural regions to minimize the divide that currently exists in delivery of broadband service. “Access to technology removes geography as a constraint and allows Montanans to start and grow world-class companies,” Daines stated. “But we still have a lot of issues to overcome to connect our unserved communities and the FCC plays a big role.” Last week, Daines

Daines: CISA Fails to Protect Americans’ Personal Privacy

October 27, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today expressed his disappointment after the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) passed the United States Senate and reaffirmed his concerns that the legislation failed to sufficiently protect Americans’ privacy and civil liberties: “I have serious concerns that this legislation fails to fully protect Montanans’ right to privacy from government overreach. As someone who spent nearly 13 years in the technology sector, I know firsthand the cybersecurity risks facing Montanans and agree that we must adopt real reforms that better protect Americans from these threats. But these reforms must not come at the expense of Montanans’

Daines: Americans Shouldn’t Have to Pay the Price for Obama Administration’s OPM Hack

July 21, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, today highlighted the growing cyber-warfare threats facing our nation, and the incompetence of the Obama administration that led to a massive breach of personal and security information at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that resulted in the resignation of Director Katherine Archuleta. Click here to watch Daines’ speech. Click here to download Daines’ speech. Daines made the following remarks on the Senate floor this evening: “Mr. President, the headlines in the past few months have been enough to paint a startling picture of how our nation is handling cybersecurity and technology issues these days.  “Before I came to

Daines, Blumenthal Introduce Bill to Protect Students’ Data

July 16, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today introduced legislation to ensure proper safeguards are in place to protect students’ data.    The Safeguarding American Families from Exposure by Keeping Information and Data Secure (SAFE KIDS) Act protects student privacy by establishing clear parameters for third-party operators when using data collected from students. The legislation empowers parents to control access to their children’s information. The current federal protections for student data, including the tools currently available to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), are woefully inadequate. The SAFE KIDS Act empowers the FTC to oversee and enforce collection, storage and usage of

Daines Speaks at Helena Native Newman’s Swearing-in as NASA Deputy Administrator

July 14, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today spoke at the ceremonial swearing-in of Helena native Dr. Dava Newman as the new National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Deputy Administrator. The United States Senate unanimously confirmed Newman on April 27, 2015. Click here to download the picture of Newman and Daines. “Dr. Newman is inspiration for countless of young Montanans who are excited about not only space exploration, but also science, technology, engineering and math,” Daines stated. “I have no doubt that Dr. Newman will be a dedicated and tireless public servant who will continue to exemplify our state’s rich legacy of

Daines Statement on Resignation of OPM Director

July 10, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement in response to the resignation of Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Katherine Archuleta. “Director Archuleta’s resignation is an important first step in restoring accountability at OPM—however, OPM’s consistent failure to properly address and react to these cyber attacks results from a much larger, systemic lack of accountability within the Obama administration,” Daines stated. “It’s time for President Obama to place a higher premium on our nation’s security and the privacy of our federal employees and put qualified, competent leaders in place, including a new Chief Information Officer, instead of

Daines: Latest OPM Report Affirms Need for New Leadership

July 9, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today reiterated his calls for new leadership at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in light of new reports that more than 21.5 Americans were victims of a mass breach of the OPM’s personnel database. This reported hack is in addition to the more than 4.2 million breached records originally announced by OPM last month. “The systemic failures and lack of accountability at OPM is staggering and completely unacceptable.  The breach reported today is five times larger than OPM’s initial reports and not only affects federal employees, but employees’ family and friends, government contractors and countless

Daines: OPM Director Should Step Down

June 23, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today called on Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Katherine Archuleta to step down in light of recent reports that due to failures in OPM’s security, an estimated 18 million current, former and prospective federal employees were victims of a mass cyber breach. “Under Katherine Archuleta’s watch, OPM allowed one of the largest breaches of federal employees’ personal information in our nation’s history. More, Ms. Archuleta has refused to take accountability for this great failure – in turn failing the American people, whom she swore an oath to protect and defend,” Daines

Daines Applauds Passage of Critical Defense Bill

June 18, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today hailed the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which provides critical support for the nation’s military and national security. “This legislation is critical to ensuring our men and women in uniform have the funding and support they need to fulfill their missions,” Daines stated. “The NDAA prioritizes the needs of our service members while protecting the important role that Montana holds in our national defense.” Daines successfully included an amendment to the NDAA that would protect military couples from abrupt reductions in their housing allowances. Under the NDAA, current dual housing