WASHINGTON, June 13 -- The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands issued the following information for a remote hearing: "U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Bills" at 3:30 p.m. on June 18: Hearing on the following bills: * H.R. 244 (Rep. Chris Stewart), To maximize land management efficiencies, promote land conservation, generate education funding, and for other purposes. "Advancing Conservation and Education Act." * H.R. 1267 (Rep. Gre  more

WASHINGTON, June 10 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on June 9: U.S. Senator Jon Tester took to the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to support his Great American Outdoors Act, which will invest $9.5 billion in deferred maintenance on public lands and fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and to commend the hard work of countless Montanans who have spent years advocating for preserving our nation's wildest places. "There are   more

WASHINGTON, June 5 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) invited high school and middle school students in Montana to participate in the 2020 Congressional App Challenge, a nationwide computer software application competition hosted by Members of Congress. "The App Challenge is an opportunity for young Montanans to showcase their unique talents, programming skills, and innovative ideas," Gianforte said. "I look forward to see  more

WASHINGTON, June 10 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Congressman Greg Gianforte praised the artists who entered the 2020 Congressional Art Competition, and congratulated Caleb Fetveit, a student from Stillwater Christian School, as Montana's winner. "Every year, I'm impressed with the talent of our young artists. I saw Montana shine through every student's submission. Thank you to the students who entered this year's competition," Gianforte said. "Caleb ca  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, issued the following news release: Congressman Greg Gianforte and U.S. Senator Steve Daines sent a letter to the Department of the Interior's Secretary Bernhardt urging him to continue to address and monitor the St. Mary's Drop 2 and Drop 5 reconstruction projects. "We are grateful for the Bureau of Reclamation's responsiveness to this crisis, but would encourage you to continue monitoring reconstruction closely to ensure timely completion  more

WASHINGTON, June 9 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines secured a successful vote to advance his bipartisan bill, the "Great American Outdoors Act," in the U.S. Senate. This is the first procedural vote needed to get the legislation passed out of the Senate. The bipartisan bill provides full, mandatory funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and addresses the maintenance backlog facing the nation's public lands and national parks.  more

WASHINGTON, June 10 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is distributing additional relief funds to assist our most vulnerable Montanans. Specifically, HHS will distribute approximately $15 billion to eligible providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs and have not received a payment f  more

WASHINGTON, June 11 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on June 10: At a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing yesterday, Ranking Member Jon Tester pressed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to build a stronger, more resilient and efficient supply chain to deliver personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies to protect veterans and health care workers. Tester also urged private sector professionals to increase production of life-saving supplies  more

WASHINGTON, June 11 -- Sen. John Tester, D-Montana, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: At a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing yesterday, Ranking Member Jon Tester pressed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to build a stronger, more resilient and efficient supply chain to deliver personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies to protect veterans and health care workers. Tester also urged private sector p  more

WASHINGTON, June 11 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: In an effort to ensure that Montana's craft alcohol producers are able to keep taps flowing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senator Jon Tester led a bipartisan group of colleagues in urging Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to defer all federal excise tax collection deadlines for domestic and imported alcohol beverages through December 31, 2020. "Montana is consistently at the top of the list for most   more

WASHINGTON, June 12 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: As the Senate moves to clear its biggest public lands package in years, U.S. Senator Jon Tester is doubling down on his ongoing fight to make sure those lands are properly managed. In a letter to Department of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, Tester urged removal of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Acting Director William Perry Pendley, an anti-public lands activist who has spent his entire career urging th  more

WASHINGTON, June 10 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on June 8: After more than a decade of unyielding efforts to guarantee full, permanent funding for the Land Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), U.S. Senator Jon Tester led a bipartisan group of colleagues in a key vote to bring legislation that provides mandatory funding for the program, among other public lands measures, one step closer to the President's desk. The Tester-backed Great American Outdoors Act will p  more

WASHINGTON, June 9 -- The Senate Indian Affairs Committee issued the following hearing information: Legislative hearing to receive testimony on seven bills at 562 Dirksen Senate Office Building at 2:30 p.m. on June 24: * S. 2165, Safegaurd Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act of 2019. * S. 2716, A bill to amend the Grand Ronde Reservation Act, and for other purposes. * S. 2912, the Blackwater Trading Post Land Transfer Act. * S. 3019, the Montana Water Rights Protection Act. * S. 3044, Western T  more

WASHINGTON, June 12 -- Sen. John Tester, D-Montana, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: The Senate passed bipartisan legislation introduced by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) to amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) and provide additional legal protections for servicemembers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. The Senators' legislation expands SCR  more

WASHINGTON, June 12 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: The Senate passed bipartisan legislation introduced by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) to amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) and provide additional legal protections for servicemembers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. The Senators' legislation expands SCRA protections to servicemembers who were previously issued orders to c  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines and Congressman Greg Gianforte sent a letter to the Department of the Interior's Secretary Bernhardt urging him to continue to address and monitor the St. Mary's Drop 2 and Drop 5 reconstruction projects. "We are grateful for the Bureau of Reclamation's responsiveness to this crisis, but would encourage you to continue monitoring reconstruction closely to ensure timely completion."  more