WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: After months of efforts to expand banking services for Montana hemp producers, U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has updated its guidance to expand financial services available for hemp businesses. "Montana hemp farmers have been subject to unfair bureaucratic red tape that has prevented them from accessing the financial services they need to thrive," sai  more

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: Following a sustained push by U.S. Senator Jon Tester, the Bureau of Reclamation has agreed to use its emergency maintenance authority to do replacement work on Drops 2 and 5 of the Milk River Project, with 35 percent of the costs to be covered by the federal government, rather than the 25 percent currently covered by Reclamation. While negotiations on the final contract for construction are underway, the state  more

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: As the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) begins work aimed at expanding broadband access across the country, U.S. Senator Jon Tester is fighting to make sure Montana's rural communities aren't left behind. In a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, Tester called for his Broadband DATA Act to be implemented before the FCC moves ahead with a planned disbursement of $16 billion from the Rural Digital Opportunit  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- 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) will be directing $13,866,039 to healthcare providers in Montana, including those serving rural communities. "This major funding will support our providers that are on the frontlines of this pandemic and serving our rural communities," Daines said. "It is important we continue working to ensure Montana's healthca  more

WASHINGTON, July 7 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced the Emergency Support for Nursing Homes and Elder Justice Reform Act of 2020 to support the health and safety of Montana seniors during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and extend funding for vital Elder Justice Act programs. "I'm grateful for the important work being done by Montana's nursing homes and assisted living facilities who care for and help keep our most vulnerab  more

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines announced that the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) has determined the Drop 2 and Drop 5 of the St. Mary's River Project qualify as emergency work which will allow repairs to go forth with less strain on Montanans. This follows Daines' request to Department of the Interior Secretary Bernhardt to make this decision expeditiously. "I'm glad the administration responded to the St. Mary's Jo  more

HELENA, Montana, July 10 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines issued the following statement ahead of the Helena City Commission's work session to cut $300,000 from the Helena Police Department's personnel budget and remove School Resource Officers (SROs) from all school campuses. "I'm deeply troubled by efforts to defund local police departments and strip vital school safety resources like SROs from our schools. These divisive actions t  more

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines urged United States Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett to visit Malmstrom Air Force Base and the Montana Air National Guard in Great Falls to discuss Montana's defense priorities and the work Malmstrom Air Force Base is contributing to our national security. "Considering your visit was canceled due to the pandemic, I would like to invite you to Montana again to observe the   more

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Steve Daines sponsored the Ending Taxpayer Funding of Anarchy Act which would restrict federal funding to cities and states that allow "anarchist jurisdictions" when local or city governments give up their duty to protect its citizens from non-governmental actors and protestors and no longer provide police, fire, or emergency medical services. "We cannot let mob rule dominate our cities and com  more

WASHINGTON, July 7 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: After months of soliciting feedback from Montana small business owners about what should be done to help mitigate the devastating economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senator Jon Tester is backing bipartisan legislation to create a new loan program that will specifically target and support businesses hit hardest by the crisis. Tester's Reviving the Economy Sustainably Towards a Recovery in Twenty-tw  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Jon Tester joined local, state, and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials at the groundbreaking ceremony for the David J. Thatcher VA Clinic, the new Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Missoula that he shepherded through the Senate. "For far too long, veterans in Western Montana had to make do with an undersized clinic and overworked staff--but no more," said Tester. "This new fa  more

WASHINGTON, July 8 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: As states across the country face an economic downturn and Americans lose health care coverage due to job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senator Jon Tester introduced the Coronavirus Medicaid Response Act, which would respond to the increased need for health care during the public health and economic crisis by creating a quicker process for supporting state Medicaid programs. "Montanans have access to  more

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- Sen. John Tester, D-Montana, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: In response to outreach from Montana constituents, U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) are leading 17 Senate colleagues calling for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hazard and retention pay policies for clinical employees involved in the COVID-19 response. In a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, the S  more

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: In response to outreach from Montana constituents, U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) are leading 17 Senate colleagues calling for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hazard and retention pay policies for clinical employees involved in the COVID-19 response. In a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, the Senators encouraged VA to remove arbitrary caps on retention incentives  more

WASHINGTON, July 7 -- Sen. John Tester, D-Montana, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Jon Tester successfully secured his Care and Readiness Enhancement (CARE) for Reservists Act and Seeding Rural Resilience Act in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) - two critical mental health bills aimed at curbing the rising rate of suicide among servicemembers and farmers. "We need to do everything we can to improv  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Sen. John Tester, D-Montana, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Jon Tester is urging the Department of Defense to provide financial relief from health care premiums for members of the National Guard returning to Reserve status after responding to the COVID-19 crisis. In the last four months, nearly 46,500 National Guard members in 45 states have been activated to fight on the front lines of   more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: Following Governor Steve Bullock's announcement that the State of Montana and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reached an agreement to allow the public to access the Yellowstone River at Fort Keogh in Miles City, U.S. Senator Jon Tester is urging USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to quickly give the decision the final go-ahead. In a letter, Tester wrote that both Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks and USDA ha  more

WASHINGTON, July 8 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: As the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) moves to re-open facilities and services to serve veterans nationwide, U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) are demanding an update on the roll-out of the new Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program. VA is currently undertaking a decade-long transition to bring veterans' heal  more

WASHINGTON, July 8 -- Sen. John Tester, D-Montana, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: As the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) moves to re-open facilities and services to serve veterans nationwide, U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) are demanding an update on the roll-out of the new Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program. VA is   more

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release on July 8: U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Jerry Moran (R-Kans.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to expand Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan benefits to National Guard and Reserve members by crediting service under federal Title 32 orders. Currently, members of the National Guard and Reserve are only eligible for the VA home loan program if they have had 90   more

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is agreeing to U.S. Senator Jon Tester's call to extend the July 8, 2020 deadline for Custer County to decide whether they want to accept the Miles City campus as VA plans to transition care to new locations in the area. The Department is currently in the process of establishing a new leased Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) and Community Living Center (CLC) in nea  more