Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise to urge my colleagues to vote in support of the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act.

My legislation is about bringing jobs to the most economically disadvantaged communities in Montana and empowering Indian Tribes to determine their own destinies. In fact, for 14 years, the Federal Government has placed prohibitive regulations on tribes, which has infringed on their rights and cost them jobs and economic opportunities. Now Montana's Tribes and the Tribal communities across the country suffer from some of the Nation's highest unemployment. This legislation will restore the parity between Tribal governments and Federal, State, and local governments as well as protect and respect the Tribes' right to sovereignty.

It is time for the Federal Government to step out of the Tribes' way so they can make the right decisions for their communities, for their people, and create good-paying jobs on reservations.

On behalf of Montana's 12 federally recognized Tribes, as a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, as the chair of the Senate Western Caucus, and as an original author of this legislation both in this Congress and the last, I urge my colleagues to make the right choice and support the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act.

Recognition of the Majority Leader

Mr. President, this week, I have the honor of recognizing Philipsburg Brewing Company in Philipsburg, MT.

Philipsburg Brewing Company opened in August of 2012. What started as a four-person team has since grown into a 16-person operation. With the expansive growth in their business, their product now reaches almost the entire State. Recently, they were named the Best Brewery in Montana by Montana Mint.

While their business has expanded tremendously, it is their impact on the community that stands out most. Before they opened, the community did not have a gathering place. With the opening of the Philipsburg Brewing Company, folks now have a great atmosphere to be together with their friends, families, and dogs.

I congratulate Philipsburg Brewing Company on their tremendous success and thank them for their positive impact on the community. I look forward to seeing their business grow and visiting the brewery again soon.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, later today the CEO of Facebook will come before the U.S. Senate to discuss Facebook's leak of the data of an estimated 87 million users.

As someone who personally spent over a decade in the technology business and cloud computing, I know how important tech jobs are. I know how important internet connectivity is and how important social media is to our growing economy.

But I am also the father of four children, and I know the importance of ensuring that as technology continues to rapidly evolve, our children's security and privacy must be protected. In fact, recently in Montana we had a breach of our children's data at Kalispell Middle School. That is why today I am reintroducing the SAFE KIDS Act.

This bill prohibits websites and programs that are designed for students ranging from pre-K to the 12th grade from selling or disclosing our children's personal information. It takes the control of our students' data away from operators and places it back where it should be, in the hands of parents and the students themselves. This is a smart, timely, and important bill.

Our children's information shouldn't be used and abused, and I encourage and ask my colleagues to join me in support of the SAFE KIDS Act.

Mr. President, later today the CEO of Facebook will come before the U.S. Senate to discuss Facebook's leak of the data of an estimated 87 million users.

As someone who personally spent over a decade in the technology business and cloud computing, I know how important tech jobs are. I know how important internet connectivity is and how important social media is to our growing economy.

But I am also the father of four children, and I know the importance of ensuring that as technology continues to rapidly evolve, our children's security and privacy must be protected. In fact, recently in Montana we had a breach of our children's data at Kalispell Middle School. That is why today I am reintroducing the SAFE KIDS Act.

This bill prohibits websites and programs that are designed for students ranging from pre-K to the 12th grade from selling or disclosing our children's personal information. It takes the control of our students' data away from operators and places it back where it should be, in the hands of parents and the students themselves. This is a smart, timely, and important bill.

Our children's information shouldn't be used and abused, and I encourage and ask my colleagues to join me in support of the SAFE KIDS Act.

Mr. President, I have the honor of remembering Mr. Richard E. ``Dick'' Haines as he is laid to rest at the Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery with full military honors on April 6, 2018.

Dick was born in Billings, MT, on September 28, 1936, and spent much of his life in service to our great State. Dick graduated from Montana State University in 1959 with a degree in mechanical engineering, while also completing the Army's ROTC program. After serving in the U.S. Army as an officer teaching marksmanship skills and shooting on Army rifle teams, Dick began his engineering career. In 1962, he was offered an engineering position with the U.S. Forest Service. During his career, he served on the Kootenai, Kaniksu, Clearwater, Deer Lodge, and Siskiyou Forests. His years of public service, however, did not stop there. From 1999 through 2004, Dick served in the Montana State House of Representatives, where he played a key role in the establishment of the Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery. In addition, he served a total of 8 years on the Missoula City Council and served for countless years with many other local organizations.

When Dick wasn't serving his constituents or volunteering, he enjoyed Montana's beautiful outdoor recreational activities, including hunting, fishing, hiking and backpacking. His selfless public service and commitment to volunteering will never be forgotten.

Mr. President, this week I have the honor of recognizing

Darby Superintendent Loyd Rennaker for his 24 years of service to the Darby School District.

After graduating from Darby himself, Loyd furthered his education at the University of Montana Western. With degrees to teach high school math and chemistry, Loyd first taught for 1 year in Malta before returning to Darby. Since then, he has served the school district in a number of roles, including as high school math and science teacher, elementary school principal, high school principal, athletic director, coach, and superintendent.

As superintendent, Loyd helped bring high-speed internet to the town of Darby, providing more opportunity to students and teachers, as well as the whole Darby community.

Loyd Rennaker is a wonderful example of Montana's rich heritage of deep community ties. He has had a great career at Darby schools and has loved teaching and watching students grow into successful citizens. After 25 years of investing in the next generation, Loyd will retire from the Darby School District in June.

Thank you, Loyd, for all your hard work and service.

Mr. President, this week I have the honor of recognizing 14-year-old Aidan Veress for winning the Treasure State Spelling Bee for the second year in a row. Aidan is no stranger to success when it comes to spelling. He has competed in spelling bees since the second grade and has won the Park County Spelling Bee 3 years in a row.

When asked about his preparation for success, Aidan talks about his love for reading. Beyond memorization of words, Aidan also studies pronunciation, the definitions, and even the rules for various languages. His advice for younger Montanans who wish to win spelling bees is this: Read often, study by yourself and with friends, properly enunciate, push yourself to grow your vocabulary, and stay calm.

Aidan dreams of going to college 1 day and perhaps even working in a STEM field, but for right now, he is busy reading, hiking, camping, traveling, playing basketball and video games, and making Montana proud. This two-time State champ will represent Montana in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC, this May.

Congratulations, Aidan, you make us Montana proud.

Mr. President. I would like to offer my congratulations to Valley View Charolais Ranch on their 50th Annual Bull Sale and cowherd. Valley View Charolais have some of the most proven and popular bloodlines available. They have been bred for ease of calving, fertility, milk, and mothering ability, as well as performance. Valley View Charolais Ranch's efforts to produce animals that will make money for all that are involved, including the producer, the cowman, and the packer, have been proven. Their commitment to producing quality 2-year-old bulls despite trends, drought, blizzards, fighting grasshoppers, irrigation water, and cattle price cycles, is remarkable and demonstrates their true dedication.

I commend the Westphal Family for all the dedication and passion they have poured into the industry to be one of the Nation's leading breeders of purebred Charolais cattle and for selling 2-year-old Charolais bulls for 50 years.

Mr. President, this week I have the honor of recognizing Kelli Lohr, the new owner of the Prairie Peddler in Shelby. The Prairie Peddler has been a community business for over two decades. Families throughout the years have come to indulge in scones, cookies and coffee, and shop for household decor and gifts.

When Kelli saw that the notable community establishment may close without a new owner, she stepped up without any prior experience as a businessowner and took a chance. Working together with the former owner to make a smooth transition, Kelli was able to ensure that the community's favorite staples would still be available as she stocked the shelves with new and exciting items as well. Her work has paid off. The family business is growing as folks have more money in their paychecks following the recent tax cuts and the community is eager to support the new management.

Thank you, Kelli, and the rest of the Lohr family. Your dedication to maintaining a community business is appreciated by the people of Toole County and the surrounding area. It is businesses like yours that make Montana the ``Last Best Place.''

Mr. President, I spent 28 years in the private sector before entering public service. In fact, in 2010 I was working at RightNow Technologies in my hometown of Bozeman, MT. We were growing a technology company there. We were creating good, high-paying jobs in Montana--in fact, about 500 jobs there.

While I was working to grow jobs back home in Montana, President Obama and a Democratic majority in the House and the Senate were passing legislation that stifled job creation--in fact, costing our economy billions of dollars and penalizing small local banks and credit unions for the wrongdoings committed by bad actors on Wall Street.

I am talking about Dodd-Frank. Since Dodd-Frank's passage, the number of federally insured credit unions in Montana fell by over 10 percent. The number of Montana State chartered banks fell over 34 percent, from 64 to 44. This is no surprise because Dodd-Frank empowered more than 10 Federal agencies to write more than 400 new rules, imposing 27,000 mandates, many of which fell on these local banks and credit unions.

These small community businesses don't have the ability to keep up with the onslaught of these new rules, new regulations, and guidance constantly coming out of Washington following Dodd-Frank, and the customers are suffering.

Small local banks and credit unions are uniquely capable of knowing their customers and providing tailored financial services to meet their customers' individual circumstances. Dodd-Frank stripped this customer advantage away by making prohibitively difficult any loans that don't comply with the cookie-cutter regulations.

It is interesting that in that debate back in 2010, many Republicans warned our colleagues on the Democratic side about this, but virtually every Democratic Senator then voted for Dodd-Frank. This difficulty fell particularly hard on Montana's entrepreneurs, who are self- employed and don't typically have wage income. Entrepreneurship runs deep in Montana. These banks and credit unions are truly part of our community. They know their customers, and they are able to make loans for their needs. They can determine the risk and make sure they are making good loans. They serve up-and-coming small business owners, moms and dads working to keep the family business

afloat, and countless farmers and ranchers across Montana.

Dodd-Frank has suffocated Montana's rural banks and credit unions and, ultimately, it is the people of Montana who use these banks and these credit unions, and they are the ones who have been hit the hardest.

I wasn't here in 2010 when this bill was passed. Let me just state that had I been on this floor then, I would have voted no on Dodd- Frank's passage. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Democratic Senators voted yes--virtually every one of them. But I will state that I am really happy to be here now to help undo some of the damage caused to our rural communities and the people of Montana.

Mr. President, this week I have the honor of recognizing a hard-working Montana rancher for his contributions to the community in Meagher County. Bill Galt is a third-generation Montana rancher; he has been ranching all his life. His dedication to White Sulphur and the surrounding community, however, extends far beyond his work in agriculture.

Bill has rescued numerous folks from plane crashes and accidents on the Smith River as part of his volunteer search and rescue work. He has served on the White Sulphur Springs Airport Board, the Meagher County DUI Task Force, the Conservation District Board, and the Mountainview Medical Center Foundation, just to name a few.

Bill has been a volunteer firefighter and has volunteered with organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club and 4H. I would be remiss to not include his service in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps during Vietnam as well.

Bill is humble and civic-minded in all he does, and his service to Meagher has not gone unnoticed.

Thank you, Bill, for exemplifying what it means to be an active member of a Montana community.

Mr. President, Montanans want to access and enjoy our State's public lands, and for a very good reason. Nothing beats our way of life in Montana--our hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, skiing, backpacking, climbing, all with a backdrop of breathtaking views and a very rich history of conservation. That is why Congressman Gianforte and I introduced the Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act.

Our bill protects our pristine natural resources while also ensuring that Montanans are able to recreate in U.S. Forest Service lands that are not wilderness, but they have been locked up in regulatory limbo for decades. Congressman Gianforte's second bill deals with similarly locked-up Bureau of Land Management lands.

Here is what the Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act does. It ensures public access to land within five wilderness study areas across Montana. They are also called WSAs. While there are thousands more acres of public land that are still in limbo, I put these five

WSAs in my bill for two simple reasons. First, the Forest Service determined that these lands were not suitable for wilderness in their final plan. In fact, that was a charge given by Congress in 1977. They said: Go out and study these Forest Service lands and tell us which acres are suitable for wilderness and which are not.

The acreages I am proposing we should release are those that were deemed not suitable for wilderness in the final plan by the Forest Service.

Second, there is strong local support for unlocking these lands from the grassroots up, including the Montana State Legislature, countless local community members, and dozens of sportsmen, county commissioners, and wildlife groups, including the Western Montana Fish & Game Association and the Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife.

Unlocking these lands from a WSA does not--does not--automatically authorize any particular use of the land. It simply opens up and allows for public conversation about how the lands should be used by setting up the planning process for public comment. In fact, protections like the 2001 roadless rule, the Endangered Species Act, and the existing forest and travel management plans remain intact. Do you know what this means? You can't construct a new road, and that would be kept after the release of the WSAs.

This has been a bottom-up approach from the get-go, and here is the bottom line. Montana's public lands are meant for everyone. They are meant for people who like to recreate in many different ways--for those who love to hike, of course, but also folks who enjoy recreating with mountain bikes, hunting, snowmobiling, and riding ATVs.

Creating access to our public lands is critical to Montana's jobs and our $7 billion outdoor economy. In fact, communities in Montana understand this is an important local economic driver that will strengthen local economies that depend on outdoor jobs. In fact, just recently, the Bureau of Economic Analysis agreed. They said that outdoor recreation generates $373 billion of the GDP across our country, mostly from motorized vehicles, boating, fishing, hunting, and shooting. Our bill will help Montanans recreate with all of these uses by unlocking our public lands.

Mr. President, this week I have the honor of recognizing the Ravalli County Sheriff's Department and Sheriff Stephen Holton for their work to prevent an attack on the students and teachers of Darby School District.

Just last week, on the heels of 17 tragic murders in Parkland, FL, a Darby High School senior allegedly made threatening comments and social media posts directed at fellow students and faculty at Darby High School. After receiving information about the concerning threats, Sheriff Holton took action, and law enforcement arrested the student on felony charges.

While we will continue to investigate the tragedy in Florida and the performance of law enforcement in that incident, it is important that we commend students who speak up, school officials who respond, and those law enforcement officers who bravely act to keep our communities safe. The Darby students and school officials did the right thing.

Sheriff Holton and the quick response of students and school officials may have prevented a tragedy in Montana, and for that, we are very grateful.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.