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Senator Steve Daines’ office briefs commissioners on rural priorities: parks, coal plant action, telehealth and housing
Summary
An aide from Senator Steve Daines’ office provided a public-comment update on federal items of interest to rural Montanans, including National Park Week, an executive order relating to MATS implementation, telehealth reimbursement changes, judicial injunction reform, and rural housing proposals.
A representative from U.S. Sen. Steve Daines’ office, Kristen Kuegan, delivered a public-comment update summarizing legislation and federal activity she said the senator is supporting on behalf of Montanans.
Kuegan noted that the week had been designated National Park Week and reminded listeners that some parks offered free admission on April 19. She said Sen. Daines has supported actions to preserve coal-fired baseload generation in Montana and referenced a recent presidential action delaying implementation of a rule commonly referred to in the meeting as the MATS requirement; Kuegan described that rule as addressing mercury and toxic emissions from coal plants.
She also described several bills and policy proposals referenced by the office: a Telehealth Expansion Act that would allow people with high-deductible plans to use telehealth before meeting a deductible, a Judicial Relief Clarification bill that would limit nationwide injunctions to parties before a court, and a rural housing reform bill to improve loans, grants and rental assistance for rural communities. Kuegan said Sen. Daines supports reauthorization of programs she referred to as HILT and SRS and has proposed measures intended to reduce disparities in funding formulas that disadvantage less-populated counties with large amounts of national forest land.
Kuegan closed by offering the senator’s office as a point of contact for county questions and saying she would leave the door open for follow-up.
Ending: The senator’s aide provided the county with contact and follow-up options and left commissioners with the office’s offer to assist on federal matters affecting rural Granite County.
Note: The remarks were delivered during public comment and reflect the senator’s office priorities as summarized by the staff representative.
