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Well folks, despite
this last snap of cold weather, summer is just about here- and not a
moment too soon, if you ask me. I’m ready to spend some time
outside. Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of running along side
hundreds of other Montanans in the Governor’s Cup. I’ve found
there’s no better way to clear my head than to take a long run around our
state’s beautiful Capital city. It’s a great chance to reflect on
the accomplishments of the last few months and refocus on all the work
left to do.
This has been a
wonderfully productive spring, and we’ve accomplished so much for
Montana. I’m especially proud of the strides we’ve made in the last few
months. Our recent successes are moving Montana forward- creating good
paying jobs, protecting our outdoor heritage, taking care of or veterans
and finally passing a Farm Bill that’s right for Montana.
I’m working everyday to
do what’s right for Montana, and I’d love to hear from you. So please,
drop me a line whether it’s an idea, a concern, or just to say hello.
A
Farm Bill That’s Right For Montana
It took months of hard work,
lots of meetings and working together but we finally got the Farm Bill
done. This is a good bill for farmers and ranchers in Montana and across
the country. It includes a permanent disaster assistance package, a boost
 to nutrition programs and guarantees Farm Service
Agency offices will stay open. I’m proud of this bill and I’m glad it’s
becoming law.
As a senior member of the
Senate Agriculture Committee and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee,
I had a seat at the table to help work out differences between the House
and Senate-passed Farm Bills and to get this bill done.
I made sure that these
measures stayed in the final bill and were signed into law.
Farm Bill
Provisions That Are Right For Montana:
- Establish a $3.8 billion Permanent Disaster
Assistance Trust Fund.
- Simplify rules to make it less burdensome for
producers, packers and retailers to implement Country of Origin
Labeling.
- Keep all Farm Service Agency Offices open in
Montana
- Make it easier to get Montana beef on kitchen
tables across the country by allowing smaller packers to use their
current inspectors for interstate shipments.
- B
 oost nutrition programs by an additional $10.3
billion
Overwhelming
Bipartisan Support
Republicans and Democrats
showed not once, but twice, how united we are in their support for this
Farm Bill. It passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and then easily
overrode President Bush’s veto. As with most things that are important,
however, the journey of the Farm Bill hasn’t always been a smooth one. A
clerical error has set one provision of the bill a few weeks behind the
others. It’s a problem we are working hard to fix and I expect this last
provision to become law in the next few weeks.
Forest
Conservation Bonding
Last month, I had the pleasure
of announcing a project with the potential to become the largest land
conservation deal in American history, right here in Montana. It’s the
first in what I hope will be a new national trend to preserve our outdoor
heritage, create jobs and boost our economy.
Thanks to a provision I
inserted in the Farm Bill, the Trust for Public Land, The Nature Conservancy,
and the Plum Creek Timber Company, Inc. are close to inking a
conservation project that will protect critical western Montana wildlife
habitat and working forests.
This is big. We are talking
about protecting thousands of acres of Montana forests for hunting and
fishing. We’re an outdoors people. We hunt, fish, we take our kids
snowmobiling and camping. This project will protect our outdoor legacy
for generations.
A Model
For Future Conservation
I want this first deal to
become a model for future conservation bonds.
The Forest Conservation
Bonding provision will provide $250 million for land conservation
programs. Conservation groups will need to apply for the funding through
the U.S. Treasury Department.
The groups will focus on large
blocks of private land bordering U.S. Forest Service land- parcels whose
long term conservation will benefit fish and wildlife and provide
unprecedented public access. Combining these so-called checker-boarded,
private-public lands can cut the costs and threat of wildfire to
communities and while promoting long-term forest health.
In addition, the groups are
committed to providing sustainable timber harvest that will provide jobs
for communities.
I’m very excited about Forest
Conservation Bonding and I believe it’s a great step in the right
direction towards keeping Montana the Last Best Place.
The
New Frontiers Conference
Last week, I hosted the first
ever New Frontiers Conference in Bozeman. It was a chance to expand
Montana’s research industry, create good-paying jobs and boost the
state’s economy by building partnerships between members of Montana’s
research community and technology based businesses. My top priority
is to help bring good-paying jobs to our state and boost our economy –
this conference was a great way to help make that happen.
I hosted the event with
Montana State University, the University of Montana, and Tech
Ranch. It featured a series of presentations, workshops and
networking opportunities. The  conference featured several prominent speakers who are
leaders in the business world, including Meg Whitman, former president
and CEO of eBay and Sandy K. Baruah, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
Economic Development.
Ravalli
County Entrepreneur Center
The most recent example of
this the newest investment in Montana is the Ravalli County Entrepreneur
Center. At the research summit, I had the pleasure of announcing a $1.6
million grant that will create bioscience industry jobs in Ravalli
County- 253 good paying jobs in the next 10 years. That’s 253 more pay
checks that can be spent on groceries, gas, medicine or college. It’s 253
careers furthered, 253 proud employees, 253 lives improved.
The center will serve as a
small business incubator for bioscience companies looking to get a start
in Western Montana. It will help entrepreneurs find funding through state
and federal grants, provide life science mentors and coaches, create
networking opportunities, provide professional meeting space and more.
In addition to the 253 jobs
created through investment in this booming industry, the center will
encourage more than $11 million in private investment over the next ten
years.
This new center is exactly the
kind of investment that is right for Montana and the kind of investment
I’m always fighting for in Washington. This is about creating good-paying
jobs, encouraging entrepreneurship and keeping Montana the Last Best
Place. I'm committed to helping Montanans share their remarkable
dedication, knowledge and innovation with the rest of the world.
Taking
Care Of Our Veterans
Our veterans returning from
the Middle East are facing an array of challenges and we need to do all
we can to help them. That’s why I introduced a bill that would help
improve the ability of rural hospitals and clinics to provide emergency
care to veterans suffering from mental health issues such as Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Relief
for Rural Veterans in Crisis Act of 2008
There are 19,081 rural
veterans enrolled in the VA Healthcare system in Montana including 6,752
who live more than an hour and a half from the VA Hospital at Fort
Harrison. This legislation is especially critical to
them. There are an alarming number of mental health issues and the
number is on the rise. This bill will help our veterans get the quality,
affordable health care they need when they need it.
My bill – the Relief for Rural
Veterans in Crisis Act of 2008 – would expand an existing Medicare
program – the Rural Hospital Flexibility Program. This expansion will
enable states to apply for grants to bolster the ability of rural
hospitals to provide mental health services for veterans returning from
Iraq and Afghanistan. The expansion builds on the program’s successful
10-year history of strengthening the rural health care safety net. I’ve
inserted this bill into the Medicare legislation that is expected to move
through the U.S. Senate by the end of the month.
Service is one of the most
honorable things a person can do. Whether it’s service to ones community,
state or country- service is the most noble of all human endeavors. We
owe these brave Americans all the help they need to heal once they return
home. This bill is the right thing to do.
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