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News you can use
A flurry of activity in Washington has come through in the last few days with direct effects on north-central Montana. The action included a Senate committee passing a new farm bill to the floor and Montana's senior senator being appointed to the House-Senate conference committee to hash out a new highway bill.
Along with this morning's announcement that a farm bill has passed out of committee and Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., has been appointed to the highway bill conference committee — look for further stories on those issues Monday — a top story today is the U. S. Department of Labor Thursday pulling back its proposal that would have limited the work children and youths could do on farms and ranches.
Montana's Rep. Denny Rehberg, a Republican, and Baucus and Sen. Jon Tester, both Democrats, all opposed the proposal.
All three joined efforts pressuring the department on the issue. The first push was in extending the comment period, then to cancel the proposed rule.
The rule would have included preventing children younger than 16 working with animals when pain is being inflicted, working on a ladder or a scaffold over 6 feet high, working in a pen with an uncastrated male cow, pig or horse older than 6 months, or using any power driven machines to do ag work. It would have prevented people younger than 18 from working in stockyards, grain elevators, feedlots, livestock exchanges and auctions.
The rules would not have applied to youths or children from working on their family farms or ranches, and was amended in February to clarify that it allowed children to work on farms or ranches if the ownership was part of a complex partnership or corporate agreement.
In March, Tester and Baucus cosponsored a bill by Sen. Jon Thune, R-S. D., that would have blocked the government from implementing the regulations. Rehberg, who is challenging Tester in this year's Senate race, told Labor in February that on his appropriations subcommittee he would block funding the changes.
Rehberg said Thursday he had helped successfully block the administration of President Barack Obama on the issue.
"It's a shame that it took this many people this much time and hard work to get the Obama administration to do the right thing, " said Rehberg, who tweeted the news Thursday. "Dealing with the Obama administration is a bit like driving a tractor with a flat tire: You can't take your hands off the wheel for a second or you'll veer left and wind up in the ditch. "
Tester also took credit for Labor pulling back on the issue.
"Montana is a world leader in agriculture because our farmers learn the values of responsible, safe work at an early age, " said Tester, an original March 21 cosponsor of Thune's bill that ended with 44 cosponsors by March 26.
Baucus had invited Labor Secretary Hilda Solis to come to Montana to see children working on ag operations.
Representatives of Baucus' office said this morning the senator still is hoping Solis will take him up on his invitation to visit Montana to learn more about the challenges and opportunities facing rural America.
"I'm glad the Department of Labor listened to my concerns and dropped these misguided and unnecessary regulations, " he said this morning.
Montana's three members of Congress also agreed on another issue passing through Congress. Baucus and Tester also declared a major victory Thursday with the Senate's passage of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, and a Rehberg spokesman said the representative also supports the act.
The reauthorization passed the Senate 68 to 31.
"We have zero tolerance for violence against women and our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends deserve to know that. Domestic violence is a scourge in Montana and our nation and requires our ongoing dedication, " Baucus, who supported the original Violence Against Women Act in 1994, said in a press release about the vote. "It is simply unacceptable that one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. "
A release from Tester said the act uses proven initiatives to empower women and help survivors recover. There were almost 5,000 cases of domestic violence or sexual assault in Montana in 2011, with 10 percent of incidents against children.
"Montana women and their children deserve every opportunity to fight back against their offenders and lead full, healthy lives, " Tester said.
"Just like he did in 2005, Denny supports the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, and he hopes neither side will try to play political games with this important law, " Rehberg spokesman Jed Link said this morning.
Tester also said Thursday that he has seen progress in continuing federal support for research into alternative energy, such as the biofuel research being done at Montana State University-Northern.
Tester's office reported that the senator included language in the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill allowing the U. S. Department of Energy flexibility to implement a joint biofuels plan developed with the U. S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Defense.
"Investing in domestic energy strengthens America's security, " Tester said. "My initiative ensures strong public-private partnerships, like the one at MSU-Northern, continue developing biorefineries to supply fuel for farm equipment, vehicles and aircraft with oilseeds grown here in Montana. "
Greg Kegel, dean of Northern's College of Technical Sciences, said he is pleased support will continue for research, development and production of biofuels.
"Research funding for advanced bio-derived aviation fuel is critical for the security of the United States, " he said. "At the present time, biofuel is the only viable substitute for currently used petroleum derived fuel. The continued support and funding of this program will add to economic prosperity in all the rural areas in this country by commercializing new technologies that will utilize energy crops from algae to camelina. "
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