WASHINGTON, May 18 -- Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 17, 2023: This week, Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) and Congressman Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) introduced the Enhancing Administrative Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act. This bill requires a study on barriers to reviewing requests within federal agencies to deploy broadband infrastructure on federal lands. "Reliable broadband infrastructure is essential for rural states like North Dakota," said  more

WASHINGTON, May 18 -- Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 17, 2023: Bipartisan Second Chance Task Force Co-Chairs Representatives Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), David Trone (D-MD), John Rutherford (R-FL), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) joined JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon to host a roundtable discussion on creating and improving employment opportunities for individuals with criminal records. Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic Whip Katherine Cl  more

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Senators Mike Crapo, Jim Risch (both R-Idaho), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota) and Steve Daines (R-Montana) wrote the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) urging it to withdraw its proposed Public Lands Rule. The senators stressed the negative impact the proposal would have on western states, including Idaho, North Dakota, and Montana, as the rule would undermine the multiple use requirements established   more

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release on May 16, 2023: Water industry representatives and state level stakeholders testified at a hearing on the future of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and its role in the completion of critical infrastructure projects. Today's hearing was led by Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairman David Rouzer (R-NC), whose opening remarks can be found  more

WASHINGTON, May 12 -- Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release: Senator John Hoeven joined Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) in introducing legislation to increase penalties for criminals who target law enforcement officers and provide new tools for officers to protect themselves. The Back the Blue Act clarifies that the murder or attempted murder of a law enforcement officer or first responder is a statutory aggravating factor for purposes of the federal death penalty an  more

WASHINGTON, May 18 -- Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 17, 2023: Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded more than $38 million to the University of North Dakota's (UND) Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC). The award will support the implementation of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies at Rainbow Energy's Coa  more

WASHINGTON, May 19 -- Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 18, 2023: During remarks delivered on the floor of the U.S. Senate this week, Senator John Hoeven outlined his recent visit to Brownsville, Texas, where he traveled to bring attention to the illegal immigration crisis on the nation's southern border. The senator called on the Biden administration to secure the border and enforce the law, both to strengthen national security and to stem the flow of d  more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 15, 2023: Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) led a group of 14 senators in pressing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to withdraw its proposed Public Lands Rule. The senators stressed the negative impact the proposal would have on western states, including North Dakota and Montana, as the rule would undermine the multiple use requirements established by Congress and lock away  more

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 16, 2023: Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after voting for a joint resolution of disapproval to nullify a measure passed by the District of Columbia that imposes unworkable mandates on law enforcement in the nation's capital. "As violent crime in our nation's capital continues to increase, the D.C. Council is pushing heavy-handed rules that restrict the ability of law enfor  more

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) wrote the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) urging it to withdraw its proposed Public Lands Rule. The senators stressed the negative impact the proposal would have on western states, including Idaho, North Dakota, and Montana, as the rule would undermine the multiple use requirements established by   more

WASHINGTON, May 18 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 17, 2023: U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, announced the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded $38,148,520 to the University of North Dakota's (UND) Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC). This funding will advance the implementation of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies at Rainbow Energy's Coal Creek St  more

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 16, 2023: U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), during an Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee hearing, questioned Martha Williams, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and urged the agency to work with the local communities to expeditiously fix the dam at Lake Ilo, which the FWS recently drained again this spring. He also talked about the importance of providing satellite ove  more

WASHINGTON, May 19 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 17, 2023: U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, penned an op-ed in the Washington Times on flood control and mitigation efforts in North Dakota and the mid- and long-term economic benefits of water infrastructure investments. "For over one hundred years, North Dakotans braced themselves in March an  more

WASHINGTON, May 19 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 17, 2023: U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Banking Committee, spoke at the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) Capital Summit and participated in a Q&A session. In his remarks to hundreds of ICBA members from across the nation, he framed the federal policy landscape and discussed the critical role community banks play in preserving the stability and resilience of the fina  more

WASHINGTON, May 19 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 17, 2023: U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, held a hearing on the authorities available to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) for addressing water management issues. He invited and introduced two witnesses from North Dakota, Ms. Jennifer Verleger, Chair of the Western States Water Coun  more

WASHINGTON, May 19 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 18, 2023: U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the Portable Benefits for Independent Workers Pilot Program Act. The legislation would enhance independent workers' access to certain retirement plans and health insurance protections typically offered to full-time employees. It would also establish a $20 million grant fund within the U.S. Department o  more

BISMARCK, North Dakota, May 20 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 19, 2023: U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded North Dakota organizations $2,075,056 as follows: * $1,732,096 to the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services for its Cancer Prevention and Control Program * $300,000 to the Coal Country Community Health Center for its Rural Health Network and Development Program   more

BISMARCK, North Dakota, May 20 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 19, 2023: U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) publicly filed weekly grain backlog status updates as required by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB). A summary of the reporting data specific to North Dakota from the last 10 weeks is below. Following STB's April 2022 hearing on "Urgent Issues in Freight Rail Service," BNSF Rai  more

WASHINGTON, May 20 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee), Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota), and Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), today introduced   more

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 16, 2023: U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Todd Young (R-IN) reintroduced the Mental Health Excellence in Schools Act, legislation to address the shortage of mental health providers in schools. Specifically, the bill would boost the pipeline of individuals training to become school psychologists, counselors, and social workers by authorizing the U.S. Department of Educa  more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on May 15, 2023: U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) in submitting a comment letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona regarding his department's proposed changes to Title IX. The rulemaking would force schools to allow biological males and females to compete against each other in sports, undoing critical, longstanding safeguards for women's athletics. "This  more