Steve Daines

Steve Daines
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Montana's At-large district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Denny Rehberg
Personal details
Born	Steven Daly Daines[1] (1962-08-20) August 20, 1962 Van Nuys, California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Cindy Daines
Alma mater	Montana State University, Bozeman
Website	Government website

Steven Daly "Steve" Daines (born August 20, 1962) is an American businessman and politician who has been the United States Representative for Montana's At-large congressional district since 2013.

Early life and education

Daines was born in California and moved to Montana with his parents when he was two years old.^[2] He was raised in Bozeman, Montana where he attended school from kindergarten through college.^[3] Although born in California, he asserts that he is a fifth-generation Montanan, based on having a direct family line of people who have lived in Montana since his great-great-grandmother Karine Dyrud immigrated from Norway to Minnesota in 1869, and later moved to Montana. His parents both grew up in Billings, Montana, and returned to Montana to start their own home-construction business.^[4]

Daines graduated from Bozeman High School and was elected President of his class. He graduated Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Montana State University. In his senior year, he became one of the youngest delegates at the 1984 Republican National Convention. “I was a big fan of Ronald Reagan. He was the first president I got to vote for.”^[4]

Business career

Daines spent 13 years with Procter & Gamble. After seven years managing operations in the United States, he moved his family to Hong Kong and China for six years to expand Procter & Gamble's Asian business. In 1997, Daines left Procter & Gamble to join the family construction business in Bozeman. Three years later, Daines was asked by Greg Gianforte, founder of RightNow Technologies, to be his Vice President of customer service. Daines became Vice President of North America Sales and Vice President of the Asia-Pacific division. During his tenure, the cloud-based software company became a publicly traded company and is Bozeman’s largest commercial employer. He and his wife founded Giveitback.com, a nonprofit organization that pushed for tax cuts after Montana had a $1 billion budget surplus.^[5]

2008 gubernatorial election

Daines campaigned for Lieutenant Governor of Montana in 2008, running on the ticket with Roy Brown, the Republican nominee for Governor. They challenged incumbent Governor Brian Schweitzer and LG John Bohlinger. Brown/Daines lost the election 65%-33%. They won just 7 of the state's 56 counties.^[6][7][8]

U.S. House of Representatives

2012 election

On November 13, 2010, Daines announced he would run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Jon Tester. This came after a complaint had been filed against Daines by David Benson, Executive Director of the Montana Democratic P^[9]arty, that he had been illegally campaigning for several months before his announcement.^[10] This complaint was later dismissed.^[11] When U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg announced his intention to challenge Tester, Daines dropped out of the Senate race and announced his candidacy for the open seat vacated by Rehberg.^[12] Daines won the 3-candidate Republican primary with 71% of the vote.^[13][14] In the general election, he defeated Democratic State Senator Kim Gillan, 53%-43%. He won 48 of the state's 56 counties.^[15][16]

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

• Committee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies
  • Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Management
• Committee on Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
  • Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

Caucus Memberships

• Congressional Western Caucus

• Congressional Rural Caucus

• Republican Study Committee

• NW Energy Caucus

• Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus

Positions

Balanced Budget & No Budget, No Pay

Daines introduced his first bill, the “Balanced Budget Accountability Act,” in February 2013. Daines’ bill would require Congress to pass a budget that would balance in 10 years or have their pay terminated.^[17] Daines also voted in support of No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 (Public Law 113-3) which required both chambers of Congress to pass a budget by April 15, 2013 or the salaries of Members of that chamber would be put in an escrow account.

Bipartisan Work

Daines has gained a reputation for working across party lines, notably with Montana’s two Democrat Senators.^[18] In March, Daines announced his intentions to introduce a companion bill to the North Fork Watershed Protection Act, legislation originally sponsored by Montana Democrat Senator Max Baucus which has twice stalled in previous legislative sessions.^[19] In February, Daines voted in support of the Violence Against Women Act, which passed the House with 199 House Democrat and 87 House Republican votes.^[20]

Second Amendment Issues

Daines has been vocal in his support for Second Amendment rights. Daines has called the Senate legislation to expand background checks the “the wrong approach”^[21] and has been a vocal opponent of the bill, which failed to pass the Senate in April.^[22] Daines has also pledged to “block” any legislation that poses a threat to Second Amendment rights.^[23] In an April tour of a Billings, Mont. sporting goods shop and shooting range, Daines adopted the nickname “Dead-Eye Daines” after reaffirming his opposition to gun control measures and demonstrating his marksmanship skills.^[24]

Energy & Natural Resource Development

Daines has criticized President Barack Obama for the Obama administration’s positions on natural resource development, calling the President’s June 2013 climate change proposal a “job killer” and a “war on American energy.” ^{[25] [26]} Daines co-sponsored the “Northern Route Approval Act” which would allow for congressional approval of the Keystone pipeline^[27] Daines has expressed strong support of Montana’s coal industry^[28] and oil production in eastern Montana and the Bakken formation.^[29]

Daines has also called for the need for litigation reforms to clear the way for more active forest management and the revitalization of Montana’s timber industry.^[30][31] In April, Daines signed on to the “Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act,” legislation to address the expiration of the Secure Rural Schools program by renewing the federal government’s commitment to manage forest resources.^[32]

Senate run

On November 6, 2013, Daines announced his run for the United States Senate. ^[33] Rumors he would do such were fueled when he had raised $415,000 in the second quarter of 2013.^[34] A National Republican Senatorial Committee fundraiser on July 17 had also fueled speculation that Daines will seek the Republican nomination as Democratic incumbent Max Baucus is set to retire at the end of his term.^[35][36]

Personal life

Daines has been married to his wife, Cindy, for 25 years.  They live in Bozeman and are the parents to four children: David, Annie, Michael and Caroline.  Daines and his family are actively involved in their church and community volunteer organizations and enjoy backpacking, hunting, skiing and fishing. They are members of the Springhill Presbyterian Church in Bozeman. ^[3]

References

External links

• Congressman Steve Daines official U.S. House site
• Steve Daines for Congress
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress