November 9, 2017
Greg's
Treasure
State
Update
Reforming
How
We
Manage
Our
Forests
Takes
a
Step
Forward
On
November
1,
the
U.S.
House
of
Representatives
took
a
major
step
forward
to
create
healthier
forests
and
make
our
wildfires
less
severe
when
we
passed
The
Resilient
Federal
Forests
Act
of
2017,
which
I
was
proud
to
cosponsor.
I
saw
the
devastation
of
this
year’s
wildfires
firsthand.
I
visited
five
fire
sites
and
met
with
incident
commanders.
Wildfires
threatened
our
livelihoods,
destroyed
wildlife
habitats,
and
forced
us
to
breathe
smoke
that
hung
in
the
air.
We
have
to
begin
managing
our
forests
again
to
reduce
the
severity
of
our
wildfires.
The
Resilient
Federal
Forests
Act
streamlines
environmental
review
of
projects
to
remove
dead
trees
after
large
wildfires,
improves
the
health
of
forests
and
grasslands
to
reduce
the
threat
of
severe
wildfires,
and
encourages
all
parties
to
come
to
the
table
early
by
providing
a
new
arbitration
pilot
project
to
prevent
frivolous,
obstructionist
lawsuits.
The
bill
also
permanently
ends
the
problem
of
“fire
borrowing”
in
which
federal
agencies
borrow
from
other
accounts
after
running
through
their
firefighting
budgets.
The
current
practice
reduces
funds
that
should
go
to
preventing
catastrophic
wildfires.
I
strongly
encourage
the
Senate
to
act
quickly
on
it
to
provide
Montanans
with
relief
and
a
long-term
solution
to
address
catastrophic
wildfires.
Learn
more
about
the
Resilient
Federal
Forests
Act
here.
Building
a
Coalition
for
Forest
Management
Reform
Throughout
this
year,
I
met
with
key
stakeholders
to
work
on
solutions
for
healthier
forests.
Conservation
organizations,
foresters,
industry
groups,
sportsmen
and
women,
and
local
leaders
throughout
Montana
recognize
the
need
for
better
forest
management.
Arkansas
Congressman
Bruce
Westerman,
a
trained
forester
and
author
of
the
Resilient
Federal
Forests
Act,
and
I
met with
Montanans
impacted
by
severe
wildfires.
In
late
October,
we
spoke
with
sawmill
workers,
toured
a
restoration
project,
met
with
Forest
Service
leaders,
and
spoke
at
a
roundtable
discussion
in
which
eight
different
organizations
were
represented.
Check
out
what
the
coalition
of
forest
management
reform
advocates
are
saying
about
the
Resilient
Federal
Forests
Act.
 |
Greg
and
Arkansas
Congressman
Bruce
Westerman
(r)
talk
with
a
timber
mill
operator
about
measures
Congress
is
considering
to
provide
regulatory
relief. |
Keeping
More
of
What
You
Earn
For
the
first
time
in
31
years,
Congress
is
working
to
overhaul
our
tax
system
to
allow
hard-working
Montana
families
and
small
businesses
to
keep
more
of
their
hard-earned
money.
The
Tax
Cuts
and
Jobs
Act
will
provide
a
typical
middle-income
family
of
four,
earning
the
median
household
income,
a
tax
cut
of
$1,182,
according
to
the
House
Committee
on
Ways
and
Means.
Montana
families
will
see
relief
with
lower
rates,
the
doubling
of
the
standard
deduction,
and
the
expansion
of
the
child
tax
credit.
The
legislation
preserves
the
home
mortgage
interest
deduction,
continues
the
deduction
for
charitable
contributions,
and
retains
popular
retirement
savings
options.
The
bill
also
limits
the
maximum
tax
rate
for
small
business
income
to
25
percent
–
the
lowest
rate
on
small
businesses
since
World
War
II.
The
bill
benefits
Montana’s
family
farmers,
ranchers,
and
business
owners
by
immediately
reducing
and
ultimately
repealing
the
death
tax.
Plus,
it
makes
it
easier
to
file
your
taxes.
Instead
of
spending
countless
hours
filling
out
forms,
buying
tax
preparation
software,
or
paying
someone
to
do
them,
9
out
of
10
Americans
could
use
this
postcard.
Learn
more
about
the
Tax
Cuts
and
Jobs
Act
at
https://fairandsimple.gop/
and
on
the
Ways
and
Means
Committee’s
website.
I
want
to
hear
from
you
about
tax
reform.
Please
click
here
to
share
your
thoughts
with
me.
 |
| Greg
discusses
tax
reform, small
business
issues
with
a
business
owner
in
Baker. |
Honoring
Montana’s
Veterans
This
month
we
honor
and
recognize
our
veterans
for
the
contributions
they
have
made
in
the
defense
of
our
freedoms.
I'm
proud
to
have
supported
measures
in
the
House
of
Representatives
to
strengthen
our
military,
reform
the
V.A.,
and
improve
veterans’
access
to
quality
care.
I
will
share
more
with
you
about
efforts
to
help
our
veterans
in
the
next
newsletter.
Staying
in
Touch
Please
reach
out
to
me
or
my
staff
anytime.
We’re
here
to
help
you
with
a
variety
of
things.
Click
here
if
you’d
like
to
continue
receiving
these
updates.
To
stay
up
to
date
with
what
I’m
working
on
in
Montana
and
Washington,
be
sure
to
like
my
Facebook
page.
I
am
honored
to
serve
you,
Greg
|