"I do not support a single-payer system, but I believe Montanans deserve to see us debate different ideas, which is why I am bringing forward this amendment," Daines said Wednesday night. "It's time for every senator to go on the record on whether or not they support a single-payer system."

Daines said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, said once the amendment was put on the floor Democrats would no longer debate.

The bill is familiar to lawmakers because it is the same legislation brought years ago by Democrat Rep. John Conyers, of Michigan.

It's been around since 2003 and would provide universal access by extending Medicare coverage to all Americans. Money to pay for it would come from a combination of taxes including a payroll tax on employers and employees and more taxes on the wealthy.

Daines announced plans on the Senate floor for another amendment that would reimburse people who paid a penalty for not having health insurance, as mandated under the Affordable Care Act.

“This individual mandate, this poverty tax is immoral. It’s unfair. It’s a tax on freedom. And it needs to be repealed immediately. And those poverty taxes must be paid back to the poor people who paid them,” he said on the Senate floor.