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A Look Back at the 114^th Congress
By Rep. Kristi Noem

Being South Dakota’s lone voice in the U.S. House of Representatives has been the honor of a lifetime. With the current administration in place, progress on big issues – like tax reform and the repeal and replacement of Obamacare – has been slow, but I’m confident change will come soon.  Still, many things have been accomplished. In fact, during the 114^th Congress, we were able to come together on the more than 240 bills that were signed into law. 

For example, we passed legislation, including provisions I authored, that allocated more resources for survivors of human trafficking, offered more tools to go after traffickers, and created a framework for law enforcement to better intervene and prevent human trafficking.

Changes were made to correct No Child Left Behind, most notably empowering states and localities to make more decisions about our children’s education and making sure the federal government can’t force states into adopting Common Core.  

Legislation to help address the country’s mental healthcare crisis was also signed into law.  It included important provisions for tribal communities, an addition that occurred after I brought the bill’s author to South Dakota to see the challenges we faced.  The legislation also included new resources to help expand mental health access for rural communities.

The first long-term infrastructure bill in a decade was also signed into law, offering much-needed certainty for states and localities.  Additionally, the legislation cut red tape and gave states more flexibility to organize infrastructure programs in a way that best suits their local needs.

In addition to the new laws, we made headway in critical policy areas.  The Indian Health Service, for example, has been poorly managed for years.  In consultation with tribal communities and healthcare providers throughout South Dakota, I wrote and introduced legislation that would make comprehensive structural changes to how IHS operates, addressing both the medical and administrative challenges.  This legislation pushed a critical conversation, one that will continue in earnest in 2017, into the national spotlight. 

I also helped introduce changes to the wetland determination process, which has frustrated many South Dakota farmers and ranchers in recent years. With the policy now written, we’re already working to make sure it is included in the next Farm Bill. 

Moreover, we put forward ideas to hold the IRS accountable to taxpayers.  We’ve advanced legislation to expand the Black Hills National Cemetery and put pressure on the EPA to strengthen the Renewable Fuel Standard and reverse their controversial Waters of the U.S. rule. 

We’ve gotten legislation signed into law to put restrictions on the Forest Service in an effort to prevent something like the devastating Pautre Fire in the future.  We’ve helped draft a blueprint for tax reform that will serve as an outline for upcoming negotiations.  We’ve protected DC Booth, helped prioritize the Lewis & Clark Water System, demanded answers from the VA about plans for the Hot Springs Hospital, and introduced reforms to incentivize work and fight poverty. 

And on an individual level, we’ve personally helped more than 400 South Dakotans as they’ve fought through federal bureaucracies to receive care from the VA, a passport from the State Department, or their Social Security benefits, among many other things. 

There’s so much more to do, but I’m optimistic that the work we’ve done in recent years has set us up for success when the new administration takes office in January.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve. 

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A Christmas Reminder From Laura Ingalls Wilder
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

Christmas is a special time in South Dakota, and it was no less special in the 1880s.  Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of The Little House on the Prairie series, lived on a homestead near De Smet, and wrote about Christmas in Dakota Territory in “The Long Winter.”

Even if the train was unable to reach De Smet at Christmas time, Santa Claus always managed to find his way to the Ingalls household. In “The Long Winter,” which takes place in 1880, Laura and her family were faced with a tough, snowy winter, but they still took time to enjoy Christmas. Each of the girls had packages of Christmas candy. Pa got a pair of blue suspenders. Ma got a cardboard hair receiver. Mary got a roll of knitted lace. Carrie got a nice Christmas card in a frame. In addition to the presents, Pa bought two cans of oysters from the store and let the girls have the last of the cow’s milk – a cow they recently had to sell. Laura wrote that whatever happened, they always had a lovely Christmas.

Today, in a time of greater abundance and spending, it might seem odd that something as simple as knitted lace could mean so much. But it reminds us that a gift is not measured by size or monetary value, but by the love with which it is given. Gifts made with a true and sincere heart, to those we love, are tokens of our deeper feelings.

The story told by Laura Ingalls Wilder is also a reminder that the meaning of Christmas extends beyond the trappings of the holiday. Decorating the Christmas tree is fun. Receiving presents is enjoyable. So are hot cocoa, Christmas cookies and ham. But sharing our abilities and resources with those in need gives true meaning to Christmas. The man who shovels his neighbor’s driveway, the little girl who gives her allowance to the bell ringer and the church that opens its doors to someone without shelter – they are expressing the true spirit of Christmas.

We’re all busy, especially during this time of year. But find time this Christmas, if only in a small way, to be a blessing to someone in need. I’m sure you won’t regret it. Don’t underestimate the immense value of your life and the difference you can make in the lives of those you touch.

Merry Christmas!

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As you prepare for a snowstorm, I’m wondering if I can get back into it, from a cafe on a southern Main Street.

Imagine the tourist kitsch of Keystone, SD times 5 or 6, and you could easily tell where I am today. My #4 daughter and I are in Branson, Missouri for a college visit to College of the Ozarks, a.k.a., Hard Work U.

The biggest advantage, if you can get accepted, is that it is free. With a 9% acceptance rate, it’s a slim chance. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I know I’d prefer to have all proud SDSU jackrabbits of my kids, but I try to let them make their own choices. And there’s something to be said to going out in the world on their own.

Even if she doesn’t get in, my daughter has a high GPA while taking honors coursework, and more activities than I can keep track of, so I suspect she’ll do just fine in the college hunt.

It’s always a good thing to see your kids spreading their wings as they prepare to leave the nest. And in this case, I think #4 is ready to take flight to the next chapter of her life.

From last evening’s Brookings Register:

Hot out of today’s mailbox comes Governor Daugaard’s 2016 Christmas card:

I’m hearing this week that there’s a couple of people that we need to keep in our thoughts this holiday season.

Reporter Bob Mercer, whom we heard had collapsed at the IM22 hearing, is apparently anticipated to be out of pocket for some time due to illness.  Please keep him and his family in your thoughts.

GOP Activist Lance Hildebrand, who worked on the Munsterman campaign and served on the Noem Congressional staff is quite ill, and should also be in your thoughts this holiday season.

Please keep them both in your prayers.

I had the opportunity today to listen to Attorney General Marty Jackley as he spoke to a group of about 40 people in Brookings today on a number of topics, and opened himself up for a wide range of questions from the audience. You don’t often get a lot of opportunities to ask our statewide elected officials open ended questions, so it was a rare opportunity from the mixed audience of local businessmen and women, as well as some of the Republican faithful.

Introduced by State Representative Scott Munsterman, Scott enthusiastically told the group that several months ago he told Marty he was all in on Marty’s candidacy to become the next Governor of South Dakota.

Marty spoke at length about IM22, and despite yesterday’s coverage from the Argus, as I’d suspected, his thoughts on an ethics panel weren’t far from my own. He indicated that in his travels, people weren’t worried about campaign finance. And they certainly aren’t worried about paying for campaigns. But they do want to see some form of ethics panel – and his thoughts along those lines mirrored mine yesterday; where it could take the form of a panel to hear many of these issues that are too small to prosecute, but should be looked into nonetheless.

He quickly shifted from initiated measures, and laid out his rudimentary campaign plan of five areas he would focus on as Governor;

• Economic development, including such components as workforce development, housing, and engaging businessmen who understand development.
• Improving Education and working further with tech schools our university system
• In Health Care – He noted that there could be a delay in repealing Obamacare, and Medicaid expansion could still be on the table. He noted that Health care reform from the federal government could come in the form of block grants, and the next governor may need to know what to do with them.
• Public safety was one of his five planks, and addressing concerns in law enforcement with regards to addressing meth use, other drugs, drug treatment, drug courts, and veteran courts was important.
• Quality of life – Why does he want to be gov? He cited that we have a great state & opportunities, and he wants that for his children.

Marty was very pointed in comments criticizing Congress and talking about the work that the Attorney Generals had been doing in challenging Obamacare, the Waters of the US (WOTUS), etcetera, noting that while the Attorney Generals were doing the heavy lifting, all Congress did “was send a press release” – a theme he repeated a couple of times, as he noted that the Federal Government continuously fails in it’s oversight and it’s left to the AG’s to clean up the mess, specifically citing that “AG’s have stepped in and accomplished solutions” and “Congress passes resolutions and little else.”

The Jackley challenge and criticism against Congress as a whole seems to be a sharpening of rhetoric, as he develops his line of attack against his likely opponent, Congresswoman Kristi Noem. It’s expected that Noem would probably be challenging Pierre as an outsider candidate to State Government.

As he continued, Marty did shift back to some of the ethics and oversight legislation he’s planning on bringing this next session, and specifically addressed that he’d like to see a three pronged approach in new conflict of interest laws –

1. You can’t have oversight your own contract.
2. Whistleblower protections; you won’t lose your job if you report double dealing.
3. And that financial crimes, such as EB5, are on the same footing as regular crimes, noting if you steal $1000 from your public employer, it should be the same crime if you steal $1000 from someone else. It should not be a misdemeanor.

That’s the lion’s share of the takeaway from today’s luncheon wth the Attorney General – A platform, lots of content, and maybe a couple of potential barbs that might be used in the upcoming Gubernatorial campaign.

Congresswoman Kristi Noem dropped the below letter to supporters on her decision to forego another term in Congress, and to run for Governor in 2018 instead.

There’s lots of good stuff in the letter, including the rough outline of a platform, where she noted three key issues for her candidacy – Job Growth, Fiscal Responsibility, and Federalism.  Check it out for yourself.

Noem Announcement Letter to supporters by Pat Powers on Scribd

i’ll have more of a report late this afternoon, but over the noon hour Attorney General Marty Jackley addressed a group of about 40 Brookings residents on a variety of topics, most notably his interest in running for governor.

I missed this earlier this evening, as I had my head buried in continuing ed for my Real Estate License. From Congresswoman Noem:

“It’s an honor to be considered by President-elect Trump to join his administration. The opportunities we have to invoke genuine change under the next administration are incredible, but to realize them fully, we must have strong leaders who understand agriculture and life in rural communities throughout each branch of government. 

As we tackle tax reform, the 2018 Farm Bill, the repeal and replacement of Obamacare, and regulatory relief efforts, I’m convinced the best way for me to help President Trump succeed while also producing the greatest impact for South Dakota is to serve out my two-year term in the House of Representatives.  I’m excited about the work we will be doing alongside the Trump administration and wholeheartedly look forward to implementing policies that secure the American Dream for all.”