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Noem, Thune Announce Legislation to Protect Tribes from Costly Employer Mandate

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), along with Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), today announced the introduction of legislation to protect Native American tribes from the Affordable Care Act’s costly employer mandate.  The Tribal Employment and Jobs Protection Act, which was introduced today in the Senate and House, will exempt tribes and tribal employers from Obamacare’s employer mandate. This legislation would prevent massive fines that tribal employers would incur under Obamacare’s employer mandate.

“The employer mandate within the President’s health care law is unaffordable for South Dakota tribes.  Moreover, it is unnecessary, given the federal government already has the responsibility of providing healthcare for tribal members,” said Noem.  “Without the relief granted by the Tribal Employment and Jobs Protection Act, tribal governments could be required to cut important services while tribally-owned businesses could be forced to cut jobs.  I’m hopeful this burden created by an ill-constructed law can soon be lifted.”

“While I believe all Americans should receive an exemption from Obamacare’s individual and employer mandates, it seems illogical that Obamacare exempts members of federally recognized tribes from the individual mandate’s penalty, but requires tribal governments to comply with the law’s employer mandate,” said Thune. “In South Dakota, tribes often serve as the primary employer of their community members. This mandate would have a significant negative impact on tribes and tribal citizens by diverting much-needed valuable resources away from economic development and important programs toward this burdensome law.”

South Dakota’s Rosebud Sioux Tribe has endorsed the Tribal Employment and Jobs Protection Act, saying: “Forced compliance with the Employer Shared Responsibility Payment provision … could prove to be financially devastating for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.  With over 800 employees, estimates show that compliance with this mandate could possibly cost the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in excess of six million dollars annually….  Passage of the Tribal Employment and Jobs Protection Act will provide the Rosebud Sioux Tribe with relief from this financially debilitating provision of the Affordable Care Act.  The Rosebud Sioux Tribe fully supports and humbly requests support from members of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate in passage of the Tribal Employment and Jobs Protection Act.”  To view a fully copy of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe statement, please click here.

Additionally, National Indian Health Board Executive Director Stacy A. Bohlen said, “On behalf of the 567 federally-recognized Tribes we serve, I am excited to see this vital piece of legislation introduced.  The federal trust responsibility to the Tribes requires the federal government to provide healthcare for American Indians and Alaska Natives.  The Employer mandate of the Affordable Care Act is simply unaffordable for many Tribes who will cut essential government services to pay this obligation.  The employer mandate on Tribal employers contradicts not only the trust responsibility, but provisions in the Affordable Care Act which exempt American Indians and Alaska Natives from the individual mandate. Thank you to Senator Daines and Congresswoman Noem for introducing this critical bill.”

The legislation is also supported by the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board, which represents tribes in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa.  You may view their resolution here.

The full text of the legislation can be found here.

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Wasn’t there allegedly going to be an opponent for Congresswoman Kristi Noem? We’d all heard the rumors.

But as the days go by, and we hear crickets from the Dems, Kristi’s war chest for the next election just keeps getting better & better, dimming the possibility of any opponents remotely resembling anything credible.

Because today, Noem just posted that she raised over $295k this quarter – providing her with 1.2 million cash on hand.

That’s a heck of a hole to dig out of for any candidate. Much less one that hasn’t announced yet.

Well. KSFY interviews Annette Bosworth tonight. 

It’s an Annette Bosworth who seems a bit hesitant to take responsibility for her actions, using the same old talking points we know so well.

But it is funny that the reporter doesn’t seem to be buying it, and speculates that her community service seems a bit…. convenient.

But Bosworth meeting with Pine Ridge officials about working here before her trial began and then ending up here following her trial to serve community service makes it appear this was planned.

So I asked Bosworth point blank…was it planned? Did she see this an opportunity…with the backing of a Native American tribe… to keep her medical license if the state tried to take it following the trial? This is how she answered that question. “I can have no money. i can have no form of income. I can be here serving the poorest of people and they’ll say its an opportunity. I mean…..how ironic.”

And..

But I asked her isn’t it possible she was prosecuted….simply because she broke the law? “I know it now. I know I have 12 felonies because a mistake was made….absolutely. I get it that. I’m the leader and I am the one holding the bag. But did I intentionally sign an oath that I knew was wrong? No.”

Read the opposite of Annette taking responsibility here.

Thune Statement on Conclusion of Iran Negotiations

“… I am gravely concerned that the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism will soon have access to billions of dollars … to finance its campaign for increased regional influence.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement regarding the nuclear agreement with Iran announced today:

“Now that a deal has been struck, the onus is on President Obama to convince the American people that the contents of this deal are beneficial to the safety and security of our nation. I look forward to further reviewing details of the agreement, but I am deeply skeptical that it will stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and I am gravely concerned that the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism will soon have access to billions of dollars and other resources to finance its campaign for increased regional influence.

“Over the past several weeks, there has been bipartisan concern that the administration was making too many concessions for the sake of getting a deal. Unfortunately, those concerns appear to be validated by the agreement announced today. It is extremely disconcerting that even before hearing input from Congress, the president has already stated he will veto any bill that threatens this agreement.”

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In case you didn’t catch this hot item from a dark musty corner of the Internet:

5 Things You Didn’t Know About the Annette Bosworth Case

On July 1, 2015, former U.S. Senate Candidate was sentenced to 24 years in the state penitentiary to run concurrently, the harshest sentence ever leveled at a candidate.

Read it here.

28 years in the pen? Er, yeah. No wonder no one has ever heard of the Women’s Party.

(…..After that….. Must resist joke that would earn me an arm punch from my daughters….)

South Dakota Marks Fourth Consecutive Fiscal Year End With Surplus
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota state government closed the 2015 budget year on June 30 marking the fourth consecutive year with a surplus, Gov. Dennis Daugaard announced today. The state general fund budget for Fiscal Year 2015 ended with both higher revenues and lower expenditures than budgeted. 

Revenue growth for the completed 2015 fiscal year exceeded estimates adopted by the Legislature last March by $10 million, or 0.71 percent. In addition, state agencies also demonstrated fiscal restraint, spending $11.5 million less than appropriated, or 0.84 percent. In total, the state’s financial picture improved by $21.5 million from the March fiscal year 2015 estimates.

“When I took office, balancing the budget was my number one priority. Now, for four years in a row, we have maintained structural balance in our budget and we’ve done so without using one-time revenues or rainy day funds,” said Gov. Daugaard. “We had a strong finish to the fiscal year. Our ongoing revenues came in higher than projected and our expenses came in lower than budgeted. This leaves us in an enviable position as we begin the new fiscal year and increases our ability to continue responsible budget practices for Fiscal Year 2016.”

South Dakota’s sales and use tax receipts, the state’s largest revenue source, finished the fiscal year right at the projections, growing 0.03 percent over the revised projections and 1.6 percent over last year’s levels. Collections from the sales and use tax accounted for 61 percent of ongoing general fund receipts in FY2015.

Other notable revenue increases came from the contractor’s excise tax and insurance company tax, which grew 10.7 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively, over FY2014. Notable revenue reductions include the bank franchise tax, declining 20.4 percent , and ongoing unclaimed property at 11.5 percent, compared to the prior year. Ongoing receipts to the general fund totaled $1,381,384,943, which combined with nonrecurring receipts of $36,404,005 yields total general fund receipts of $1,417,788,948.  

State agencies again remained within their appropriated budgets in FY2015. Collectively, the three branches of state government spent $11,535,637 less than appropriated. The lion’s share of this – over $5.1 million – was seen in the Department of Social Services, where utilization growth in Medicaid has remained lower than estimates. Another $5 million of unspent appropriation was by the Department of Education, where reduced enrollments and increased tax assessments provided savings to general funds during the FY2015 fiscal year. 

South Dakota state government ended FY2015 by transferring $21.5 million to the Budget Reserve Fund, as required by law. The state’s Budget Reserve Fund now has a $126,737,303 balance, and the Property Tax Reduction Fund which has transitioned to the General Revenue Replacement Fund has a $44,000,048 balance. 

The combination of those two funds, totaling $170,737,351, represents a combined reserve of 12.3 percent of total general fund spending for FY2015.

For more information, go to the Bureau of Finance and Management’s homepage at bfm.sd.gov.

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Sad news from the Capital Journal, apparently State Representative Tim Rounds has taken ill, suffering a stroke:

State Rep. Tim Rounds is hospitalized after suffering what was apparently a stroke, sources said Sunday.

“That’s what we have been praying about all weekend,” one legislator told the Capital Journal.

But the family and some legislative members of the Republican legislator, who is 55, have kept the news pretty low-key. More than one Pierre area party leader hadn’t heard yet Sunday about Rounds’ hospitalization.

Rounds is from a big family. One of his 10 siblings is his older brother, U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.

Read it all here in the Capital Journal.

Scary stuff. I just saw Tim a few weeks ago in DC, where he was visiting at the same time I was. Please keep he and his family in your prayers.

Governor Daugaard was just noting on KCCR radio that he doesn’t think a special session is going to happen, simply because the Blue Ribbon task force is only part-way done:

South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard says while he respects the ability of state legislators to call themselves into a special session, he doubts it will happen.

And…

Daugaard says he doesn’t think there is a consensus on any approach to education funding…

Daugaard says he thinks most legislators want to wait and see what the “Blue Ribbon Task Force on Education” comes up with…

Read (and listen) to it all here.

Emerging Leaders 2015 Review
by Representative Mathew Wollmann

I was first informed about the Emerging Leaders program at the close of this past legislative session. I heard nothing but great things about this challenging but rewarding opportunity and was graciously nominated by Representative Dean Wink, the speaker of the House. After being nominated I was required to submit my resume, answer a multitude of questions, and give reasons why I wanted to attend the program. The program receives over 200 applications from across the United States, while only 50 are chosen. I was honored to be selected to attend this year’s program.

Monday July 6^th I left Sioux Falls airport and made my way to the historical University of Virginia. Upon arrival I got settled into my room, and got ready to meet the staff, faculty, and legislative members I would be working with for the next three days. Before attending it was required to read the books, “The Second Machine Age”, “Plato’s Republic”, and “What got you here won’t get you there”. These assignments also included multiple exerts regarding nutrition, leadership, and economic development.

That first day we started bright and early discussing economic inequality and the new machine age we are finding ourselves in. Professor Edward Freeman the faculty leader led the discussion. I very much enjoyed this discussion being the youngest participant and growing up with technology my entire life. I almost feel that we as a generation have been shaped and molded along with the technology we live with on a day to day basis. Education and technology drove most of the conversation. It was agreed upon among the group that we as a society need to start from a young age teaching kids what a computer really is, and how powerful of a tool it can be. And we as legislators need to keep up with technology ensuring that society can benefit the most from it, that being economically or socially. When it comes to technology you have producers and consumers. Today’s society is able to see media and information at extremely fast rates, while being anywhere in the world. No more Pony Express. It’s alright to be a consumer, but in order to fully optimize the technology in your hands society must teach each other to become producers. Instructing our youth & youngsters to not just consume what technology has to offer, but produce new technology & innovations for others to consume. This can be accomplished by providing computer science courses within elementary schools, emerging today’s youth into coding classes at a young age.

We transitioned from technology and started to discuss Plato’s Republic focusing on the cave allegory with Professor Dominic Scott leading the discussion. We were in fantastic hands being that Scott is a visiting Fellow at Merton College Oxford. This passage describes what it’s like to spend life in a cave, to leave the cave, and then to return only to be disappointed on how difficult it is to bring your ideas across. No matter how great the idea there will always be those that disagree completely, are hesitant, or those that will follow you out of the cave to see the light. I saw this from multiple different standpoints, and at no time ever thought that as a legislator I am the only one attempting to find the light. One fantastic idea emerged from the discussion that multiple other states already implement. During a designated amount of time, state legislators would switch districts and hear from a different group of constituents to try and gain a better idea about what can be done at a state level to help all citizens. I would like to see something like this within South Dakota to keep us all out of the dark. My favorite quote from the class summed this section up very well. Education is not a matter of instilling knowledge, like putting sight into blind eyes, it is a process of reorientation involving the soul in its entirety.

Next on the agenda was public and private partnerships led by Professor Mary Margaret. Mary is an Associate Professor of Business Administration. This was very interesting because we had a room full of around fifty legislators from across the U.S, along with representatives from corporations such as Comcast, Wal-Mart, and Darden Restaurants who each brought a different perspective. Phenomenal discussion was had and it became clear how businesses are more than just a store for consumers. They are an integral part of a community. The success of local businesses can make a community either thrive, become stagnant, or worse fail.

We also discussed how regular exercise helps. Registered Dietitian Jodi H. Harris led the discussion. I firmly believe that it is a balance between mental, physical, and spiritual strength in order to achieve great results. To sum up the class, cut mindless eating, ditch the sugary drinks, even your fruit juices, and always make time in your day for exercise.

Simulations were also implemented to let us all work together to solve simulated problems. Our first tested our ethical behavior and put us in charge of a toy department. It was all computer based, and we were instructed to take our newly developed toy and properly market and distribute it to make the most profit. We found out later on that our toy was made with a certain plastic that 1/100,000 children and adults were allergic to. This among other problems tested our ethical behavior, and gave us a score at the end. The next morning in class we not only dedicated the whole morning to ethics, but discussed our scores as a group. My personal favorite was where we discussed ethical issues each legislator has seen within their state. My eyes were opened to unethical behavior that is just not seen at the South Dakota level. This made me very proud to serve in a state that doesn’t need an ethics commission to remain ethical.

We all have bad habits. Even the best leaders the world has seen had bad habits. But the key is to distinguish those habits and learn to suppress them. That is exactly what we covered in the book, “What got you here won’t get you there”. In the book, the author lists 20 bad habits that challenges our interposal behavior. These habits include adding too much value, or always having the desire to add our 2 cents to every discussion, providing needless sarcasm or cutting remarks, starting sentences with negatives, not listening, passing the buck, or even failing to express gratitude. We discussed each of these in depth, and even took 45 minutes to pair up and discuss personally what we ourselves need to change to become a better leader. I highly encourage everyone to search for these twenty bad habits online, and make a personal commitment to change them one at a time.

It all wasn’t classroom material. We had the distinct opportunity to tour Monticello, President Jefferson’s home. I have previously had the opportunity to visit Mt. Vernon and can say that both are must visits. Jefferson’s Monticello shows off his architecture skills as well as his scientific studies and inventions. I can say that both President Washington and Jefferson know how to pick a great location to settle down. This wasn’t our only trip off campus though. Professor Freeman was so kind to invite us all to his personal residence. I believe this just shows how dedicated and down to earth all of our instructors were.

In summary, the SLLF Emerging Leaders Program is by far the greatest leadership conference I have attended. Walking into the classroom, the letters before your name are dropped, and everyone works together to discuss topics without politics getting in the way. The corporate members attending give us an insight to how businesses view politicians and government. There was never a time where I felt solicited, or troubled that they were in our presence. Many individuals may feel that corporate dollars have no place within legislative leadership conferences, but I think it shows the support that the business community has to develop future leaders of America. At the end of the day we all tie our shoes the same way, and all want what is best for future generations.

In closing I would like to thank Speaker Dean Wink for the nomination, the support by The State Legislative Leaders Foundation led by President Stephen G. Lakis, the donations from many business sponsors, the amazing faculty and staff, and of course the other fifty or so members attending the course.

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Representative Mathew Wollmann at 605-480-3038 or email at [email protected].