I have arrived in Pierre, and I’m currently hanging out over on the Senate side. Here you can see me catching State Senator Jeff Monroe working at his desk.
Lots of interesting things to come this week, so stay tuned!
Rounds Applauds Senate Passage of
Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act
WASHINGTON— Today, U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) voted to support the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. The Senate unanimously approved this legislation, with a vote of 99-0. It will now move to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
“Our men and women in uniform make incredible sacrifices to protect our freedoms, and the Department of Veterans Affairs has a responsibility to provide proper care for them when their service is complete,” said Rounds. “This includes offering quality, accessible mental health care to returning veterans, many of whom struggle with the invisible wounds of war long after they leave the battlefield. Our bill is a positive step toward offering them necessary assistance while streamlining programs to make sure our resources are being used effectively. I am pleased the full Senate understands the importance of taking care of our vets.”
Statistics show that an average of 22 veterans take their own lives every day in the United States. The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act calls for outside evaluations of all the current suicide prevention programs at the VA and the Department of Defense to make sure they are functioning as intended. Those found ineffective will come under review for improvement, consolidation or elimination.
It also would require a new website to be built that offers veterans information on how to access mental health services. Additionally, it creates a medical school loan repayment program to recruit more VA psychiatrists.
The bill was named for Clay Hunt, a Marine veteran who committed suicide in March 2011 at the age of 28. An identical bill passed the House of Representatives 403-0 on Jan. 12, 2015.
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Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Joins South Dakota, Arkansas and Missouri Traditional Marriage Cases and Sets Expedited Argument
PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty J. Jackley announces that the Eighth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals has granted an expedited briefing schedule and set oral argument in the traditional marriage case for the week of May 11th through the 15th in Omaha, Nebraska. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has also joined the arguments for South Dakota, Arkansas and Missouri. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its Order with the anticipation that the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments on the Sixth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals case upholding the State’s right to define traditional marriage in April, with a final ruling further anticipated in late June.
“It remains the State’s position that the institution of marriage should be defined by the citizens of South Dakota and not the federal courts. It will be my intent to work with the Attorneys General of Missouri and Arkansas in defending our respective State Constitutions and statutes. A decision from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals may serve as non-binding precedent in the U.S. Supreme Court and will otherwise establish the federal law for this Circuit in matters not addressed by the United States Supreme Court,” said Marty Jackley.
It’s going to be quiet for a while, as I’m on the road to Pierre.
But hang tight- I’ll have some stuff for you shortly.
After Pressure from Noem, USDA Withdraws Portion of WOTUS Rule
Noem urges EPA and Army Corps to ditch the remainder of the rule
Washington, D.C. – Following pressure from Rep. Kristi Noem and others, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) withdrew the “waters of the U.S.” interpretive rule, a portion of the controversial expansion of navigable waters.
“The proposed expansion could be one of the largest federal land grabs in U.S. history,” said Noem. “I was thrilled to see that the USDA withdrew a portion of this proposal, as it unnecessarily introduced a high level of uncertainty. But we aren’t out of the woods yet. I will continue putting pressure on the EPA and the Army Corps to fully ditch the rule and move towards a policy that is workable for South Dakota farmers and ranchers.”
Last year, Rep. Noem helped lead the U.S. House of Representatives in passing bipartisan legislation to prohibit the EPA and the Army Corps from developing, finalizing, adopting, implementing, applying, administering or enforcing the proposed rule to or any similar rule that would expand the agencies’ jurisdiction over these waters. She also called on the EPA to define regulated navigable waters on a map after an alarming graphic was released that has raised questions about how extensive the EPA’s regulatory authority could become. Read more and view the graphic here.
In May 2014, Rep. Noem joined 231 Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle on a letter urging the EPA and the Secretary of the Army to withdraw the proposed rule. She also questioned the USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment at an Agriculture Committee hearing in June. Here, the Congresswoman raised concerns about the lack of clarity the interpretive rule would provide to producers and questioned why the administration is pursuing the rule when so many are opposed to it (watch the exchange here).
Rounds Cosponsors Obamacare Repeal Act
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today signed on to cosponsor legislation that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The bill has 44 cosponsors.
“Obamacare isn’t working for American families, plain and simple. Now it’s our job in Congress to clean up the President’s mess,” said Rounds. “Premiums have skyrocketed for many and millions have lost their preferred doctor or insurance plan, despite promises to the contrary. Ideally, we will replace Obamacare with a market-based, patient-centered plan. Repealing and replacing Obamacare needs to remain a priority.”
The Obamacare Repeal Act fully repeals Obamacare effective 180 days after its enactment, and provides Congress and the states the intervening six months to develop and vote on patient-oriented health care reform that will incrementally unravel Obamacare’s structural damage to our health care system and economy.
Congress must demonstrate its commitment to reducing healthcare costs and empowering American families with better innovations that save and improve lives.
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Thune Statement on President Obama’s Budget
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) made the following comment on the president’s fiscal year 2016 budget proposal:
“While the president continues to cling to the same old failed top-down economic policies of spending increases and tax hikes, Republicans are focused on the future. Our budget will focus on growing the economy from the ground-up. Unlike the president’s budget, ours will balance and will reduce runaway spending and waste to make a more efficient, effective, and accountable federal government.”
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Noem Statement on President’s FY2016 Budget
Washington, D.C. – Rep. Kristi Noem today responded to the President’s release of his FY2016 budget proposal. Noem will be questioning the administration on the proposal Tuesday morning during a Ways and Means Committee hearing.
“Our country faces tremendous challenges and they require real solutions, not political rhetoric,” said Noem. “The President’s tax-and-spend budget proposal is nothing more than politics, which is extremely disappointing. South Dakotans deserve a genuine proposal that will fundamentally rebuild our economy from the bottom up, ensuring hardworking folks have the opportunities they need to achieve the American Dream.”
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What’s your spread for the Super Bowl tonight? No, not the point spread. Who cares about the game. It’s all about the food!
There’s 2 types of wings, jalapeño dip, chips, crackers, pigs in a blanket, and Cuban sandwich sliders at the Powers household, conveniently staged by the couch in the basement.
So, what have you got?
I still anticipate slow/light posting here at the SDWC for another few days with my computer on the fritz, as you can see in the picture to the left a multitude of disconnected hard drives, as I try to limp it along enough to do some basic posting.
I think I managed to salvage all of my design work files, but more importantly I salvaged about 275 gigabytes and over ten years of photos off of the drive giving me the most trouble.
So, bear with me. Parts start arriving tomorrow for a rebuild and upgrade, so I should be back up to 100% in short order. (Just in time to do my taxes. )
