Category: Uncategorized

Rounds, Donnelly Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Improve VA Data Sharing and Combat Opioid Abuse Epidemic

The VA Prescription Data Accountability Act would expand the VA’s authority to share prescription drug data with state monitoring programs

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) today announced the introduction of the VA Prescription Data Accountability Act, bipartisan legislation that would clarify current law to allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to share data with state Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) for patients who are prescribed opioids by VA providers, including both veterans and their dependents. The VA is currently only sharing prescription data on veterans, not their dependents or others treated by VA providers, due to technical issues related to the VA’s health records system. As a result, a significant amount of VA prescription data is not being shared with states’ prescription drug monitoring programs.

“South Dakota is home to approximately 76,000 veterans who have been promised adequate care from the VA,” said Rounds. “Our bill simply updates current law to give the VA authority to securely share patient data with state prescription drug monitoring programs; crucial systems that reinforce safe prescribing practices to cut down on opioid abuse and protect our vets. I look forward to working with Sen. Donnelly to get this straight-forward, bipartisan, cost-effective legislation signed into law.”

The VA Prescription Data Accountability Act is supported by the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Association of the United States Navy. Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-2) and Congressman Brad Wenstrup (OH-2) introduced companion bipartisan legislation that passed unanimously in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional Budget Office has scored the House companion as having no added cost to taxpayers.

###

While we don’t have any filings into the FEC just yet, Republican Congressional Candidate Shantel Krebs is reporting to the media that she’s raised $130,000 in the past three months. From KSFY/Associated Press:

Shantel Krebs’ congressional campaign says she raised more than $130,000 in the second quarter of 2017 and ended the period with more than $230,000 in the bank.

Read it here.

After Dan Lederman’s article pointing out that the assertion that Republicans win because of alleged gerrymandering was fantasy, State Senator Jim Bolin also took the time to go into detail, and debunk claims that the redistricting process is somehow unfair:

Fourthly, the cry of some that gerrymandering is the cause of the current problems of the S.D. Democrat Party is clearly debunked by the election results in District No. 27. This is the most Democrat District in the state by voter registration. It should be a place where the Democrats win easily because it encompasses Oglala Lakota and Bennett Counties, both of which are strongly Democrat in voter registration. Instead, since the election of 2012, the GOP has had representation from this district in every session of the legislature. When the Democrats cannot win all the seats in their strongest district, the cry of unfair legislative districts has a very hollow ring.

Lastly, the plan of 2011, was approved in a bipartisan manner with Sen. Jim Bradford, a Democrat from Pine Ridge, supporting the plan. If it were so blatantly unfair, it would not have gained his support. In addition, the Indian Reservation District lines had to be approved by the Obama Justice Department and they did give their agreement. The public should also know that no lawsuit has been filed to overturn the current map as did occur in the previous decade. If the lines were illegal, the ACLU or other groups, would have taken action.

These indisputable facts should clearly demonstrate to the public that the notion of unfair boundary lines is, as GOP Chair Dan Lederman stated, “A fantasy.” If the leaders of the S.D. Democrat party want to persist in this belief, that is their option, but their claims are not credible. The redistricting committee of 2011 met every legal criteria and produced a reasoned and fair map. I am very proud of the work of the committee and the public should be as well.

Read it all here.

This clip is all over the internet today, as a result of a group harassing a couple of fisherman in a public park:

It’s pretty bad when a man can’t even fish in peace anymore, thanks to the animal activist loons.

Noem Welcomes SD Producer to Testify on Tax Reform before Key Committee

Scott VanderWal, Volga Farmer and President of South Dakota Farm Bureau, Appears before House Ways & Means Committee 

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Kristi Noem, the first South Dakotan in history to serve on the House Ways & Means Committee, today welcomed Scott VanderWal to testify before the committee about tax reform’s impact on small businesses, including farms and ranches.

“Because of the financial risk ag operations incur year after year, farmers and ranchers in South Dakota are often disproportionately impacted by bad tax policy,” said Noem. “As we continue to dive deeper into the tax code and the reforms it requires, South Dakota agriculture needs to have a seat at the table. I am grateful to Scott for sharing his farm’s story and his perspective on the areas of tax reform that are critical for the continued success of South Dakota’s farms, ranches, and small businesses.”

“Congress, and the  Committee on Ways and Means in particular, is to be commended for moving forward with comprehensive tax reform designed to spur growth of our nation’s economy,” said VanderWal. “Many of the provisions within the committee’s tax reform blueprint will be beneficial to farmers. While improvements can still be made, the reduced income tax rates, reduced capital gains taxes, immediate expensing for all business inputs except land, and the elimination of the estate tax are critical. I’m grateful to Rep. Noem and the committee for the opportunity to visit about how tax reform will impact America’s small businesses, including farms and ranches.”

According to the independent Tax Foundation, the House GOP Tax Reform Blueprint discussed at today’s hearing would increase the annual income for median households in South Dakota by $4,791.

Included in the proposal is language based on Rep. Noem’s Death Tax Repeal Act, which would permanently repeal the Death Tax. The blueprint also outlines a plan that would lower tax rates for individuals and businesses, simplify the tax code, and reform the IRS.

###

Thune Introduces Bill to Add Certainty to Worker-Classification Rules

“My legislation would provide clear rules so these freelance-style workers can work as independent contractors with the peace of mind that their tax status will be respected by the IRS.” 

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a member of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, today introduced the New Economy Works to Guarantee Independence and Growth (NEW GIG) Act of 2017 (S. 1549), legislation that addresses the classification of workers – independent contractors versus employees – and creates a safe harbor for those who meet a set of objective tests that would qualify them as an independent contractor, both for income and employment tax purposes. This legislation is important for traditional independent contractor arrangements, like computer consultants, freelance writers, and delivery drivers, as well as all of those individuals who participate in the gig economy and provide a rapidly growing range of services.

“Today’s fast-growing ‘gig economy’ has made it easier for people to offer unique services, like home repair and cleaning, child care, food delivery, or ride sharing, through easy-to-use mobile applications that can be opened with a simple swipe of a finger,” said Thune. “While these gig economy companies have created thousands of new jobs, they’ve also faced new challenges when it comes to how the service providers are classified by the IRS. My legislation would provide clear rules so these freelance-style workers can work as independent contractors with the peace of mind that their tax status will be respected by the IRS.”

Summary of the NEW GIG Act of 2017:

 The bill would create a safe harbor based on objective tests, which if satisfied, would ensure that the service provider (worker) would be treated as an independent contractor, not an employee, and the service recipient (customer) would not be treated as the employer. In the context of the gig economy where an internet platform or app facilitates the transactions and payments, that third party would also not be treated as the employer.

Objective Tests 

The safe harbor focuses on three areas that are intended to demonstrate the independence of the service provider from the service recipient and/or the payer based on objective criteria, rather than a subjective facts-and-circumstances analysis:

(1)   The relationship between the parties (e.g., job-by-job arrangement, the service provider incurs his own business expenses, the service provider is not tied to a single service recipient);

(2)   The location of the services or the means by which the services are provided (e.g., the service provider has his own place of business, does not work exclusively at the service provider’s location, provides his own tools and supplies); and

(3)   A written contract (e.g., stating the independent-contractor relationship, acknowledging that the service provider is responsible for his own taxes, providing the service recipient’s reporting and withholding obligations).

Safe Harbor Only 

Given that the safe harbor is based on objective criteria, it may not apply in every case. However, the bill would preserve the common law rules for worker classification as well as the special rules under current law that permit real estate agents and direct sellers to qualify as independent contractors.

Reporting Rules

The amount paid to the service recipient under the safe-harbor would be reported to the IRS. For gig economy arrangements – three party transactions – the payer would report payments over $1,000 on IRS Form 1099-K (with the option of reporting amounts below that level). For traditional independent-contractor relationships, the service recipient would follow the existing reporting rules and file a Form 1099-MISC showing the amount paid to the service provider. The bill would update the reporting rules to require reporting of payments totaling $1,000 or more in a year, up from $600 under current law. To qualify for safe harbor, the bill would require the service recipient (or payer in the gig-economy model) to withhold a limited amount of the payments made, which would be deposited with the IRS and treated like an estimated tax payment by the service provider.

Retroactive Reclassification

The bill addresses cases where service providers or service recipients (or payers) mistakenly believe they qualify for the safe harbor but fail to meet one or more of the requirements. As long as there is a good faith effort to comply with the requirements of the safe harbor, the bill would provide relief and only allow the IRS to reclassify the service provider as an employee and the service recipient (or payer) as the employer on a prospective basis.

Tax Court Jurisdiction

 Under current law, only the service recipient may petition the tax court regarding misclassification of workers. The bill would expand current law to allow the service provider to bring such a case as well.

Click here for a full topline summary of the NEW GIG Act and here for legislative text.

###

Dusty Johnson Raises Over $100,000 For Third Straight Quarter
Dusty’s sustained fundraising unprecedented in South Dakota history

Mitchell, SD – Today, Dusty Johnson announced that his campaign raised over $120,000 in the second quarter of this year.  This is the third quarter in a row Johnson has raised more than $100,000.

“South Dakotans are hardworking, generous people,” said Johnson.  “I’m grateful for the fundraising support and even more so for the thousands of hours our volunteers have put in.  Our campaign has been all over the state – Vermillion, Belle Fourche, Sioux Falls, Fort Pierre and Highmore.  Fueled by the support of South Dakotans, we won’t slow down.”

Johnson raised $122,342 this quarter and has raised $354,707 to date.  He ended the quarter with $288,563 in cash on hand.

“Dusty’s fundraising has been extraordinary,” said Campaign Manager Erin Schoenbeck.   With a year to go, Dusty is already close to raising more money than any congressional challenger or open seat candidate in South Dakota history.”

Dusty Johnson grew up in a working-class family in Pierre-Fort Pierre. He served as Public Utilities Commissioner for six years. As Chief of Staff to the Governor, he helped lead the state out of a $127 million budget deficit, without raising taxes. Dusty currently works as Vice President at Vantage Point Solutions in Mitchell where he helps rural telecommunications companies provide better broadband to families and businesses.

###

(corrected copy – ed.)

From Facebook:

The statement of organization is in, and Tim Bjorkman is running as a Democrat:

Bjorkman FEC Filing – Statement of Organization by Pat Powers on Scribd

I also notice that his website at timbjorkman.com is up and running (and he managed to secure it, instead of waiting around until the last minute):

Bjorkman seems to be running on a platform of personal responsibility….

So I’m curious to hear exactly what policy initiatives he intends to promote to achieve those ends. What entitlements would he like to see go away? What else does his platform contain?

We shall see.

Farmer and president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau, Scott VanderWal (Volga, SD)  will be testifying before the House Ways & Means Committee this morning to discuss tax reform’s impact on SD agriculture/small business.

Congresswoman Kristi Noem is the first South Dakotan in history to serve on the Ways & Means Committee and one of the few members that have a background in agriculture. And it’s somewhat historic for South Dakota agriculture to have a seat at this table as the group formulates a tax reform package.

The hearing begins 9:00 AM today. You can watch it live at this link: https://waysandmeans.house.gov/live/