Category: Congresswoman Kristi Noem

Coming Together to Fight Trafficking
By Rep. Kristi Noem
May 22, 2015

In February 2013, South Dakota law enforcement  placed undercover ads on the webpage Backpage.com targeting folks in the Watertown area.  They weren’t pretending to sell illegal drugs; they were pretending to sell people – young girls to be specific.  Over the course of two days, more than 100 individuals responded to the ad – many of whom were hoping to buy these young women for sex.  Similar operations were conducted in Rapid City and during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and all had similar results.

Many times, when folks think of sex trafficking, they picture scenes from urban areas or in foreign countries.  But the reality is it’s happening here.  Young girls – often being recruited between 12 and 14 years old – are bought and sold for sex in small towns and larger communities.  They’re being forced to have sex upwards of 50 times per day, according to the Polaris Project – a leader in the movement to end trafficking.  And their pimps are working to get them hooked on drugs and alcohol, only deepening the young woman’s dependence on the trafficker.

In some cases, trafficking victims are brought through South Dakota from bigger cities and sent to North Dakota’s oil fields.  In other cases, they’re being recruited at local schools, online, or in Indian Country to be sold at large events, like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.  In many – if not most – cases, they are being recruited in South Dakota and sold in South Dakota.  It has to stop.

For the last few years, I’ve been working with shelters and advocates in South Dakota who have helped victims escape and survivors heal.  With their experiences and needs in mind, I was able to draft legislation – while also helping move forward additional bills others had written – that aim to better combat this criminal industry.  On May 19, we earned a significant victory.  The broadly bipartisan Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, S.178, passed the U.S. House of Representatives, meaning the bill is now headed straight to the President’s desk.

I was privileged to have language I wrote included in this larger package.   My portion of the legislation accomplishes three things.  First, it improves some existing federal grants to ensure they support shelters wanting to provide a place for trafficking survivors.  Today, there are just 200 beds available in the country for underage victims, so this is an important expansion. My language also launches a review that will look into federal and state trafficking prevention activities to help identify and develop the best prevention practices. Finally, it requires an inventory of existing federal anti-trafficking efforts to ensure that the money we’re spending is working for victims.

In addition to the portion that I wrote, S.178 aims to stop websites, like Backpage.com, that are known to facilitate the buying and selling of our children for sex.  It establishes grant programs to help teach medical professionals how to identify victims of trafficking, as they are often one of the first lines of defense when it comes to identifying a trafficking victim.  And it helps improve law enforcement task forces to combat this terrible crime.  All in all, it amounts to one of the largest anti-trafficking packages passed in nearly a decade.

There is still more to do.  Building awareness remains a huge challenge, but it’s a challenge each of you can help us overcome. I encourage you to learn more about the red flags so you can identify them if someone you know is at risk.  The Polaris Project website, found at www.PolarisProject.org, is one resource.

Thank you to everyone who has engaged in ending trafficking in South Dakota.  The work you do to eliminate its presence in our community and heal survivors is admirable and vital.

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Noem, Johnson Aim to Prevent Wanted Felons From Receiving Taxpayer-Funded Benefits

Newly introduced CUFF Act could save as much as $4.8 billion

Washington, D.C. – Reps. Kristi Noem (SD-At Large) and Sam Johnson (TX-3) today introduced H.R. 2504, the Control Unlawful Fugitive Felon Act of 2015 (CUFF Act), which would prohibit wanted felons from receiving Social Security disability or retirement payments. If passed, the legislation is expected to save taxpayers as much as $4.8 billion over 10 years, according to preliminary Congressional Budget Office estimates.

“It’s almost unbelievable that a wanted felon can evade prosecution for months or even years, but somehow still receive checks from the government every 30 days or so,” said Noem.  “I am proud to join Chairman Johnson in introducing legislation that would finally end this practice.  Hardworking taxpayers should never be asked to make disability or retirement payments to folks who are running from the law.  It has to stop now.”

The CUFF Act discontinues benefits for those who are the subject of an arrest warrant.  The legislation only applies to felony charges, or a crime carrying a minimum term of one or more years in prison.  Benefits can be restored once the individual resolves any outstanding issues.

“Individuals running from the law or violating their parole or probation shouldn’t be supported with taxpayer dollars,” said Johnson, who serves as Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security.  “That’s why I’m pleased to join Congresswoman Noem in reintroducing this commonsense Law and Order bill.  Not only would it help law enforcement, but it is the right thing to do on behalf of hardworking American taxpayers!”

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In a book released today by Congressional Quarterly, Powerful Women: The 25 Most Influential Women in Congress, released as an e-book and in print, Congresswoman Kristi Noem has been named one of the 25 most influential woman in Congress.

According to a release from CQ Roll Call:

Though women have been represented in Congress for nearly 100 years, it has been a long journey to the top. Powerful Women will give readers a brief history of women in Congress and provide an inside look at who has heft in Congress, why they do and how they wield their power, with in-depth profiles of the 25 women on the list and exclusive color photographs. The book will also look at the five freshmen on the rise, women lawmakers who are making their mark in Congress in their inaugural terms in Washington.

“As the leading news organization covering Congress, it’s fitting that these change-agent lawmakers are the subject of CQ Roll Call’s new eBook line,” said David Ellis, chief content officer at CQ Roll Call.

and…

The 25 women named in the book, and the five freshmen on the rise, will be honored at the Rewriting the Rules reception on May 19, 2015, sponsored by Procter & Gamble, in the spirit of their Always #LikeAGirl Rewrite the Rules campaign, focused on empowering young women.

Read it here.

The book touches on Kristi’s compelling story as to why she got into politics…

When her father died, Noem was 22, attending college part time, married and nearly eight months pregnant with her first child. She left school to help take over the family operation. It was then that she found out the family would be assessed estate taxes and would have to decide whether to sell land or take out a loan. Noem said the experience is what kindled her interest in politics. “It was tough for me to reconcile that because we had a tragedy in our family, now we had a financial situation, too. And that’s what got me involved,” she said.

and follows up on her crucial work on the passage of the farm bill.

When she was on the Agriculture Committee, one of Noem’s few public disputes with GOP leaders was over a five-year reauthorization of farm and nutrition programs that the committee approved in 2012. It never received a floor vote – leaders felt that conservative opposition to the bill would sink it – and programs lapsed for several months.

Noem made a public campaign for a floor vote, insisting that safety net provisions were absolutely crucial, particularly in light of severe drought throughout her state.

During the panel’s work on the bill, Noem focused on extensions of livestock disaster programs and “sodsaver” provisions, which cut back federal subsidies in order to remove unintended incentives that induced farmers to convert open prairies into cropland. Noem endorsed billions in reductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program but helped defeat deeper SNAP cuts favored by more conservative panel members.

Interested in reading for yourself? Powerful Women: The 25 Most Influential Women in Congress is available on Amazon.

Noem’s Anti-Trafficking Legislation Heads to the President

Washington, D.C. – Representative Kristi Noem today helped lead the U.S. House of Representatives in passing S.178, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act – a sweeping bipartisan anti-trafficking bill that includes provisions Noem authored.

“Human trafficking is an issue that many see as removed from themselves, their families and their communities,” said Noem.  “The reality is, however, that trafficking is occurring in our backyards, at schools near our homes, and on websites that our kids frequent.  These words are not intended to cause unnecessary alarm, but to bring into perspective that it isn’t just happening overseas or in communities far away from our own.  It’s happening across this country – even in South Dakota.”

The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act represents one of the largest anti-trafficking measures passed through Congress in a decade.  With final congressional approval from the House, the legislation is now headed to the President’s desk.

“Today, there are only about 200 beds for underage sex trafficking victims in the United States,” said Noem.  “One of the provisions within this bill, which is language I wrote, would ensure shelters can get access to more resources in order to provide safe housing for those trying to escape and recover from trafficking.  Passing this provision and the dozens of others contained in S.178 has given both chambers of Congress the opportunity to stand together in opposition to this kind of modern-day slavery.  I strongly urge President Obama to sign this legislation quickly and take one more step in the journey toward ending trafficking.”

Rep. Noem’s language that was included in S.178 was first introduced as the Human Trafficking, Prevention, Intervention and Recovery Act in 2014.  It passed the U.S. House of Representatives in both 2014 and 2015 and the U.S. Senate in 2015. The Congresswoman’s legislation takes a three-pronged approach in combatting human trafficking:

• Improves existing Department of Justice grants, ensuring the grants support shelters for survivors.  Currently, there are just 200 beds available in the United States for underage victims.
• Launches a review by the Interagency Task-Force to Monitor and Combat Traffickingthat will look into federal and state trafficking prevention activities.  The review will be done in consultation with nongovernmental organizations and will work to identify and develop best practices to prevent trafficking.
• Requires an inventory of existing federal anti-trafficking efforts by the non-partisan Government Accountability Office to make sure all federal agencies and programs work together and that federal resources are being targeted where needed.

What I Admire in My Daughter
By Rep. Kristi Noem
May 15, 2015

We’ve watched a lot of old family videos these last few weeks as we prepared for Kennedy to graduate.  It’s been a special opportunity to see who she is – who she has always been.  She never seemed to mind her older sister telling her what to do.  She’d let other kids at her birthday parties open her presents and play with the gifts – even if she hadn’t had the chance to yet.  We saw her helping her cousins up when they fell and faithfully answering the questions we asked with the sweetest lisp and a crooked smile.

I distinctly remember a day when Kennedy was five.  I took her to a friend’s house in rural Raymond to look at a couple horses for her and her older sister Kassidy.  Kass returned home that day with Dunny – and Kenners was left with Loosey.  When we pushed Kennedy up on the horse’s back, her little legs barely hung over Loosey’s sides and even if Kennedy hung off the saddle horn, her feet were still a good two feet from the ground.  But she didn’t seem to mind.

Kennedy gave Loosey a kick and a cluck, but Loosey just laid down.  I ran over to pull Kennedy off Loosey’s back as she went down and I remember getting this cold feeling in my stomach.  “Oh great,” I thought.  “Now, I have a five-year-old problem horse for my five-year-old little girl.”

Kennedy didn’t hesitate though.  She got right back on the horse, gave her another kick, and off they loped across the arena.

A few years later, Kennedy was riding the horse in a rodeo and a woman came up and asked, “Is that Loosey?”  I said that it was and the woman proceeded to tell me that they had tried Loosey out too, but found her far too ornery.  She spoke about several other families who also gave the horse a chance, but none of them worked out either.  Then, she said, “Well, I guess Loosey found her girl.”  She was right.

The strength and determination Kennedy displayed that first day with Loosey is the way I hope each of my kids approach the challenges they face in life.  Brush yourself off and climb back on.

It’s an attitude we’ve seen reprise many times throughout Kennedy’s life – and something I greatly admire in her.

Kennedy’s athletic career has not been without its own challenges.  Even after breaking her foot and knocking out her front teeth, she has been committed to pursuing her passion for basketball.  Her biggest athletic challenge came last year when she fractured her back during a game. The break was bad enough that it required surgery, four days in the hospital, and several more weeks in a hospital bed in our living room.  She was limited to months of no activity – a hard ask for a girl who rarely stops moving.

By the time her senior basketball season came around, the doctors had cleared her to play – so long as there was limited contact.  I’d wondered if the doctors had ever watched a basketball game.

There were many times this season where Kennedy had to fight through the pain, but the doctors said she’d be alright so we let her push on.  Then came one of the most exciting days of Kennedy’s high school career – the day she learned the University of Sioux Falls coach was saving a spot on the basketball team for her.  That same patient determination that she had with Loosey all those years ago carried her through the back injury and onto a college team – just like she dreamed of.  It makes a mom proud.

As we prepare for Kennedy to leave for college – and for us to be left alone with Loosey – I can’t help but find a deep love and appreciation for that horse.  After all, it was Loosey who put Kennedy to the test and my little girl showed a level of determination that I’m confident can carry her through anything life throws at her.

Congratulations on your graduation, Kennedy.  Dad and I are so proud of you.

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Noem Votes to Send EPA, Army Corps Back to the Drawing Board on WOTUS

Washington, D.C. – Representative Kristi Noem today helped the U.S. House of Representatives pass the bipartisan H.R. 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015, which would send the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers back to the drawing board on a proposed “waters of the United States” rule. The proposal of concern would expand the federal government’s control over small and seasonal bodies of water throughout South Dakota.

“It’s time that the EPA and Army Corps ditch this intrusive and unnecessary regulation,” said Rep. Noem. “The proposed rule, which could become one of the largest land grabs in U.S. history, was built on incomplete scientific data and a flawed economic analysis. The federal government ought to go back to the drawing board. After all, the potential federal takeover of many prairie potholes, ditches and streams isn’t an option.”

Throughout the last Congress, 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 2014. 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).

After earlier pressure from Noem and others, the U.S. Department of Agriculture did withdraw the “waters of the U.S.” interpretive rule, a portion of the controversial expansion. But action must still be taken by the EPA and Army Corps to fully eliminate the proposed rule.

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A Fitting Tribute to the Greatest Generation
By Rep. Kristi Noem

On May 8, 1945, Allied forces accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, ending World War II in Europe and claiming victory over one of history’s cruelest regimes. Seventy years later, we continue to remember the sacrifices made by the Greatest Generation that led to this incredible victory on what has become known as Victory in Europe Day – or VE Day.

It’s hard to imagine what it would have been like stepping into a soldier’s boots during World War II.  The fighting was gruesome, and while we know now that victory was ultimately achieved, these young Americans didn’t have that assurance 70-some years ago when they were leaving their families to head overseas. They were just ordinary folks – farmers, mechanics, students, and others – plunged into the uncertainty of a massive conflict poised to reset the course of human history. More than 68,000 South Dakotans enlisted in the armed services during World War II, according to the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs, while others stayed behind to work in supporting roles to ensure our military had the equipment and means to achieve victory.

Today, just over 2,500 World War II veterans remain in South Dakota, according to the National World War II Museum.  Each came from ordinary lives and rose to accomplish extraordinary things before returning to once again transform America from within.  My appreciation for these men and women runs deep.

I’ve had the opportunity to sit with a number of these veterans and their families. Time and again, their stories of bravery inspire me and help me see the power of the American spirit.  As the years go by, these stories are being transferred from generation to generation and it’s my hope that we never lose those accounts.  They are an American treasure.

The Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project has been established to help preserve these stories.  Through the project, the Library of Congress American Folklife Center is collecting first-hand documents and oral accounts from our veterans, preserving them for future generations to learn from.  It’s an incredible project that enables each of us to hear the stories of the Greatest Generation from the veterans themselves and better understand the realities of war.  You can learn more about this effort on the Veterans History Project website at www.loc.gov/vets.

Seventy years after claiming victory in Europe, we continue our fight for freedom in the world. It is my hope that this VE Day served to remind all of us that America can and will defeat evil and claim victory for liberty around the globe.

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