Category: Washington DC News

Rounds to deliver first floor speech today at 4pm

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I know you’re all going to be in Pierre watching the Bosworth trial (snark), but, it’s also a big day for our newly elected Junior Senator – today will mark his first speech on the floor of the Senate.

Senator Rounds to Deliver Maiden Speech on Senate Floor Today
Tune into C-SPAN2 or watch live on Rounds’ YouTube Page

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) will deliver his maiden speech on the senate floor today, May 20, 2015, at 5:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. CT/3:00 p.m. MT. During his speech, Rounds will introduce the bipartisan RESTORE Resolution, which seeks to permanently end overregulation in America.

What: Senator Rounds’ Maiden Speech on the Senate Floor
When: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. CT/3:00 p.m. MT
Location: Senate Floor of the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.

How to watch:
Online: Livestream on Rounds’ YouTube page HERE.
On TV: Live on C-SPAN2

*A transcript and video of Rounds’ remarks will be available following his speech.

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Rounds Questions Witnesses on Misguided EPA Methodology Used in WOTUS Rulemaking Process

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Rounds Questions Witnesses on Misguided EPA Methodology Used in WOTUS Rulemaking Process

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works (EPW), today at a hearing questioned methods used to write the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) proposal. Last month, Rounds joined his colleagues in introducing bipartisan legislation to curb the effects of WOTUS if it is implemented. A final rule is expected this week.

“The WOTUS rule would greatly expand EPA’s authority under the Clean Water Act and could impose dramatic new regulatory costs on American farmers, ranchers and landowners,” said Rounds. “EPA came to the wrong conclusion when determining what constitutes a significant nexus of water when seeking scientific advice to expand its jurisdiction. Today’s hearing allowed me to ask questions about EPA’s methodology in proposing the WOTUS rule. With reports surfacing just this week about EPA manufacturing support for WOTUS, it is as important as ever to question the validity of their approach and intent.”

EPA and the Corps of Engineers have proposed to expand the scope of federal authority over land and water to encompass all water in a flood plain, manmade water management systems, and water that infiltrates into the ground or moves overland, and any other water that they decide has a “significant nexus” to downstream water based on use by animals, insects and birds, and water storage considerations, shifting the focus of the Clean Water Act from water quality protection and navigable waters to habitat and water supply.

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Noem’s Anti-Trafficking Legislation Heads to the President

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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.

US Senator John Thune’s Weekly Column: Strength in Times of Adversity

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Strength in Times of Adversity
By Senator John Thune

John_Thune,_official_portrait,_111th_CongressSouth Dakotans are no strangers to the beauty and bounty Mother Nature can provide – landscapes, cropland, and seemingly endless outdoor recreation – and the devastation she can wreak – floods, blizzards, tornados, long winter storms, and summer droughts. These are facts of life in South Dakota. Generations before us not only persevered in the Great Plains through natural disasters and ever-changing weather patterns, they prospered. We’re doing the same today in South Dakota.

Delmont is the latest community to face adversity, as they continue to deal with the aftermath of an EF-2 tornado that hit on May 10. The tornado destroyed homes, businesses, and community buildings, but thankfully no lives were lost during the storm. The long path to recovery continues today for many of the 200 South Dakotans who call Delmont home.

Last weekend’s storm is a good reminder that the government has an important role to play in preparing for and responding to natural disasters. Severe weather watches and warnings ahead of potentially dangerous storms help communities prepare for the worst, while they hope for the best. When those hopes are not realized, federal disaster assistance helps communities rebuild after the storm strikes.

Like any federal program, federal disaster assistance programs can be improved, too. I’m working every day to do so. Over the past few years, I’ve helped enact permanent, standing agriculture disaster assistance that provides help to producers when disasters strike, rather than years later when Congress may or may not choose to enact ad hoc disaster assistance.

Today in the Senate, I’m working to modernize our National Weather Service through my proposal to redirect taxpayer resources away from supporting outdated bureaucracies and toward improving the accuracy of severe weather watches and warnings and modernizing how those warnings are communicated in the Internet age.

However, while these services are critical, federal programs play only a small role in rebuilding South Dakota communities in the wake of disasters. In Delmont, first responders were on the ground before the clouds had even cleared – despite the fire hall being completely destroyed by the tornado. Neighbors are helping neighbors search for belongings scattered across the county. South Dakotans are driving from miles away to help the recovery and serve food at an area shelter. Families whose homes were spared by the storm are opening their doors to friends and relatives who were not as fortunate. And although the walls of the 100-year old Lutheran church were completely destroyed, the congregation was strengthened, and will no doubt continue to serve the people of Delmont for the next 100 years.

South Dakota is routinely ranked among the most charitable states in the country. We understand that for as strong as Mother Nature can be, our communities and our families are even stronger. The people of Delmont will need that generosity once again.

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US Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Column: Reliable, Affordable Energy

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Reliable, Affordable Energy
By Senator Mike Rounds
May 15, 2015

Last summer, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a proposed rule to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants. Self-titled the “Clean Power Plan,” the rule would require power plants across the country to comply with costly new rules and regulations that would reduce energy production and raise electricity rates – with little environmental benefit. South Dakotans could see their electricity rates double due to the Clean Power Plan. For those of us who oppose higher taxes and believe in a comprehensive “North American” energy policy, stopping the Clean Power Plan is an important first step.

As a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over EPA, I recently joined my colleagues in introducing bipartisan legislation to roll back the President’s Clean Power Plan. The Affordable Reliable Energy Now Act (ARENA) would make certain consumers have reliable and affordable access to energy, put jobs and our economy first and curb federal overreach. It would protect ratepayers from rate increases and prevent EPA from enforcing overly burdensome regulations on American consumers. It would also force EPA to submit a report to Congress describing the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions the Clean Power Plan is expected to reduce, as well as show the science used to develop the rule.

Most importantly, ARENA would give states more flexibility if the Clean Power Plan is enacted by allowing them more time to comply with the regulations. It would also force EPA to issue state-specific model plans demonstrating how each state could meet the required emissions reductions under the rule. State highway funds would also be protected in our bill by preventing EPA from withholding the highway funds from any states who are in noncompliance.

In South Dakota, the Clean Power Plan threatens the existence of the only coal-fired power plant in South Dakota at Big Stone, which is already in the midst of a $400 million compliance upgrade. If the proposal is enacted, Big Stone would only be allowed to operate at an annual capacity factor of just 23 percent, which is both uneconomical and practically impossible. This would essentially shut down the plant, all while it’s in the middle of a major, expensive upgrade to comply with a different set of EPA regulations.

Not only does this threaten the nearly 100 jobs at Big Stone, but it would increase energy costs for South Dakotans and reduce energy reliability.  The hundreds of millions of dollars currently being invested to comply with EPA rules would be a stranded investment.

Americans must continue to have access to reliable, affordable energy. People deserve to know that their homes will be heated in South Dakota’s freezing cold winters, and that their lights will turn on when they flip the switch. The ARENA legislation would help provide peace of mind for ratepayers. It would provide reliable energy to power South Dakota’s agricultural and manufacturing industries. It also goes one step further in limiting the number of burdensome, unnecessary regulations imposed not by lawmakers, but by unelected bureaucrats at the EPA. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated his interest in bringing ARENA to the Senate floor for consideration. I look forward to having that debate.

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Congresswoman Kristi Noem’s Weekly Column: What I Admire in My Daughter

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

kristi noem headshot May 21 2014We’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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Rounds Applauds Inclusion of His B-1 Bomber and Defense Health Care Provisions in National Defense Bill

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Rounds Applauds Inclusion of His B-1 Bomber and Defense Health Care Provisions in National Defense Bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today applauded the committee’s passage of the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included several provisions he offered. Provisions of Rounds’ bills to protect B-1 bombers from premature retirement and improve the health care of our service members, military retirees and their families were included in the final NDAA that passed out of committee today.

“I commend my fellow committee members on both sides of the aisle for advancing legislation that will supply our Armed Forces with the tools they need to successfully complete their missions,” said Rounds. “In these dangerous times for our nation and the world, I was pleased to see members of both parties work together effectively to advance this important legislation.

“I’m also pleased that several provisions I offered to improve our defense system were included in the final package. I thank my colleagues for supporting these common sense provisions.”

The NDAA also included language Rounds offered to help develop the Air Force’s new bomber and improve the Pentagon workforce that develops new weapons.

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Customs Modernization Bill Contains Several Thune Provisions

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Customs Modernization Bill Contains Several Thune Provisions

  “I’m glad we were able to break the logjam in the Senate and move this update of our nation’s customs laws one step closer to the president’s desk.”

 

John_Thune,_official_portrait,_111th_CongressWASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), member of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax and trade legislation, issued the following statement on the Senate’s passage of H.R. 644, the customs modernization bill, which updates customs laws and strengthens enforcement of trade laws:

 

“I’m glad we were able to break the logjam in the Senate and move this update of our nation’s customs laws one step closer to the president’s desk,” said Thune. “As the Senate moves forward on bipartisan legislation to renew trade promotion authority, we must also ensure that our trading partners play by the rules. This legislation strengthens our laws to make sure that unfair trade practices which have harmed American agriculture producers, such as honey producers, are better identified and eliminated, ensuring that free and fair trade is the norm.”

 

South Dakota is the third largest honey producing state in the nation, producing 15 million pounds of honey each year. Richard Adee, owner and operator of Adee Honey Farms in Bruce, South Dakota, was encouraged by the Senate’s action on the customs bill and applauded Thune’s effort:

 

“The honey industry, nationwide, is very grateful for Senator Thune’s action to help save the beekeeping industry from the illegal transshipping of Chinese honey on which duties are owed, through third world countries with no duties,” said Adee. “Also we certainly appreciate his amendment prohibiting CBP from deducting interest on import duties owed to beekeepers. This again, not only helps South Dakota beekeepers who were injured by dumped imports but beekeepers nationwide. Senator Thune’s action is not only appreciated by beekeepers but also by growers of crops dependent on a healthy, viable bee industry for their pollination needs.”

 

The following Thune provisions were included in H.R. 644:

 

  1. Provisions to Reduce Trade Barriers for Low-Value Items: This legislation includes two provisions authored by Senator Thune to improve customs procedures for small sellers, such as small business owners using the Internet to sell abroad. Specifically, a Thune provision was included in the bill to reduce current trade barriers and allow for more low-value items to be imported into the United States duty-free with fewer unnecessary administrative requirements. The $200 de minimis exemption for imports has not been updated in over 20 years. Thune’s provision—taken from his legislation, S. 489, with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)—would raise the exemption level to $800.

    The bill also includes a Thune provision, added to the bill during Finance Committee consideration, to express a Sense of Congress encouraging the U.S. trade representative to work with our trading partners to ensure they are also raising their de minimis limits for U.S. goods.

  1. Provisions to Ensure Fair Treatment of Domestic Honey Producers: This legislation also includes two provisions that will benefit South Dakota’s honey producers. The first provision, championed by Thune, will provide additional tools to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to better enforce existing trade laws against Chinese honey that is transshipped through third countries, thus evading applicable duties. The problem of transshipment of Chinese honey, sometimes referred to as “honey laundering,” was discussed in detail at a Finance Trade Subcommittee hearing in the 112th Congress that Senator Thune co-chaired as ranking member of the subcommittee.

Additionally, the bill includes a Thune provision, adopted during Finance Committee consideration, requiring CBP to distribute all interest payments collected under the Byrd Amendment to affected domestic producers, such as honey producers. The law, which applies to products imported before September 30, 2007, requires that certain import duties, including all interest, be distributed to the domestic industries found to have been injured by the imports under existing trade remedy laws. CBP has made a determination, contrary to the plain language of the law, that certain interest payments are not due to the impacted U.S. producers, thus greatly reducing the payments to these producers. The Thune provision will correct this CBP misinterpretation of law, ensuring that South Dakota’s honey producers – and other affected producers – receive the relief to which they are entitled.

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