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Congresswoman Kristi Noem’s Weekly Column: To End Poverty, Expand Opportunity

July 12, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

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To End Poverty, Expand Opportunity
By Rep. Kristi Noem
July 10, 2015

kristi noem headshot May 21 2014 More than 1,000 South Dakotans, including nearly 300 children, were homeless at some point last year, according to a recent report by the South Dakota Housing for the Homeless. What is perhaps more shocking is that three of the five lowest-income counties in the country are located in our state. For many impacted by poverty, it’s been a challenge that has been passed from one generation to the next. I want to help end that cycle.

Fundamentally, any conversation about ending poverty must begin with a conversation about expanding opportunity. Too often, federal programs fail in this respect. I believe they need to do more than just help folks avoid the worst hardships; they must also empower people to build a successful career. Earlier this month, I took steps toward such a goal.

On July 7, I introduced legislation to help reform the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program – or TANF. By definition, this is a program designed to help struggling families achieve self-sufficiency and financial independence, but it isn’t working and loopholes let some states get away with ineffective spending.

TANF requires states to make sure 50 percent of program recipients participate in work-related activities, such as working, searching for a job, or training for one. If states spend more than the federal government requires, the 50 percent threshold can be decreased. In extreme cases, it can be decreased to zero. Therein lies the loophole.

Some states are counting third-party spending as “state spending” and driving their apparent investments to artificially high levels. As a result, they don’t need as many TANF recipients to be engaged in work-related activities. Of note, South Dakota does not game the system in this way; we now need other states to follow our example.

The practice completely dilutes the integrity of TANF by eliminating a key accountability measure. No longer do states need to achieve what TANF was intended to accomplish in order to receive the federal dollars in full.

My bill simply stops states from counting third-party spending as their own. States need to make the investment and they need to produce a good outcome. We need this level of genuine accountability if we are to be successful.

My bill was introduced as part of a broader legislative package that aims to increase the employment of low-income families. As part of the package, we also introduced more incentives for states to help people get a good job. We give states more resources to be innovative in how they tackle poverty at home. We create a clearinghouse for best practices, so good ideas can go farther.

I firmly believe the best way out of poverty is a good job and that’s what these bills are intended to do. In recent months, we’ve seen the national unemployment rate fall, but those numbers are deceiving because more and more people are dropping out of the workforce. In fact, the portion of Americans engaged in the workforce today is lower than at any point since Jimmy Carter was president. That lack of employment is reverberating throughout our economy and stopping us from moving beyond the recession. The only way to break this cycle is to give folks more opportunities to rise up and out of poverty.

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Noem Introduces Legislation to Help Combat Poverty, Promote Financial Independence

July 9, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Noem Introduces Legislation to Help Combat Poverty, Promote Financial Independence

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Kristi Noem introduced H.R.2959, the TANF Accountability and Integrity Improvement Act, which aims to improve the outcomes of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. This bill was introduced as part of a larger poverty-reduction package that was unveiled today.

“Any program aimed at ending poverty must fundamentally expand opportunity,” said Noem. “Unfortunately, loopholes within TANF have diluted the program’s integrity and its effectiveness in helping struggling families move up and out of poverty. By bringing genuine accountability back into the TANF program through H.R.2959, I’m hopeful we can improve outcomes and ensure more families achieve financial independence.”

TANF requires states to ensure 50% of program recipients participate in work-related activities, such as working, searching for a job, or training for one. If states spend more than the federal government requires, the 50% threshold can be decreased. In extreme cases, the threshold can be reduced to 0%.

Some states are counting third-party spending as “state spending” and driving their apparent investments to artificially high levels. As a result, those states don’t need as many TANF recipients to be engaged in work-related activities in order to continue receiving full federal funding. Under H.R.2959, states could no longer count spending by third parties as state spending, meaning states would need to engage more adults in work-related activities in exchange for federal benefits, as the program was originally intended.

Of note, South Dakota does not count third-party spending as state spending in order to reduce the portion of TANF recipients engaged in work-related activities.

“We need to ensure other states follow South Dakota’s example,” continued Noem. “By continuing to engage participants in work activities at the level intended, the state has upheld the integrity of the program and ensured the support we provide through TANF is support that really helps struggling families.”

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Thune Sets Mark-Up of Transportation Bill With Regulatory andConsumer Protection Reforms

July 9, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

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Thune Sets Mark-Up of Transportation Bill With Regulatory and
Consumer Protection Reforms
Bill Includes Passenger Rail, Regulatory Relief for Livestock Transportation and Custom Harvesters, Grant Reform and Consolidation, and Transparency Improvements

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today announced the committee will convene on Wednesday, July 15, to consider and vote on S. 1732, the Comprehensive Transportation and Consumer Protection Act of 2015. The legislation authorizes the office of the secretary of transportation for the next six years (fiscal years 2016 through 2021) and contains key reforms to enhance safety, provide regulatory relief, streamline grant programs, and improve the accountability and efficiency of oversight efforts.

“As the Senate works to consider a multi-year plan to fund highway and other infrastructure projects, we also have the opportunity to enact reforms for the Department of Transportation that are vital for our economy and the safety of travelers in South Dakota and around the country,” said Thune. “This bill incorporates numerous proposals from the administration, bipartisan proposals put forward by senators, and proposals that have been previously considered and embraced by a consensus of the Commerce Committee. Among the many improvements this bill makes, I’m especially glad that we can provide some much-needed regulatory relief to our agriculture transporters, who are vital to South Dakota’s agriculture industry.”

By tradition, following committee approval, S. 1732 will be combined with S. 1647, the DRIVE Act, and component legislation from other Senate committees on the Senate floor as early as next week to form legislation commonly referred to as “The Highway Bill” or the “Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill.”

Mark-up agenda:

S. 1732, the Comprehensive Transportation and Consumer Protection Act of 2015

Executive Session Details:

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

10:00 a.m. EDT in Senate Russell Office Building, Room 253

A live video of the mark-up and additional information will be available at http://1.usa.gov/1LUiwCz

Highlights of S. 1732:

Regulatory Reform, Relief, and Transparency

Cutting Red Tape – Provides permanent regulatory relief for drivers who transport livestock and bees by permitting hours of service exemptions.

Custom Harvester Protection – Would allow the operation of vehicles that provide fuel for agricultural operations to be exempt from the requirement of obtaining a hazardous materials endorsement, which would help individuals like custom harvesters.

Transparency – Requires the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to maintain updated records relating to regulatory guidance, and provides for regular review to ensure consistency and enforceability.

Port Performance Act – Includes legislation previously approved by the Commerce Committee to increase transparency of port operation by providing currently non-existent key metrics on port operations to help provide earlier warning of disruptions to various sectors of our economy following the recent nine month labor dispute at 29 West Coast container ports.

Freight: TIGER Reformed and Refocused

Develops a National Freight Strategy and Strategic Plan – Sets goals to enhance U.S. economic competitiveness by improving freight transportation networks that serve our agriculture, retail, manufacturing, and energy sectors. Focuses freight planning efforts in the Office of the Secretary with the Undersecretary for Policy to provide multimodal coordination.

Authorizes a Freight Grant Program – Formally authorizes the TIGER transportation grants program, and refocuses funding efforts on freight infrastructure. The bill reforms the project selection processes to increase accountability and transparency of grants.

Improved Project Delivery and Department of Transportation (DOT) Management

Project Streamlining – Building on the Administration’s proposed GROW AMERICA Act, the bill provides additional authority to streamline delivery of infrastructure projects and consolidate burdensome permitting regulations.

Responsible Management – Prohibits designating a single individual as a long term agency head without formally nominating a qualified candidate who is subject to formal consideration by the U.S. Senate.
Flexibility for States

Provides for Flexible State Planning – Improves freight planning efforts to ensure that freight planning is multimodal and addresses the links between highways, railroads, ports, airports, and pipelines.

Grant Consolidation – As proposed by the Administration GROW AMERICA Act, the bill consolidates FMCSA state trucking enforcement grants to provide additional flexibility to states to administer enforcement programs.

Grant Flexibility – Increases emphasis on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) highway safety grants, allocated according to state population and road mileage, to address each state’s unique highway safety challenges and provide additional opportunities for states to obtain grants to combat impaired and distracted driving.

24/7 Sobriety Programs – Amends the grant for alcohol ignition interlock devices to include eligibility for states that provide 24/7 sobriety programs.

NHTSA Oversight and Improvement

Vehicle Recalls – Improves consumer awareness of vehicle safety information and requires franchised dealers and car rental companies to provide consumers with notification of open safety recalls. Increases the time consumers have to seek a free remedy for tire recalls and creates a state pilot grant to inform consumers of open vehicle recalls at the time of motor vehicle registration.

Provides Increased Oversight of NHTSA – Following a record number of recalls for defects linked to fatalities, high profile failures by the auto safety regulator and expert testimony that the most immediate needs are to fix fundamental problem of NHTSA’s defect identification and investigation process and not substantial increased funding, the bill requires the DOT Inspector General and NHTSA to provide updates on how NHTSA is addressing these problems and directs audits of NHTSA’s management of vehicle safety recalls, public awareness of recall information, and NHTSA’s research efforts.

Promoting Crash Avoidance Technology – Adds a requirement that crash avoidance information, such as active braking and lane-tracking technology, be included next to the 5-star information on the car sticker for consumers purchasing new vehicles.

Rail

Passenger Rail – Includes the bipartisan Railroad Reform Enhancement and Efficiency Act, which was amended and passed the Commerce Committee by unanimous voice vote, increasing safety, improving infrastructure, cutting red tape, and empowering state and local officials.

Click here for text of the bill as introduced.

Click here for a section-by-section summary.

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Rounds Applauds Passage of his Native American Education Amendment

July 8, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

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Rounds Applauds Passage of his Native American Education Amendment

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today applauded the passage of an amendment he offered with U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) to improve education of Native American students. The amendment to the Every Child Achieves Act, which is currently being debated on the Senate floor, addresses low graduation rates at tribal schools and seeks to improve the quality of education in Indian Country, especially in rural and high poverty areas.

“The fact that there are tribal schools in this country with graduation rates below 40 percent is unacceptable,” said Rounds. “A strong education system in Indian Country is crucial for Native American students. Our amendment lays a foundation to fix the systemic education problems facing students in Indian Country, not only in South Dakota but throughout the nation. I am pleased that it received broad bipartisan support in the Senate.”

Rounds’ amendment to the Every Child Achieves Act directs the Department of the Interior and the Department of Education to conduct a study in rural and poverty areas of Indian Country to:

Identify federal barriers that restrict tribes from implementing common-sense regional policies instead of one-size fits all policies directed from Washington;
Identify recruitment and retention options for teachers and school administrators;
Identify the limitations in funding sources and flexibility for such schools; and
Provide strategies on how to increase high school graduation rates.

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Thune, Cardin Submit Business Income Tax Working Group Report to Finance Committee

July 8, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Thune, Cardin Submit Business Income Tax Working Group Report to Finance Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), co-chairs of the Senate Finance Committee’s Business Income Tax Working Group, today submitted the working group’s report to the full committee. The report, developed with the input of the fourteen members of the working group, represents the culmination of a months-long examination of business tax issues in an effort to evaluate the challenges and opportunities posed by reforming America’s business income tax system.

Earlier this year, U.S. Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, asked Thune and Cardin to lead the Finance Committee’s Business Income Tax Working Group. Additional working groups were tasked with examining an array of subjects, including the individual income tax, savings and investment, international tax, and community development and infrastructure.

“We accepted this request because we believe that American businesses deserve a better tax system than the current tax code,” said Thune and Cardin. “We view the working group process as a demonstration of the importance that the chairman and ranking member place on enacting tax reform, a goal that we share. We took on the challenge of co-chairing the working group knowing that progress toward real tax reform will not be fast or easy, but rather will entail thoughtful deliberation around a number of very complex and difficult decisions.”

The report includes several principles, considerations, options, and recommendations that are designed to modernize U.S. business taxation to help spur economic growth and job creation, address structural biases in the tax code, and promote American innovation.

In particular, the report:

Highlights the challenges related to business tax reform, including potential hurdles to corporate rate reduction.

Discusses the effect of reform on pass-through businesses, which make up a majority of U.S. small businesses

Addresses major structural issues and options for pro-growth reform, including corporate integration proposals and moving the U.S. tax system closer to a consumption-oriented base

Details proposals that promote American innovation, including a strengthened R&E credit, an innovation box, and technology- and source-neutral energy incentives

Discusses simplification and other administrative proposals that could help both businesses and charities

A copy of the full report can be found here.

A full list of co-chairs and members of the working groups can be found here.

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Noem Drives Forward Amendment to Protect D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery

July 8, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Noem Drives Forward Amendment to Protect D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Kristi Noem offered an amendment to the Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act late last night to prohibit funds from being used to close the D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery, effectively protecting the Spearfish facility from closure through FY2016 if enacted. The House unanimously adopted the amendment and is expected to vote on passage later this week.

“As one of the oldest fisheries in the country, the D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery is a critical piece of living history. It’s disappointing to think we may lose it because of irresponsible bureaucratic decisions,” said Noem. “While I will continue driving efforts to find a permanent solution for D.C. Booth, I’m hopeful this amendment will pave the way and ensure the economic and educational benefits offered by D.C. Booth are preserved long into the future.”

More than 155,000 people visit the D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery in Spearfish each year. The facility currently houses 175,000 artifacts that are open and accessible to the public and researchers from across the country. Nonetheless, the Fish and Wildlife Service has submitted a proposal to move a portion of the D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery Archives located at the Spearfish facility to the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

“D.C. Booth is a very unique hatchery in the fact that it houses the National Fish Hatchery System archive and serves as America’s gathering place for things related to our nation’s rich fisheries past,” said April Gregory, Executive Director of the Booth Society. “We are incredibly grateful to Rep. Noem for recognizing this rich history and continuing to work to preserve our mission and facility for an additional year and into the future.”

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US Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Column: Supporting Science in South Dakota

July 5, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Supporting Science in South Dakota
By Senator Mike Rounds
July 2, 2015

While working as governor of South Dakota, securing the underground laboratory at the Homestake mine in Lead was one of our proudest accomplishments. Without the strong support of people across the entire state none of this would have happened. At that time, it was called the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory, or DUSEL, and managed by the National Science Foundation. During a competitive process and with a generous gift from philanthropist T. Denny Sanford, the facility was awarded to South Dakota. The Department of Energy is now the primary sponsor of the re-named Sanford Underground Research Facility.

Though the name has changed over time, the quality of the work at the lab remains first-rate. Researchers and scientists continue to explore modern physics by developing groundbreaking experiments that can only be done in this unique laboratory space deep underground that protects the experiments from cosmic radiation. In fact, physicist Ray Davis, Jr., earned a Nobel Prize for Physics in 2002 for his solar neutrino experiment at the mine.

I was honored to attend the recent grand opening of the Sanford Visitor and Learning Center on June 30, which is the result of years of hard work and planning. Many different people and groups have come together to make the Sanford Lab a world-class research facility, and I’m pleased that it will now be open to visitors from around the globe who are interested in the important work researchers are doing at the lab.

While working as governor, I worked with the South Dakota State Legislature to appropriate more than $39 million for underground science at the Sanford Lab. The new visitor center offers scientists of all ages from every state and around the world a first-hand look at the lab’s experiments. It also offers the town of Lead an opportunity to showcase its historic past as a mining town to tour groups and visitors from around the world.

We’ve also been preparing future leaders to work in science. Students are our state’s greatest asset, and just since 2003, 6,000 new scholarships have been awarded to make sure young people have the opportunity to receive a top-notch education and make their careers in South Dakota. Encouraging more students to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) has long been one of our priorities. The Sanford Science Education Center is a collaboration between Black Hills State University and the Sanford Lab to prepare students for future STEM-based careers. They offer internships, professional development courses, summer programs and more to inspire young people to pursue science-based jobs.

I look forward to seeing the Sanford Lab continue to expand and thrive. Future plans for the lab include a partnership with Fermilab in Illinois on the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), which could lead to new discoveries about neutrinos, proton decay and the elements necessary for life. Scientists throughout the ages have questioned the origins of the universe, and with today’s technology, we may be able to discover more about what makes up the universe. This is South Dakota’s opportunity to be involved in exciting new discoveries which, not too long ago, seemed only to be part of science fiction. You will hear more about matter, dark matter, energy, dark energy, and of course, more about neutrinos! It is all happening in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

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Congresswoman Noem’s Weekly Column: Taking a Swing at Breast Cancer

July 5, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Taking a Swing at Breast Cancer
By Rep. Kristi Noem
July 2, 2015

I have known Lynn Popham for a long time – more than two decades, I suppose. We’ve spent hours together at ball games, rodeos, and our kids’ school events. She’s an incredible mom to two young men, a hard worker, a trusted neighbor, and a tremendous asset to our community. Last December, Lynn learned she had Stage 2 breast cancer.

This year alone, approximately 230,000 women are expected to learn that they too must fight breast cancer, according to the latest American Cancer Society data. Just over 2,000 men will also have to battle the disease. Each of these journeys will come with highs and lows, but I have to say that so far, Lynn has weathered her diagnosis and treatments with an unbelievably positive attitude. While she has a ways to go in her journey with breast cancer, I believe her strength and perseverance for the first leg of the race deserves recognition. This summer, I had the opportunity to give Lynn some of that well-deserved recognition.

Each year, women in Congress – both Republicans and Democrats – join to play in the Congressional Women’s Softball Game against female members of the press corps. We do it as a way to increase awareness about breast cancer and help raise funds for the Young Survival Coalition, an organization that supports the women who have been diagnosed and helps move us closer to a cure. This year, I was proud to play in honor of Lynn.

Through events like this and the dedication of groups like the Young Survival Coalition, we have increased Americans’ awareness about breast cancer to historic levels. One of the tangible benefits of that work has been an increase in the number of mammograms. In fact, while just 29 percent of women had gotten a mammogram in 1987, 67 percent of women had gotten one in 2010. Lynn was one of those women.

The increase in mammography has helped more women detect their cancer early, which in turn has boosted survival rates. The American College of Radiology reports that mammography has helped reduce breast cancer mortality in the United States by nearly one-third since 1990.

As a result of early-detection efforts and stronger science, there are more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States today. That’s incredible. Please join me in taking a swing against breast cancer this summer. Find a way to support women like Lynn and their families. Put together an early detection plan for yourself – the National Breast Cancer Foundation has a tool that can help at www.earlydetectionplan.org. Or support one of the many organizations fighting for a cure. Together, we can beat breast cancer.

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Thune, Rounds & Noem note – USDA to Pautre Fire Victims: We’re Not Responsible

June 29, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

USDA to Pautre Fire Victims: We’re Not Responsible

USDA Fails to Acknowledge Negligence and Pay for Damages Resulting From Pautre Fire

WASHINGTON, D.C.– U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) today expressed their frustration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service (FS), and Office of General Counsel’s (OGC) refusal to determine that FS employees were negligent when they started a prescribed burn in April 2013, which due to extremely dry and windy conditions, burned out of control. The devastating Pautre fire consumed 16,000 acres of standing grass on public and private pasture land and damaged or destroyed fences, bales of forage, buildings, and trees.

As a result of USDA’s refusal to determine negligence, all Pautre fire claims will be denied by FS. However, claimants may file suit against the federal government in U.S. district court within six months of the date they received their determination letters.

“I’m disappointed that the USDA has refused to acknowledge negligence and accept responsibility for the out-of-control Pautre fire that had such a devastating impact on property in northern South Dakota,” said Thune. “USDA’s denial leaves many South Dakota farmers and ranchers – who have already waited more than two years for a USDA decision – with the inability to have their claims resolved any time soon. We must prevent situations like these from occurring in the future, which is why I’ve introduced the Prescribed Burn Approval Act of 2015 that would require a federal agency to timely pay for losses that result from an out-of-control fire that it starts.”

“The impact of the Pautre fire will be felt by South Dakotans for many years to come,” said Rounds. “I MikeRounds official Senate am surprised that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, and Office of General Counsel have denied responsibility and relief to the South Dakota farmers and ranchers affected by the fire. It is my hope that South Dakotans will still be able to recover their losses through other legal avenues available to them.”

“I have been disappointed by the federal government’s snail-paced decision-making process over the last 26 months, but the USDA’s refusal to take responsibility for the Pautre Fire damages is unbelievable,” said Noem. “Whether the USDA admits it or not, South Dakota farmers and ranchers lost thousands of dollars’ worth of fences, buildings, bales, tree rows, and more as a result of the federal government’s actions. We must make sure disasters like this kristi noem headshot May 21 2014 are prevented in the future, but that is going to require the federal government to admit to and reconcile previous mistakes.”

Earlier this month, the delegation wrote to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging the USDA, FS, and OGC to determine negligence and accept responsibility for the fire so victims’ claims could be processed.

The Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) provides claimants two years from the date of an incident to submit claims against the government. The FTCA generally holds the federal government liable when federal employees commit acts of negligence in the course of their employment.

Thune’s legislation, which was introduced earlier this year, is designed to help prevent reckless prescribed burns, similar to the Pautre and Cold Brook fires. The legislation would require appropriate collaboration between federal and local officials before initiating a prescribed burn on federal lands when fire danger is high.

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US Senator John Thune’s Weekly Column: Celebrating the Red, White, and Blue

June 27, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Celebrating the Red, White, and Blue
By Senator John Thune

John_Thune,_official_portrait,_111th_Congress Fourth of July is right around the corner, and as South Dakotans fire up their backyard barbecues or embark on family vacations to celebrate this summer, it’s important to take a moment to reflect on the true importance of Independence Day.

Nearly 240 years ago, our Founding Fathers took a bold stand for freedom by declaring independence from Great Britain. It hasn’t always been a smooth road, but through the bravery and sacrifice of one great generation after another, America has remained a strong beacon of hope and opportunity for people around the globe.

From our nation’s heroes who fight hard for the red, white, and blue, to the farmers and ranchers who start their day long before the sun even rises, America’s collective strength is borne out of hard work, unity, and love of country.

Today the Fourth of July means many things to many people. It’s an opportunity for cities and towns to come together for picnics and parades. It’s a time for friends and families to share old stories and create new memories. Most importantly, it’s a chance to celebrate all of the blessings and opportunities that come with being an American.

This holiday has a special meaning for me and my family because my dad, Harold, a member of the Greatest Generation, sacrificed an unbelievable amount for his country and his family. He was one of many young men who served on the USS Intrepid during World War II. Just a few months ago, I was fortunate enough to visit the Intrepid and walk through the same halls that my dad did so many years ago, under much different conditions.

Whether your family is traveling or spending time at home this year, I hope you enjoy a safe, fun, memory-filled week. Happy Fourth of July, and remember that our freedom is not free.

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