Category: US Senator Mike Rounds

Summer in South Dakota
By Senator Mike Rounds
June 19, 2015

Now that summer is officially here, many of us are planning family vacations and weekend getaways. With so many unique events across South Dakota during the summer months, people of all walks of life can find something that interests them. Whether you’re interested in fishing, kayaking, hiking, biking, boating, golfing or camping, just to name a few, you can do it here! Some of my favorite memories include weekends spent with family boating on the Missouri River or camping in the Black Hills.

South Dakota is a beautiful, diverse state with a rich history that attracts many world travelers. Travel and tourism are a major part of our economy in South Dakota. According to the South Dakota Department of Tourism, out-of-state visitors contributed $1.99 billion to our economy last year. That’s a growth of nearly 3 percent from 2013! This helps support the 28,000 South Dakota jobs that are tourism-related.

With so many activities going on this year, 2015 will undoubtedly be a big year for tourism in South Dakota. This August, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally celebrates its 75th anniversary. From August 3 through 9, hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world—bikers and non-bikers alike—will descend upon Sturgis to attend the rally. It is estimated that attendance for Sturgis this year could reach 1 million – more than our state’s population! In addition, Mount Rushmore celebrates its 90th anniversary.

South Dakota is home to six National Park Service sites and 56 state parks and recreation areas. Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer State Park, the Mickelson Trail and Jewel Cave are just a few of the beautiful and unique places for tourists and South Dakotans to visit in the Black Hills. In the central and eastern part of the state, a number of glacial lakes and reservoirs are maintained by the Game Fish & Parks Department and provide for top-notch fishing, especially if you’re trying to catch walleye or smallmouth bass.

Often referred to as the land of infinite variety, each region of South Dakota has a unique landscape ranging from rolling prairies and peaceful lakes to majestic mountains and towering pines. Visitors can retrace the footsteps of Lewis and Clark, attend a powwow, plan a hunting or fishing excursion or experience the American Old West of Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok in Deadwood.

Summertime in South Dakota is a great opportunity to explore all that our state has to offer. In addition to our historical landmarks and scenic parks, the kindness and generosity of the people of South Dakota are what keep visitors coming back time and time again.

There’s no better place to spend quality time with friends and family than the great outdoors of South Dakota. I thank those South Dakotans who work in the tourism industry and make our state a fun, inviting and exciting place to vacation. I am extremely proud of all we have to offer and will continue to promote and advocate for the South Dakota tourism industry while working in the United States Senate. South Dakota is the land of great faces and great places!

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Rounds Applauds Senate Passage of NDAA Bill to Support our Troops

Several of Rounds’ Provisions Included in Final Package 

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today applauded the Senate’s passage of the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2016, which included a number of provisions he offered. Rounds’ provisions 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 passed by the Senate.‎

“I commend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for coming together to pass legislation to provide our Armed Forces with the tools they need to successfully complete their missions and protect our nation,” said Rounds. “In these dangerous times for our country and the world, our troops deserve our full support.”

“I’m also pleased that five provisions I offered were included in the final NDAA. I thank my colleagues for supporting these common sense provisions.”

The NDAA also included amendments Rounds offered to help develop the Air Force’s new bomber, improve the Pentagon workforce that develops new weapons and help states and localities if they are targets of cyber-attacks.

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Protecting our Troops by Reauthorizing NDAA
By Senator Mike Rounds
June 12, 2015

During the eight years I worked as governor of South Dakota, I had the honor of serving as the commander-in-chief of South Dakota’s National Guard forces. My first term began in 2003, right at the start of the war in Iraq. I attended ceremonies for our military men and women as they deployed to active duty and welcomed them home upon their return. I ask that everyone continue to remember the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice and did not return home. These brave men and women and their families sacrifice everything to protect America and the freedoms bestowed to us. We owe it to them to give our full support of their efforts.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I joined an overwhelming majority of my colleagues to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2016 out of committee. Recognizing that the defense of our country is not a partisan issue, we came together to produce a bipartisan bill that supports our troops and provides them with the necessary tools to successfully accomplish their dangerous and demanding missions.

The NDAA legislation seeks to improve the quality of life for the men and women of our armed forces and their families and addresses the needs of our wounded, ill and injured service members. It also makes important reforms aimed at recruiting and retaining the all-volunteer force that has consistently defended our country for over four decades. And it cuts $10 billion in wasteful and duplicative spending, freeing up funds to develop and procure weapon systems of the future while also giving our troops in combat the resources they need today.

We also addressed the issue of the arbitrary spending caps in the NDAA. The Budget Control Act, which was passed in 2011, placed spending caps on the defense budget and threatens our troops with sequestration. But because this is the law of the land, we must abide by its rules until we are able to fix it. Fortunately, the members of the 112th Congress who passed the Budget Control Act recognized the importance of funding our servicemen and women, and included the “Overseas Contingency Operations” account in the Budget Control Act. NDAA includes money from this account to fully fund our armed forces.

Across the globe, military aggression and threats to our nation continue to emerge. The threats facing our country are multi-faceted, our enemies’ tactics ever-changing. New and dangerous weapons are getting into the hands of those who wish to do us harm. For these reasons, it is essential to properly equip our military men and women with the tools and support necessary to complete their missions.

The defense of our country should never be a partisan issue. Passing NDAA means that our military men and women are equipped with the tools they need to fight the enemy and defend the freedoms we too often take for granted here at home. The Senate has passed NDAA every year for the past five decades. This speaks to the importance that generations of Senate members have attached to passing the NDAA, despite ideological differences. I encourage my colleagues to continue that tradition and I hope the president will work with us. Our soldiers deserve nothing less.

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Rounds Encourages Support of Bipartisan Defense Bill

WASHINGTON —U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor to encourage his colleagues to support the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2016.

“I’m proud of my colleagues who serve with me on the Armed Services Committee for coming together to achieve a truly bipartisan, comprehensive bill,” said Rounds on the Senate floor. “Our bill will support our troops and meet the demands of a military that needs to continue its dynamic evolution in the face of ever more sophisticated threats.

“I was pleased that a number of provisions I offered were included in the final package that we are debating today. Now that we’ve completed our work in committee and Leader McConnell has brought our bill to the full Senate for debate, we must come together to pass the NDAA as the Senate has done each year for more than five decades.”

Text as Prepared for Delivery:

I rise today to encourage my colleagues to join the bipartisan group of Armed Services Committee members who support an important measure for our troops.

Last month we overwhelmingly voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2016 that the Senate is considering today.

The defense of our nation is a fundamental responsibility of the federal government, and the annual passage of the NDAA is an important step in making sure our service members have what they need to succeed.

These brave men and women selflessly sacrifice everything to keep us safe from the forces of darkness who wish to do us harm.

We owe it to these men and women to wisely work together to make certain they have the necessary tools to accomplish their dangerous and demanding missions.

And that is what we did in the Armed Services Committee just a few weeks ago.

Under the leadership of Chairman McCain and Ranking Member Reed, we reported a bill out of committee that not only supports our armed forces but makes a host of needed reforms.

And we did so overwhelmingly, by a bipartisan vote of 22 to 4.

I would like to cite a number of bill provisions which make our nation stronger, and which I hope congress and the president will enact into law.

Our bill cuts nearly $10 billion in wasteful and duplicative spending, thereby freeing up additional funds to develop and procure weapon systems of the future while also giving our troops in combat the tools they need today.

The bill also makes important reforms aimed at recruiting and retaining the all-volunteer force that has so consistently defended our country for over four decades.

The Armed Services Committee produced this legislation by using the limited and admittedly less than optimal funding tools at its disposal.

For now, the hand we are dealt to fund the defense of our country is limited by the Budget Control Act, which includes arbitrary spending caps and the threat of sequestration.

So in our bill, we are funding our armed forces using funds from the “Overseas Contingency Operations” account.  We are doing so at a level above that requested by the President for this account.

OCO was included in the Budget Control Act because members of the 112th Congress recognized the importance of funding our men and women on the front lines.

I believe that many members of the Senate fervently hope that in the near future we will be able to fund our government in a fiscally-sound manner without the irrational budget caps and threat of sequestration that pervades all of Congress’s budgetary deliberations.

And I am willing to work with any of my colleagues on either side of the aisle to fix the Budget Control Act.

But until that day comes we need to use what funding options we have to keep America safe. Our legislation does that.

We are following the rules that are in force today.

I’m proud of my colleagues who serve with me on the Armed Services Committee for coming together to achieve a truly bipartisan, comprehensive bill.

Our bill will support our troops and meet the demands of a military that needs to continue its dynamic evolution in the face of ever more sophisticated threats.

And I was pleased that a number of provisions I offered were included in the final package that we are debating today.

Now that we’ve completed our work in committee and Leader McConnell has brought our bill to the full Senate for debate, we must come together to pass the NDAA as the Senate has done each year for more than five decades.

It is no coincidence that the NDAA is the only legislation to achieve this track record.

Rather, it indicates the vital importance that generations of Senate members have attached to it.

The defense of our country is not a partisan issue.

Our bipartisan NDAA bill sustains what our service members need to succeed in a world that grows ever more dangerous.

From Russian aggression in Ukraine and mounting Chinese coercion in Asia to the ugly aggression of the self-proclaimed Islamic State in the Middle East, new threats continue to rise throughout the world.

These threats are multi-faceted, our enemies’ tactics ever-changing.

We must make certain our armed forces can continue to face these challenges and we must uphold our commitment to them.

I encourage my colleagues to pass the NDAA in the Senate, and I encourage our president to work with congress to keep Americans safe.

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Rounds Cosponsors Obamacare Replacement Plan 

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) joined his colleagues in introducing the Patient Freedom Act, a conservative response to protect millions of Americans who are at risk of losing their health care coverage following the Supreme Court’s ruling in King v. Burwell. The Patient Freedom Act, introduced by Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), lowers costs, eliminates mandates, gives states the power and puts patients in control of their health care.

“The Administration has no plan to protect the American people if the Supreme Court rules against Obamacare’s healthcare subsidies, a decision that could come any day now,” said Rounds. “For 19,000 South Dakotans, that means lost federal healthcare subsidies and up to a 178 percent increase in their health care premiums. Our legislation, carefully crafted by Dr. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, is a long-term solution that is patient-centered and puts states back in the driver’s seat. It provides states with the flexibility, funding and control to determine the best health care plan for their needs and rids them of Obamacare’s federal mandates.”

Original cosponsors include Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX), Sens. David Vitter (R-LA), Dan Coats (R-IN), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Jim Inhofe (R-OK). A companion bill will be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Dr. Ralph Abraham (R-LA).

Overview

The Patient Freedom Act is a market-based solution that gives patients the power by lowering costs, eliminating mandates, returning power to states over insurance, and giving patients knowledge.

·Doing nothing is not an option

o King v. Burwell will be decided this month and Republicans need a plan

o Americans expect Congress to have an Obamacare alternative for the 5-10 million people impacted

· Under the Patient Freedom Act, states have three options:

o Continue Obamacare and establish a state exchange

o Do nothing while 5-10 million people lose their health care

o Enact the Patient Freedom Act – choosing conservative, free market health care solutions

· This plan lowers costs by repealing unpopular Obamacare federal mandates, including:

o Individual mandate

o Employer mandate

o Federal essential health benefits mandate

· The Patient Freedom Act ensures health care dollars go directly to the patient:

o States could choose to receive this funding through either a per capita patient grant or a federal tax credit, depending on the state’s preference

o However, unlike under Obamacare, this funding goes DIRECTLY to patients

· Patients are empowered:

o Patients receive their money through a Health Savings Account (HSA), empowering patients to make the best decision for them and their families

o HSAs are reformed to allow patients to use their health care dollars for more options

· Patients have the power of portability, protection and price transparency:

o Patients can move between health insurance plans without penalty each year

o Those with pre-existing conditions are protected

o Providers must publish a cash price for services reimbursed from HSAs, empowering patients to make informed decisions

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Protecting the 2nd Amendment
Senator Mike Rounds
June 5, 2015

 As an avid hunter and lifelong gun owner, I have always been a strong defender of the Second Amendment. We cherish our right to bear arms in South Dakota, where we have a strong outdoor heritage and lively economy based on sportsmen activity. This fundamental right is embedded in the Constitution and must be fiercely protected. That’s why I’m greatly concerned about the Obama administration’s latest attempt to circumvent congress and impose sweeping new gun restrictions on the American people. It is an assault on the Second Amendment.

The Department of Justice recently announced plans to impose these new regulations on gun ownership through executive order in the coming months. These new regulations range from imposing new requirements for gun storage to allowing the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to impose new regulations on pistols. The heavy hand of government is once again attempting to penalize law abiding citizens. What this administration hasn’t figured out is that these proposals penalize the wrong people and ignore the Constitutional rights of citizens—an all too common theme under this president. This assault on the Second Amendment will do nothing to reduce criminal activity. South Dakota has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the country, and one of the lowest crime rates. In my opinion, that’s not a coincidence.

We all want to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals, but the administration’s proposals are too broad and threaten the rights of law-abiding gun owners across the nation. These new rules make it harder for ordinary citizens who pose no threat to society from exercising their second amendment rights. Any changes that effect these constitutional rights should be enacted legislatively. Regulations that aim to prevent serious offenders from obtaining a gun must not unfairly root out other prospective gun owners who are not a danger to society.

I’m also concerned about how broad and how far the ATF will go when finalizing these new gun restrictions. Based on the president’s previous track record of imposing intrusive regulations, I have little faith these new gun rules would be reasonable or well-received. The president knows he would not have the support of Congress if he tried to pass these new rules through legislation. He failed to convince Congress to enact new gun restrictions just two years ago and I am concerned that this is just a back-door attempt to allow unelected bureaucrats to change our gun laws. I’ve always believed that if a rule that will affect millions of Americans is a good one, it should be able to stand up to Congressional scrutiny.

I’m also concerned that President Obama’s new gun regulations could make it so onerous to purchase and own a gun that it deters law-abiding citizens from even having one. Too many of us know too well what can happen when too much government red tape stands in the way. In preventing gun violence, we must focus on the offenders, not the weapon.

Our right to bear arms is one of our most important rights as citizens. In South Dakota and across the nation, hunters, gun collectors and sportsmen alike take seriously their responsibilities of owning a gun. We must push back against President Obama’s anti-gun agenda to protect the Second Amendment. As a member of the United States Senate, I will continue to work to defend the right to bear arms and put a stop to the president’s overreaching gun policies.

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Rounds Cosponsors Legislation to Increase Veterans’ Benefits

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today joined Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-Ga) and other senators in introducing legislation to increase veterans’ disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2015 (S.1493) would increase the rates of VA disability compensation, dependency compensation for surviving children and spouses, and the clothing allowance for veterans based on rising costs of living.

“Our nation’s veterans sacrifice everything to protect and defend our country,” said Rounds. “With costs rising on everything from groceries to healthcare, our vets and their families deserve to have their compensation and benefits adjusted accordingly.”

This cost-of-living adjustment, which is equal to the amount of the adjustment given to Social Security recipients, is determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index on a yearly basis. The cost-of-living adjustment for veterans would go into effect on December 1, 2015.

Other original cosponsors of the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2015 include the ranking Democrat on the Senate VA committee, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., John Boozman, R-Ark., Dean Heller, R-Nev., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Patty Murray, D-Wash., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Jon Tester, D-Mont., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii and Joe Manchin, D-W.V.

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Rounds Criticizes EPA Proposal to Radically Alter Ozone Standards

“EPA’s ozone plan could be the largest regulatory burden in history.”

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), today at a hearing questioned Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal that would dramatically alter ozone standards in the U.S.

“This hearing was especially important to understand the impacts of what could be the most costly regulation ever imposed on the American people,” said Rounds. “These regulations could force South Dakotans to pay to control ozone emissions that could have originated thousands of miles away overseas or are naturally occurring in our environment. It could impact the ability of businesses to expand and construction projects to continue, without achieving any tangible health benefits beyond the current standard. It’s not based in common sense.

“Once again, EPA proves why it’s necessary to pass my RESTORE resolution, which would bring much-needed congressional oversight to the sweeping, costly regulations being imposed by federal agencies. As a member of the Senate EPW Committee, I will continue efforts to prevent these dramatic, costly new ozone standards from taking effect.”

Under current law, the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Ground-Level Ozone is to be reviewed every five years. The current standard is 75 parts per billion, set in 2008. Under EPA’s current proposal, the standard would be lowered to 65-70 parts per billion. These new standards could be the most expensive regulations in history, with projected costs of $1.7 trillion and 1.4 million in lost jobs. EPA is expected to issue a final ruling in October 2015.

Video of his questioning is available here: