Thune Welcomes Sioux Falls Diocese Bishop as U.S. Senate’s “Chaplain for a Day”

“Mr. President, today we in the United States Senate are giving praise for Bishop Swain’s unwavering devotion to the word of the Lord and to the service of his people.”

WASHINGTON — Bishop Paul J. Swain, eighth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls, today served as the U.S. Senate’s “Chaplain for a Day.” U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) nominated Bishop Swain for this honor.

“He is a pillar of our community and a spiritual leader to over 100,000 Catholics in East River South Dakota,” said Thune. “Bishop Swain’s episcopal motto is ‘Give Praise to the Lord.’ Mr. President, today we in the United States Senate are giving praise for Bishop Swain’s unwavering devotion to the word of the Lord and to the service of his people. I thank the Bishop for joining us today.”

Click here for Bishop Swain’s full biography.

House Passes Noem’s IRS Workforce Integrity Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Kristi Noem today led the House in passing her Ensuring Integrity in the IRS Workforce Act (H.R.3724), which would prohibit the IRS from rehiring an employee who has been fired for certain forms of misconduct.  The legislation passed with broad bipartisan support by a margin of 345-78.

“The IRS has rehired hundreds of people who had already been fired once for misconduct.  This practice needs to end and that’s exactly what my bill does.  It’s just commonsense,” said Noem.  “Much more must be done to correct our broken tax system.  Nonetheless, as we work toward a fairer, flatter, and simpler tax code, I’ll be looking for more opportunities to make the IRS more accountable to you.”

In February 2015, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) publicly released a new report explaining it had “identified hundreds of former employees with prior substantiated conduct or performance issues ranging from tax issues, unauthorized access to taxpayer information, leave abuse, falsification of official forms, unacceptable performance, misuse of IRS property, and off-duty misconduct.”

The agency went on to say that nearly one in five of the rehired employees with a record of prior misconduct had performance issues when they returned to the IRS.  For more information on TIGTA’s findings, click here.

Outgoing State Rep Fred Deutsch was at the crux of the culture wars this past year, and was asked to weigh in by Politico on pressure by big business for legislatures to reject gender-specific bathroom laws in an article out this evening:

Before North Carolina, there was South Dakota. Last month, Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard vetoed his own state Legislature’s bill to mandate that kids in public schools use the bathroom and locker room corresponding to their biological gender after hearing from local business groups and banks.

“I don’t think it’s the place of Big Business to tell a state how it should run particularly its social legislation,” said state Rep. Fred Deutsch, who sponsored the bill, in an interview with POLITICO. “I would encourage CEOs to run for the Legislature if they want to participate in social engineering, or send their lobbyists to testify against bills while they’re in committee. But don’t threaten us with leaving the state, especially when we’re extending tax incentives for them to be in our state.”

The United States Chamber of Commerce declined to comment for this story, saying it doesn’t weigh in on “social issues.”

From the Yankton Press and Dakotan, Yankton resident and Lt. Governor Matt Michels actually IS thinking about a run for the big chair. But even he admits the clock is running out on getting in:

When it comes to his political future, Lt. Gov. Matt Michels finds himself racing against the clock.

The Yankton attorney says he must decide soon whether to run for governor in 2018, even though more than two years remain on his term.

“I need to make a decision in two months, maybe within a month,” he told the Press & Dakotan. “I don’t like making a decision 2 1/2 years ahead of the election, but that’s just the way it is.”

Michels cited two major factors forcing an early decision: the process of organizing a campaign, and other candidates already positioning themselves for a gubernatorial run.

“You just need a lot of time to put an organization together,” he said. “And we still have to get through another legislative session (in 2017).”

Read that all here.

And as Matt Michels realizes, there’s a finite number of resources available to put a winning campaign together, as well as a finite number of competent people available to assemble into a winning organization.

There are volunteers, donors and staffers coalescing around Marty Jackley and Mark Mickelson already. Congresswoman Kristi Noem would come in with a team battle hardened and ready to go from having to do it all over again every two years.

Matt’s challenge would be to start building that nucleus and put together a team when many possible people in his current Daugaard heavy universe would already be gravitating towards Mark Mickelson, given the status of Linda Mickelson Graham as the Governor’s campaign treasurer.

If he was looking to party regulars, Marty Jackley already has a strong relationship with party maven and political regular Jason Glodt, as well as many others who Jackley has cultivated relationships with.

Lacking a staff of seasoned campaign veterans can happen. This last election cycle, US Senate Candidate Stace Nelson lamented to one seasoned political veteran who he had tried to recruit (but turned him down) that “all of the good ones are taken,” leaving him to try to assemble a campaign team without the benefit of anyone with statewide experience. Which showed in several campaign missteps.

I suspect that the Lt Governor would ultimately be able to find people to join his cause, simply for the reason that the affable Michels is one of the nicest people you’d ever want to know. He’s a good guy in a profession that has many practitioners with very sharp elbows.

And sometimes, that’s enough.

Finance Committee Approves Thune’s Taxpayer Protection Provisions

“American taxpayers deserve a tax collection agency that is accountable to them and that respects their due process rights.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a member of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, applauded the committee’s adoption of the Taxpayer Protection Act, which included numerous taxpayer protection provisions he authored with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). Several provisions of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights Enhancement Act, a separate bill Thune and Grassley introduced in June 2015, have already been enacted into law and several more were adopted during the committee markup.

“We sponsored our legislation not only because of the abuses of taxpayer rights we’ve seen at the IRS in recent years, but also because it has been nearly 20 years since Congress enacted comprehensive taxpayer rights legislation,” said Thune. “American taxpayers deserve a tax collection agency that is accountable to them and that respects their due process rights.”

Thune provisions included in the committee-approved bill:

• Extends from nine months to two years the period for returning monetary proceeds from the sale of property that has been wrongfully levied by the IRS.
• Allows amounts, including interest, wrongfully levied by the IRS from retirement accounts to be re-contributed back to those accounts without penalty.
• Requires tax-exempt organizations to file Form 990 electronically and mandates that the IRS make such information available in a timely manner.
• Imposes new statutory requirements on the IRS with respect to email retention consistent with the existing directive from the Office of Management and Budget and the National Archives.
• Requires the IRS to notify a taxpayer whose confidential information has been improperly disclosed or inspected when a disciplinary action against an IRS employee is undertaken, regardless of whether or not the employee is criminally charged.
• Requires the General Accountability Office to conduct a study examining if taxpayers in those states without a permanent IRS appeals presence, including South Dakota, are disadvantaged relative to taxpayers in other states.

Click here for more information on the Taxpayer Protection Act and here to read a recent op-ed authored by Thune entitled, “There’s Not Much to Celebrate During Tax Season.”

###

At least weekly if not more often, Congressional Candidate Paula Hawks sends out via e-mail “clickbait” appeals for money or to gather names to solicit further for activity in her campaign.

The problem is that many times, the issues she’s campaigning on have little to nothing to do with the office she’s running for.

Today’s e-mail missive is no different:

From: Paula Hawks
Date: April 20, 2016 at 6:16:19 PM CDT
To: (Redacted)
Subject: we’re holding them accountable
Reply-To: info@hawksforhouse.com

(Redacted),

Republican Governor Dennis Daugaard has expressed willingness to expand Medicaid under Obamacare, but the GOP-controlled state legislature refuses to approve the expansion, leaving thousands of low-income families in South Dakota without health coverage. What’s more, Republican Kristi Noem has voted over 60 times with House Republicans to repeal Obamacare, proving that she’s even more extreme than Governor Daugaard.

We need to hold Kristi Noem and the South Dakota GOP accountable for denying health insurance to thousands of low-income families.

Sign my petition to demand that Republican lawmakers approve the Medicaid expansion in South Dakota now! >>>>

Kristi Noem and South Dakota state Republicans believe that their far-right political agenda is more important than making sure all South Dakotans have access to health insurance. The South Dakota GOP’s incompetence and corruption has gone on for far too long. We need to defend the best interest of ALL South Dakotans.

We must hold South Dakota Republicans accountable for failing the people of our state.

Help me hold Kristi Noem and the South Dakota GOP accountable for their extreme and selfish actions. Click here to sign my petition.

Thank you,

Paula

As opposed to issues important to South Dakota at the Congressional level, the Hawks campaign is going after GOP Legislators, with only a loose connection at best to Congresswoman Noem?  And she also takes a backhanded swipe at Governor Daugaard calling him “extreme”… because she’s agreeing with him?

These kind of schizophrenic communications coming form the Hawks campaign just seem to underline that the campaign really has no direction, much less a clue what office Hawks is actually running for.

One day, Hawks is bashing Congresswoman Kristi Noem for hosting her “Women of Influence Conference” because she hasn’t “denounced Donald Trump,” as if there’s some unwritten rule that she’s required to file an opinion on everyone running for president. And the next moment Hawks is going after the US Senate for “not holding hearings on a Supreme Court Justice.”  Because Congress has some say in the time and manner in which the Senate does that.?

One of the few times Hawks actually mentioned a topic addressed by Congress was in demanding Country of Origin labeling. But she then exhibited her utter naivete on the issue by completely skipping over the part about the billions in retaliatory tariffs which caused the repeal.  And ignoring that Congresswoman Noem has been noted for her defense of COOL.

It’s at the point where you have to wonder if the campaign is being run by someone utterly incompetent, borderline insane, or if they’ve failed basic civics, and are out of touch with what Congress does?

Or if the Hawks strategy is to just keep throwing spaghetti against the fridge on a daily basis to see how much sticks?

Moving on…

Good Gosh, the Democrats are spending it faster than it can come in! Last month, they took in $24,270.18, and spent $20,895.95, leaving $14,736.77 cash on hand. This month? It was far, far worse.

Sddp March Fec

Starting at that $14,376.77 figure, they added only $16,231.69 to the total, down a full $8000 from the month before. But that didn’t slow down their spending, as it was up over the previous month’s burn rate by around $2500 – at $23,205.60, leaving them an anemic $7762 cash on hand.

In other words, their cash is so far in the dumps going into a major election cycle, they’re in Jay Williams territory.

No wonder South Dakota Democrats are bemoaning money in politics. They don’t have any!

Not that it’s keeping them warm at night.

Jim Hood, who has served for many session in Pierre as a Lobbyist, has announced his retirement as a lobbyist as recently noted by Bob Mercer.  But before he was a lobbyist, Jim was a State Representative and served as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

It’s noteworthy to me, as back before that, Representative Hood was the chair of the Judiciary Committee, which I where I met him as I was assigned as his legislative Intern for the 1988 Legislative session.

What can I tell you about my memories of my brief time working with him? I can honestly say that former Representative Hood is as genuine a person as you’d ever meet. A gentlemen from a time when politics were a bit more convivial than they seem to be in this day and age where elbows seem to be sharper, and people can be a bit more grouchy.  He acted with fairness, and treated everyone the same, whether they were a captain of industry, or an intern as green as the grass on the lawn.

Congratulations on your retirement Jim. And best wishes for a happy one, very much deserved.

Rounds Issues Statement Following Senate Passage of Bipartisan Energy Bill

Includes his easement disclosure amendment

 WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today issued the following statement on the Senate’s passage of the bipartisan Energy Policy Modernization Act, which included his easement disclosure amendment. The bill passed by a vote of 85-12.

“For the first time in nearly a decade, the Senate passed legislation to modernize and update our nation’s energy policies,” said Rounds. “The bipartisan bill will increase energy security and help keep energy costs low for South Dakota families.”

“Additionally, I’m pleased the bill includes my amendment to make sure landowners are aware of all the options available to them when choosing to place their land in a conservation easement. South Dakota’s landowners deserve to know that perpetual conservation easements aren’t their only option. My amendment will increase awareness for shorter, termed easements and result in greater access and conservation of land.”

Rounds’ amendment contains language to establish a federal education program through the U.S. Department of the Interior to allow landowners to learn all of the federal conservation options available to them when choosing to restrict future use of their land through a federal easement. The agency will be required to make landowners aware of this education program when approaching them about participating in a conservation program.

Additionally, the Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act, introduced by Rounds and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), was included as part of an amendment in the Energy Policy Modernization Act. It will facilitate a permanent land transfer of approximately 200 acres of Bureau of Land Management land to expand the Black Hills National Cemetery.

The bipartisan Brownfields Utilization, Investment and Local Development (BUILD) Act, also cosponsored by Rounds, was included in the Energy Policy Modernization Act. This legislation will provide funding for technical assistance grants to small communities and rural areas, expand the scope of eligible grant recipients to include non-profit community groups, and authorize funding for multi-purpose grants to tackle more complex sites.

Summary of Key Provisions of the Energy Policy Modernization Act

Efficiency – Energy efficiency provides significant benefits for consumers, the economy and the environment. The provisions in this title include agreements on everything from longer-term utility energy service contracts to the reauthorization of the weatherization and state energy programs. The efficiency of our homes, buildings and manufacturing facilities all stand to increase as a result of it.

Infrastructure – We depend on electrical transmission lines and other infrastructure to transport energy from where it is produced to where it is used. This title will help modernize our electrical grid, enhance cybersecurity safeguards, maintain the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, provide a streamlined process for natural gas export projects and solidify a qualified, well-trained workforce.

Supply – To provide for an energy supply that is increasingly abundant, affordable, clean, diverse and secure, this title focuses on the development of renewable energy, traditional resources, and non-fuel minerals alike. The responsible development of American resources – including hydropower geothermal, bioenergy and rare earth elements – will strengthen our economy, competitiveness and security for decades to come.

Accountability – Practical reforms are needed to advance innovation, protect electric reliability and assure proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Among the provisions in this title are the reauthorization of certain energy-related components of the America COMPETES Act, better interagency coordination of energy/water initiatives, and the repeal of numerous provisions within the U.S. Code that are outdated or redundant.

Conservation Reauthorization – The Committee is also responsible for oversight and stewardship of our public lands. The bipartisan legislation permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund in a way that balances land acquisition with other conservation programs important to states and permanently reauthorizes the Historic Preservation Fund, both set to expire this fall. It also creates a new National Park Maintenance and Revitalization Fund, to address the maintenance backlog at some of our nation’s most treasured public places.

##

Senate Passes Bipartisan Energy Bill, Thune Amendment to Aid Sanford Underground Research Facility

South Dakota is Proud to be Part of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement after the Senate passed the bipartisan Energy Policy Modernization Act (S. 2012), legislation that would modernize energy policy and help maximize development in this economic sector. Included in the final bill was a Thune provision to create a coordinating subcommittee within the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) focused on high energy physics and a separate provision he introduced with Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) that would facilitate a permanent land transfer of Bureau of Land Management land to expand the Black Hills National Cemetery.

“It would be an understatement to say this energy bill would not have passed without Sen. Murkowski’s hard work,” said Thune. “She spent a great deal of time working with senators on both sides of the aisle to make sure this bill – the first energy bill in nearly a decade – passed the Senate with bipartisan support.

“I also want to thank Sen. Murkowski for working with me to ensure my amendment to create a special NSTC subcommittee on high energy physics was considered and adopted. This newly created coordinating subcommittee would be tasked with maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of U.S. investment in high energy physics research and supporting a robust, internationally competitive high energy physics program, which we’re proud to be a part of in South Dakota.”

The subcommittee’s work would benefit underground science and engineering research, like the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment that will be conducted at the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility, which is being constructed at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois.

The NSTC was created by executive order in 1993 to coordinate federal science and technology policy, and its membership consists of the president, vice president, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), cabinet secretaries, and other government officials involved in science and technology.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, of which Thune is chairman, has jurisdiction over the NSTC and OSTP.

###