I just had a note from the family of Walter Dale Miller.

As you know by now, the former Governor will be lying in State in the State Capitol on Monday. Governor Dennis Daugaard notes in his column this week “The State Capitol memorial service on October 5th coincides with Walter Dale Miller’s ninetieth birthday. That day is a time for all South Dakotans to say “thanks.”

Public viewing will be allowed from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. CDT on Monday, Oct. 5, as former Gov. Walter Dale Miller lies in state at the South Dakota Capitol. Those wishing to pay their respects may enter the Capitol Building via the north doors (parking lot side).

The ceremony will conclude with members of the Highway Patrol carrying the casket down the front steps of the Capitol. As the procession exits the Capitol, there will be a 21-gun salute and taps.

Former Gov. Miller’s funeral service has been set for Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 10 a.m. MDT at the Calvary Lutheran Church, 5311 Sheridan Lake Rd., Rapid City.  Burial will follow at Viewfield Cemetery, near Miller’s Meade County ranch.

A memorial ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda is scheduled for 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Pat Miller, and the rest of the extended Miller family will be gathering after the events of the day in front of the Capitol Building Monday, at 5pm.  Family and friends and others who want to honor the Governor are invited to travel in a group from the South Dakota State Capitol to follow Governor Miller to Rapid City. 

The family would like to invite anybody interested to caravan with them to Rapid City that evening.

If going to Rapid City is not possible-anyone and everyone is welcome to follow them out of the Pierre/Ft.Pierre area for as long as they please.

Also, they tell me Walt always took Highway 14, so they will be taking this route to Rapid City. It is also an opportunity for those communities along the way to have a chance to pay their respects.

They asked me to help get the word out, so be sure to pass this message on. Post it on Facebook, twitter, and everywhere you can to spread the word.

Obama EPA’s Smog Overreach Bad for Business, Workers

Most Expensive EPA Regulation in U.S. History

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today denounced the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) release of a final rule to lower the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone, or smog. The new standard would be set at an unprecedented 70 parts-per-billion (ppb), down from the 75 ppb standard set in 2008, and is projected to increase energy prices, curb job growth, and hinder economic development.

“Time and time again, this administration has shown complete disregard for American workers and their families. The stricter smog standard – previously estimated to be the most expensive EPA regulation in history – will have widespread implications, raising energy prices and stunting economic growth and opportunity across the country.” said Thune. “At a time when our economy needs relief from regulatory overreach, the Obama EPA has once again dealt a devastating blow to job creators and hard-working Americans.”

Counties that exceed the ground-level ozone standard are considered non-attainment areas and will be subjected to stiff federal penalties, increased business costs, restrictions on infrastructure investment, and lost highway dollars. Areas in marginal attainment will face steep challenges in attracting new economic development.

On March 17, 2015, Thune and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) introduced the bipartisan Clean Air, Strong Economies (CASE) Act (S. 751), which would stem the economic harm from a lower ozone standard by requiring the EPA to focus on the worst areas for air quality before lowering the ground-level ozone standard. Thune and Manchin’s bill would also require the EPA to consider the costs and feasibility of the lower standard, which the EPA currently does not consider. Finally, the bill would prohibit the EPA from using unreliable modeling to expand non-attainment areas to many rural counties that otherwise would not be impacted by the expensive regulation.

In 2008, the permitted level of ground-level ozone or smog was lowered from 84 ppb to the current 75 ppb. Currently, 227 counties in 27 states are considered in non-attainment with the 75 ppb standard. The CASE Act would require 85 percent of areas currently not meeting the 75 ppb standard to meet compliance before the EPA could lower it further.

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Noem, Matsui, Frankel, Brooks Lead House Women in Commemorating 25^th Anniversary of NIH’s Office of Research on Women’s Health

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswomen Kristi Noem (R-SD), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Lois Frankel (D-FL), and Susan Brooks (R-IN) along with 78 other female members of the House today introduced a bipartisan resolution to commemorate the 25^th anniversary of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Office of Research on Women’s Health.  Noem and Matsui serve as Co-Chairs of the Bipartisan Congressional Women’s Caucus. Frankel and Brooks serve as the Caucus’ Vice Co-Chairs.

“Introducing gender-specific medical research may be one of the most meaningful advancements we’ve made in women’s health in my lifetime,” said Noem. “As a result of the research, we’ve taken tremendous steps toward finding a cure for breast and cervical cancers, we’ve learned more about how medications work in women, and we’ve saved women’s lives.  I am pleased to join my female colleagues on both sides of the aisle in celebrating this important anniversary.”

“Today, disparities between males and females in clinical research is becoming a thing of the past, thanks in large part to the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health,” said Matsui.  “Women must be included in scientific studies in order to advance cures and treatments for diseases that impact women or impact them differently. Our population is aging and women are living longer, which means a higher likelihood of diseases linked to aging such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, and chronic conditions.  Including women in research within these areas is critical.  We are celebrating this anniversary today to both recognize the important achievements we’ve made these past 25 years and to reflect on the work that still needs to be done.”

“So many lives have been saved in the 25 years since this office was established, including the women who are spared the diagnosis of breast cancer, the children of HIV-positive mothers who are born healthy, and the mothers and daughters who are protected from HPV and cervical cancer,” Frankel said. “This anniversary is a celebration of life, and we look forward to many more decades of groundbreaking, lifesaving research.”

“Twenty-five years ago, clinical trials and research were often conducted without female participants. Now, not only are women present in clinical trials, but gender-specific research is regularly conducted to learn more about the full spectrum of women’s health,” Brooks said. “I am very pleased to join female colleagues in celebrating this important milestone.”

The Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) has made significant progress in developing and implementing policies to ensure the inclusion of women in NIH clinical research. The Office’s research efforts benefit all individuals with diseases and disorders studied by researchers, including men, women, older and younger adults, children and minority populations. ORWH-supported research has dramatically increased understanding of the importance of gender-specific research and has spurred policy change and programs focused on the health of girls, women and their families.

Today, more than half of participants in NIH-funded clinical trials are women. The ORWH now works in partnership with NIH’s 27 Institutes and Centers to ensure that women’s health research continues to be a part of the scientific framework at NIH and throughout the scientific community.

The language, which was introduced by Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Susan Collins (R-ME), passed in the Senate earlier this year.

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We can kibbutz over the school shooting that happened in Harrisburg yesterday, because thankfully, there was no loss of life. But very easily, it could have gone badly. Very badly.

Reports note there was a child in the school office at the same time this all occurred, and the event was quickly ended when two school administrators tackled the child shooter.

Would having armed staff in the office or teachers armed as allowed under recently passed state law helped the situation? Or would it have gone far worst, fast?

 

Gov. Miller To Lie in State in Capitol

PIERRE, S.D. – Plans are pending for former Gov. Walter Dale Miller to lie in state at the Rotunda of the Capitol Building on Monday morning, Oct. 5, with a memorial service to follow. 

Public viewing will be allowed from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. CDT on Monday. The memorial ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. More details will be released later this week.

Arrangements for Gov. Miller’s funeral in Rapid City are still pending.

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Thune Pays Tribute to Former Gov. Walter Dale Miller

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today paid tribute to former South Dakota Gov. Walter Dale Miller, who passed away on Monday. Miller was the 29^th governor of South Dakota. He served from 1993-1995.

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Senate Committee Chairmen Urge Administration to Immediately Adopt Stage Two Modifications for Electronic Health Records Program, Make Rules for Stage Three Final No Sooner Than 2017

Chairmen Thune, Alexander make their request as a bipartisan group of 116 House members urge a “pause” in stage three rulemaking

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two Senate committee chairmen, U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), urged the administration to immediately adopt stage two modifications for the federal government’s program to require doctors and hospitals to create electronic health records systems and make the rules for stage three final no sooner than January 1, 2017.

The chairmen’s call comes as a bipartisan group of 96 Republicans and 20 Democrats in the House of Representatives in a separate letter to the administration urged it to “pause” the process of making stage three rules final.

“The government, doctors, and hospitals need time to do [stage three] right,” said the chairmen, and warned against moving too fast.

In a letter sent yesterday to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, Thune, chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Alexander, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, wrote, “Patients need an interoperable system that enables doctors and hospitals to share their electronic health records, but the government, doctors, and hospitals need time to do it right.

“To date, taxpayers have invested $30 billion to encourage electronic health records adoption. While all hospitals and most physicians met the requirements of the first stage of the meaningful use program, stage two requirements are so complex that only about 12 percent of eligible physicians and 40 percent of eligible hospitals have been able to comply. … The modified stage two rule will enable more providers to comply with the government’s requirements. It should be adopted immediately to give physicians and hospitals time to adapt to these huge changes.”

They continued, “If the department does not delay making final the stage three rules and instead proceeds before it can measure the impact of the modified stage two rule, it will be a missed opportunity to build support among providers.”

The Senate Commerce Committee has jurisdiction over the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the federal agency tasked with providing the tools needed to test health information technology to help ensure it is functioning properly before being released to the public, and the Senate Finance Committee has jurisdiction over the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the meaningful use program. The Senate Health Committee has jurisdiction over the administration’s program that certifies that health information technology has met the necessary requirements to participate in the meaningful use program.

Full text of the letter can be found below:

The Honorable Sylvia Burwell
Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20201

Dear Secretary Burwell,

We write to request that the department delay until no sooner than January 1, 2017, making final rules for stage three of the meaningful use program, and then phase in stage three requirements at a rate that reflects how successfully the program is being implemented. In addition, we ask that the modified rule proposed for stage two of the program be adopted immediately. These actions will help most doctors and hospitals to comply with the government’s requirements.

Patients need an interoperable system that enables doctors and hospitals to share their electronic health records, but the government, doctors, and hospitals need time to do it right.  To date, taxpayers have invested $30 billion to encourage electronic health records adoption. While all hospitals and most physicians met the requirements of the first stage of the meaningful use program, stage two requirements are so complex that only about 12 percent of eligible physicians and 40 percent of eligible hospitals have been able to comply. This year alone, 257,000 physicians have seen a 1 percent reduction in their Medicare reimbursements and 200 hospitals stand to see an even greater reduction.  The modified stage two rule will enable more providers to comply with the government’s requirements.  It should be adopted immediately to give physicians and hospitals time to adapt to these huge changes.

If the department does not delay making final the stage three rules and instead proceeds before it can measure the impact of the modified stage two rule, it will be a missed opportunity to build support among providers.  Pausing the stage three rules will also enable the department to ensure its final rules align with the new payment models created by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, which created the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System.

For many years, our constituents have contacted us about their frustrations with the implementation of the meaningful use program.  We respectfully request that you delay making final the stage three rules and immediately adopt the modifications to the stage two rule.  We look forward to your response

Sincerely,

 

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Walter Dale Miller.   Not Walter D. Miller. Not Walter Miller. Walter Dale Miller was at his core a Cowboy from West River, a shrewd politician, and a kind, generous man. He had a unique ability to be all those things at the same time and without an internal or external conflict.

My experiences with Walter Dale occurred when I was an intern for State Representatives Hal Wick and Ron Miller in 1979, working for Governor Mickelson from 1987-1993, and when I ran into Governor Miller after he had left public life.

Cowboy: Did he even own a pair of tennis shoes or dress shoes? I can’t recall him ever not being in a suit, cowboy boots, and having his hat nearby. But, Walter Dale was more than a guy dressing like a cowboy. He epitomized the “man of few words” image of a West River rancher.

Representative Ron Miller (no relation) was a legislator who read every single bill submitted and prepared amendments for nearly every bill. Some were clean-up language, some were substantive. But, I could see the “value” of Ron Miller as a legislator. Hal Wick was a supply-sider before it was popular. He had a single minded focus on lower taxes in general and eliminating taxes he thought were punitive on economic activity. Again, I could see the “value” of Hal Wick as a legislator.

But, Walter Dale was different. While the Assistant Majority Leader, he seldom talked on the floor, in committee, or even in caucus. Yet, I heard over and over in private conversations of lobbyists and legislators “What does Walter Dale think? Is he going to oppose us? Is he going to support us?” My first reaction was “What difference does it make? He doesn’t do or say anything.”

As the session went along, I realized he is really a cowboy on his horse moving the cattle along at a slow but steady pace. Getting one of his “cow hands” like Bud Wood to speak out here. A gentle nudge there. A private conversation here. And, on occasion, a snap of the whip. But, things moved where Walter Dale wanted things to go.

Shrewd Politician: At the core, his shrewdness mirrors the cowboy in him. Two times he said the same thing to me.

The first time, I suspect my boss Ron Miller wasn’t heeding Walter Dale’s advice because he initiated a short conversation with me, a lowly intern, where he said “Ron is spreading himself too thin.” I don’t know what he expected me to do with that admonition and I don’t recall what I did with it but the wisdom stuck with me and my impression of Walter Dale as I’ll discuss soon.

The second time was when I got an email from Lt. Governor Walter Dale Miller to come see him right away. My first reaction was I was in trouble as I’d never heard of anyone getting such a blunt order to see him. I get to his office, going through is then personal secretary and now widow Pat, and enter nervously and he says, “I see you are flying with the Governor. He is spreading himself too thin. You need to do more so he will do less.”   Meeting over.  Again, I’m not sure how he expected me to bridle the race horse that Governor Mickelson was but it again stuck with me.

Why do I tell those two stories? By observation, I learned that Walter Dale didn’t fight every fight. On some issues I thought he’d think were significant, he seemed rather passive. However, over time, I realized still waters run deep and I didn’t know what was happening under the water.  Or, it was a man picking his fight.  Walter Dale never seemed to lose those he chose to fight. Once I figured that out about Walter Dale, I came to realize why lobbyists and fellow legislators always asked “Where is Walt going to be on this issue?” If Walter Dale chose to fight on an issue, depending on which side he was on, it was either a Godsend or a curse.

Kind and Generous: I could simply say in six years working for Governor Mickelson, I never saw him anything but kind and generous, even to those who were opposing him. But, that seems to be insufficient. So I’ll tell you a story.

In 1991, my wife was expecting our last child and it was a problem pregnancy where she was on bed rest for the last six weeks. During that time, it was the end of the legislature and of course hours were intense and long. I tried to check in periodically but it was before cell phones so I was always trying to use an empty desk and the phones outside the Lt. Governor’s office was usually my go-to place because those people were usually around the Legislature. Walt overheard my conversation telling my wife I couldn’t bring her what she wanted. When I hung up, Walt just simply said “I need you to do something for me. Go home for an hour.” It wasn’t a request. It was an order. And it was in the last days of the Legislature where nobody looked away for a second much less left the building for an hour. But, the underlying kindness was overwhelming. I wanted to say thanks but he was already moving about his business. The old cowboy steered the “cow” and the cow did what the cowboy expected. Pretty simple.

To conclude, I need to tell one last story about Walt. I worked in the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. We were not only close to Governor Mickelson but our boss Roland Dolly and former boss Ron Reed were also on the plane. Either the morning after or the day after that, now Governor Miller showed up in our office first thing. He didn’t come as our boss. He didn’t come to give us a pep talk or anything like it. He came as a friend also grieving and just told us in a few words that while we still had important work to fulfill Governor Mickelson’s and Rolly’s mission, we lost our friends. So worry more about comforting each other than the work. When he left, most of just went to our desk and cried.  If I didn’t love him before that, I fell in love with him that morning.

Walter Dale Miller, you were a great legislator (twenty continuous years in the House of Representatives), a great Lt. Governor (6 years), a great Governor (2 years), a great statesman these last 22 years. Together it is 50 years serving our state and making it better.

But, more than that, you were a great friend. I didn’t accept the invite to your upcoming birthday because I knew I was coming but to make sure I remember you on October 5th. You did good old cowboy.

While I’m sad you are gone from us, I’m also wishing I could be there when you and our former colleagues greet you. They’ll be a jabbering and you’ll say little. But, you’ll have a heck of a birthday party with them. Please greet them for me for I miss them. We’ll do our best to comfort Pat and your family. I wouldn’t want you to spread yourself too thin.

Eternal rest grant unto Walter Dale Miller, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May Walter Dale Rest in Peace. Amen.

Noem Statement on Passing of Former Governor Walter Miller

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Kristi Noem today issued the following statement on the passing of former South Dakota Governor Walter Miller:

“Governor Miller led our state through a great tragedy to a time of healing and growth.  His counsel and encouragement served our state and its leaders for years after his official duties concluded.  I personally appreciated his friendship and insight over the years.  He will be sincerely missed.”

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