Thune Introduces Bill to Extend Successful Sport Fish & Boating Fund

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Thune Introduces Bill to Extend Successful Sport Fish & Boating Fund

-Bill scheduled for Commerce Committee mark-up this week-

 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), the committee’s ranking member, today introduced S. 834 to reauthorize through Fiscal Year 2023 the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, which has benefitted millions of anglers and fishermen since 1950. 

 

“This program helps ensure our natural water resources receive needed care so that they remain available for the use and enjoyment of generations to come,” said Thune. “Sport fishermen and recreational boaters value and support this trust fund that allocates funds to protect wetlands, restore fisheries, and support a national recreational boating safety program.”

“Keeping our beaches, lakes and rivers clean and abundant with fish is about protecting our economy and fragile environment,” Nelson said. “It’s also about leaving a lasting legacy for future generations.” 


The program collects user fees on fishing tackle and equipment, motorboat fuel, imported boats and fishing equipment, and small engines, raising roughly $600 million per year. The money in the fund is then allocated to federal and state programs for boating safety and infrastructure, fishery management, habitat conservation, and related programs and activities. Last Congress, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the bill “would not affect revenues.” 


According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund authorizes annual distribution for the following:

 

The remaining funds are allocated to the following programs according to the Act:

 

Click here to read S. 834. The Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act is scheduled for consideration by the Commerce Committee on Wednesday, March 25, 2015.

 

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Noem Introduces Legislation to Prevent FWS from Listing Long-Eared Bat as an Endangered Species

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Noem Introduces Legislation to Prevent FWS from
Listing Long-Eared Bat as an Endangered Species

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Kristi Noem today introduced legislation to prevent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) from listing the long-eared bat as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.  Senator Thune introduced the language in the Senate earlier this year.

“It’s widely understood that the long-eared bat’s depopulation is not due to habitat changes, but white-nose syndrome,” said Rep. Noem.  “Focusing on habitat, as the Fish and Wildlife Service proposal and corresponding guidance does, pulls critical and limited resources from the real threats facing the long-eared bat, while also endangering more than 1,500 jobs in the Black Hills area.  Any effort to preserve the species must focus on the disease, not on fulfilling an unproven environmental agenda that could jeopardize South Dakota jobs and turn parts of the Black Hills into a tinder box.”

Listing the long-eared bat as endangered and pursuing regulatory restrictions on forest management could effectively end active management in the Black Hills National Forest, which will cause declining forest health, increase the likelihood of large-scale wildfires, and severely impact the timber industry in the Black Hills. On October 14, 2014, Rep. Noem and Sen. Thune sent a letter to the FWS encouraging the agency to withdraw its proposed listing of the northern long-eared bat as endangered and to refocus its attention on combating white-nose syndrome.

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Rounds, Freshmen Senators Hold Press Conference to Address Obamacare’s Five-Year Anniversary

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Rounds, Freshmen Senators Hold Press Conference to Address Obamacare’s Five-Year Anniversary

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined fellow freshmen members of the Senate in a press conference today to address the future of health care on the five-year anniversary of Obamacare.

“We’re not going to stop until we fix a lot of the problems that we find within the health care industry,” said Rounds at the conference. “What we can do to start is pass a budget resolution that provides tools for us in which to impact the implementation of health care. And it provides us something else: twelve opportunities in twelve separate appropriation bills in which we can impact how money at the federal level is being spent.”

A budget resolution for fiscal year 2016 is currently being considered on the Senate floor. The budget resolution will provide the procedural tools – via budget reconciliation– to repeal Obamacare. It is expected to pass later this week, which then allows the Senate to begin the appropriations process. Rounds was joined today by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.).

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Local Business says that Youth Minimum wage measure allows her to give kids their first job.

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Despite the howling from Democrats who are claiming the sky is falling, KSFY has a story on their web site noting how one employer believes that the Youth Minimum Wage Act is going to allow her to give 14 Year old kids their first job:

One local business owner says South Dakota’s new teen minimum wage allows her to give more inexperienced teens their first paycheck.

and…

Dropping the minimum wage for teens under 18 a dollar, from $8.50 to $7.50 an hour, may help some small business owners like Burwell.

“It gave a big sigh, it eased the pressure off me somewhat,” Burwell said.

It could also help DiAnn give more teens a chance to earn their first paycheck.

“Fourteen-year-olds definitely benefit from this, because it gives them more of an opportunity to get into the work field, and learn work ethics,” Burwell said.

and..

Governor Daugaard signed the teen minimum wage bill into law on Friday.

Burwell said the lower teen wage allows her to take a chance on hiring younger and more inexperienced teens.

Read it here.

So, the measure is going to do exactly as it was advertised to do? Imagine that.

Press Release: Thune Statement on Five-Year Anniversary of ObamaCare

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Thune Statement on Five-Year Anniversary of ObamaCare
“Higher premiums, higher deductibles, less choice, and fewer jobs – that’s the story of ObamaCare five years later.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement on the five-year anniversary of ObamaCare being signed into law:

“Higher premiums, higher deductibles, less choice, and fewer jobs – that’s the story of ObamaCare five years later. The Democrats’ signature legislative achievement has proven to be one big broken promise after another. Millions of Americans lost the coverage they had and liked, and many are facing fewer choices because of it. ObamaCare is hamstringing America’s small businesses – our engines of economic growth – and their ability to hire more people and grow.

“The American people have waited long enough for relief from the pain ObamaCare is causing them. I look forward to finally repealing this fundamentally flawed law and replacing it with real reforms that will actually lower costs and increase access to care.”

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Capital Journal Editorial mocks Rick Weiland’s new special interest group.

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When ‘Slick Rick’ Weiland announced his new PAC this last week, mocking from the state’s media probably wasn’t the reaction he was looking for. But, that’s what he’s getting from the Capital Journal.

Rick Weiland, erstwhile candidate for the South Dakota seat in the U.S. Senate, just announced he’s forming a new special interest group to raise money to fight the raising of money by special interest groups.

His email announcement about it – with a “Donate Today” link – went out to his base this past week.

There’s the rub

And…

Hence, Weiland’s first impulse on losing in his bid for the Senate, was to rally others to his flag – i.e. form a special interest group – and try to get stuff done politically as he sees fit.

Ain’t that America? 

And..

Make everyone sign on the dotted line and email list as soon as they sign the check, so we know who is funding whom.

But let’s not whine so much about “special interest groups.”

US Senator John Thune’s Weekly Column: EPA Smog Regulations Could Hurt South Dakota Families and Businesses

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EPA Smog Regulations Could Hurt South Dakota Families and Businesses
By Senator John Thune

John_Thune,_official_portrait,_111th_CongressWhen I think of the Great Plains, I think of rolling hills and sprawling farmland—open spaces stretched between scattered towns. South Dakota is blessed with an abundance of space and fresh air, both of which are critical for our agriculture and hunting industries. But a rule proposed by the Obama Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) restricting air quality standards is so strict that even the expansive prairies of the Midwest and the untouched beauty of national parks like Yellowstone may be considered too polluted.

The proposal has to do with ground-level ozone—or what we usually refer to as smog. What the EPA has proposed doing is lowering the smog standard from the current level set in 2008, which is 75 parts-per-billion, to anywhere between 70 and 65. The new Obama EPA smog regulations would impose heavy-handed, costly new requirements in the open plains of South Dakota before first ensuring that we address smog problems in urban areas, such as Los Angeles, where smog remains a consistent problem.

In 2010, the Obama administration put forward a similar proposal to lower the standard, but later withdrew it because of the burdens and uncertainty it would impose. One reason this is such an aggressive standard is that currently, 277 counties in 27 states can’t even meet the current standard. When these counties are considered in “non-attainment” they are expected to implement expensive plans to reach compliance.

Just to give you an idea of the cost of this regulation, research from the National Association of Manufacturers indicates that the EPA’s proposal could lead to 1.4 million fewer jobs per year and reduce annual Gross Domestic Product by $140 billion. According to the EPA’s own estimate, this regulation is one of the most expensive in the agency’s history.

Such staggering costs is why on March 17, Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, and I introduced a bill to block the EPA from implementing what is expected to be the most costly regulation in the EPA’s history. The bill I introduced would block the EPA from lowering the air quality standards until 85 percent of the counties currently in non-attainment achieve compliance with the existing standard. My bill would also require the EPA to consider the costs and feasibility of the lower standard, which the EPA currently does not consider.

In South Dakota alone, a lower standard would cost jobs in manufacturing, natural resources and mining, and construction, and severely cut household spending by over $1200 per year. Costs for the typical South Dakota family could include expensive annual vehicle emission tests and higher energy costs.

This issue is yet another example of just how out of touch the Obama EPA is with the American people. Rather than strangle American industry with a job-killing regulation that could slash economic growth and raise energy prices for American families, the Obama EPA needs to focus its efforts on areas already struggling with air quality attainment standards. My bill takes a sensible stand against this aggressive EPA and puts American jobs and communities first.

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US Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Column: Obamacare’s Five Year Anniversary: More Money, More Problems

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Obamacare’s Five Year Anniversary: More Money, More Problems
By Senator Mike Rounds
March 20, 2015

MikeRounds official SenateIt has been five years since the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare, was rushed through Congress on a partisan vote and forced upon the American people. Since becoming law, it has been plagued with lawsuits, website glitches, cancelled policies, unworkable provisions, delays and repeals. Premiums are skyrocketing for many South Dakota families, and small businesses are spending thousands of dollars to comply with new paperwork mandates. And that is just the first five years. As we look ahead, we can foresee more problems and uncertainty.

The ACA subsidies are currently under review in the United State Supreme Court in the case of King v. Burwell. The court will determine whether the law only allows individuals who enroll through state-run exchanges to receive health care tax credits. If the court rules in favor of the plaintiff, residents in 34 states, including South Dakota, are at risk of losing the tax credits they have been receiving through federal exchanges. Without these credits, close to 10 million Americans will be confronted with ACA’s true cost, facing much higher premiums. Despite a ruling expected in June 2015, the Obama Administration has said it has no contingency plans to help these Americans if the provision is overturned. Obamacare is a mess, plain and simple.

Small businesses have also felt the adverse effects of the ACA. A recent report from the National Small Business Association found that on average, small business will have to spend $15,000 annually to comply with all the paperwork issued in Obamacare. Another study of small businesses found that Obamacare has lowered employment by 350,000 and reduced workers’ wages by approximately $1,000 annually. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. This government-imposed obstacle to growth will be felt in every community in America.

As a small business owner working in the insurance industry, my ideas for healthcare reform are very different from Obamacare.  First, I support a market-based, patient-centered approach that is truly affordable for families. I believe this can be achieved by enacting transparent, step-by-step reforms, rather than a 2,700 page bill written behind closed doors.  I support common-sense initiatives, like expanding Health Savings Accounts and creating pools, such as the Multiple Employers Welfare Trust, in which small businesses can unite to secure better rates.

I also believe we must eliminate the employer mandate, the individual mandate, and the Independent Payment Advisory Board. Additionally, we can cut health care costs by reforming medical liability laws.  Our current system encourages frivolous lawsuits which come at a high cost to doctors, taxpayers, and truly injured patients who deserve timely compensation.  We can also protect consumers and hold insurance companies more accountable by increasing transparency, standardizing paperwork, and helping those with pre-existing conditions maintain access to care.

As Obamacare reaches the five-year mark, South Dakota families and business owners have been riddled with confusion, premium increases, lost coverages and fewer choices when it comes to health care. I will continue to work with my colleagues to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a market-based solution that gives families the power to choose the plan that best fits their needs and budget.

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