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US Senator John Thune’s Weekly Column: New South Dakota Delegation Will Hit the Ground Running

January 11, 2015January 11, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

New South Dakota Delegation Will Hit the Ground Running
By Senator John Thune

Things have changed in our state since 1962. South Dakota’s commerce and tourism industries have flourished under the construction of the interstate highway system. Sioux Falls has nearly tripled in size; two state universities moved to division one, competing in the highest levels of academics and athletics; corn yields have doubled and no-till farming has made the plow and cultivator obsolete. South Dakota is represented by three members in Congress instead of four, and our lone member of the House is a female. Indeed, things have changed.

But not since 1962 has South Dakota sent an all-Republican delegation to Congress. This is a pretty historic occurrence; especially considering the last time Republicans held the majority in both chambers of Congress and South Dakota had an all-Republican delegation was 1953. While divided delegations can provide opportunities to work together, South Dakotans stand to benefit from a strong leadership team in Congress that will promote Republican policies that create jobs, reduce federal regulatory overreach, stimulate the economy, and get Washington’s legislative process working again for them.

Over the past few years of Democrat control in the Senate, too often the minority party was shut out of the legislative process, leading to dysfunction and gridlock. Under Republican control, the Senate will get back to work, returning to regular order, which means bills will be considered out in the open in committees before coming to the Senate floor, and all senators, regardless of party, will have a chance to propose and debate amendments.

As the new senior senator, I’m looking forward to working with both Senator Rounds and Representative Noem to advance a number of important South Dakota priorities during this session of Congress. From reining in burdensome EPA regulations and preventing backdoor energy taxes and fines on ranchers and farmers, to passing the job-creating Keystone XL pipeline and repealing the most onerous parts of ObamaCare, I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and working with them on the major issues facing this country.

Our new South Dakota delegation is ready to hit the ground running. I look forward to new opportunities to serve South Dakota in the coming year with a strong South Dakota leadership team ready to promote policies in Congress that will create jobs and stimulate the economy.

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Congresswoman Kristi Noem’s Weekly Column: A New Year Brings New Responsibilities

January 11, 2015January 11, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

A New Year Brings New Responsibilities
By Rep. Kristi Noem
January 9, 2015

Legislative business in Congress is divided between just over two dozen committees, each of which specializes in a specific policy area. At the beginning of each Congress, members are assigned to the committee – or committees – on which they will serve.

Last Congress, I served on the House Agriculture and Armed Services Committees. Within those committees, I was able to help write and pass the Farm Bill and two annual National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAA). With farm policy largely set for the next five years and a number of reforms made to defense policy through the last two NDAA’s, I felt I could have a greater impact for South Dakota on the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over taxes, trade, Social Security, Medicare and much more. During the first week of January, I was officially welcomed as a member of the Committee and I’m already looking forward to the work that must be done.

The Ways and Means Committee is considered to be one of the most powerful committees in Congress and I will be the first representative from South Dakota to serve on it. It is also the oldest congressional committee, first gathering in 1789. Eight Presidents and eight Vice Presidents have served on this committee, as have four Supreme Court Justices.

The congressional agenda this year is jam-packed with efforts that fall under Ways and Means jurisdiction. One of the first places we’ll focus is expanding trade. Currently, South Dakota exports billions of dollars in goods and services annually, which supports nearly 125,000 jobs in the state. My goal is to grow these numbers even further by expanding our access to foreign markets.

Over the last few years, we’ve been looking at finalizing two new free-trade deals – the Trans Pacific Partnership with countries in the Asia-Pacific and the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership with the European Union. While Congress doesn’t negotiate the deals, we can help guide the discussion and we have the final say on whether to accept the agreement. All of this will go through Ways and Means.

In addition to trade, both Ways and Means leadership and the White House have shown a willingness to work together to simplify the tax code. Farmers and ranchers in South Dakota are often disproportionately impacted by bad tax policy, especially when it comes to Section 179 or the death tax.

After my dad passed away, my own family was impacted by the death tax. Like most farmers, everything we had was wrapped up in the land and machinery that was necessary for the business to continue. As a result, we took out a loan that impacted every decision we made for a decade. I understand the impact of these taxes and as one of the only voices from rural America on the Committee, I will do all I can to protect South Dakota families from the burdensome taxes that jeopardize the American Dream.

Tax simplification and trade expansion are two of Congress’s top agenda items this year. Beyond these two issue areas, I will play a big role in holding the IRS accountable, ensuring children within our foster care system are properly cared for, taking a look at unemployment compensation, and much more as a member of Ways and Means.

As South Dakota’s only voice in the 435-member House, I want to make sure our voice is heard and I’m confident we’re in the best position possible for that to happen.

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US Senator Mike Rounds’ Inaugural Weekly Column: Getting Settled, Ready to Work

January 11, 2015January 11, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Getting Settled, Ready to Work
By: Senator Mike Rounds
Jan. 9, 2015

Last week, I was sworn in as the 27th Senator from South Dakota. I am grateful for those who helped get me here and look forward to working together to solve the problems facing our state and nation.

At my swearing in, I was joined by approximately 20 family members from South Dakota, including my wife, Jean, our four kids and their spouses, my father, Don, and my stepmother Rosemary. Having them with me made the day particularly special, and I thank them for their overwhelming support on this journey. But now that the pomp and circumstance is over, I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get started on the important issues before us.

We already had a busy first week. The first piece of legislation we voted on was the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), which I supported, and it passed overwhelmingly. TRIA, which expired last Congress, protects the commercial property/casualty market and the economy overall, in case of a major terrorism attack, similar to the situation after 9/11. Next, we’re looking to bring Keystone XL pipeline legislation to the floor for debate. The bill, which I cosponsored with 59 other colleagues, would finally authorize construction of the pipeline project. I have been a proponent of Keystone for a number of years. Its construction could clear up our nation’s railways, making it easier to bring South Dakota grain to market. Unfortunately, the President has already threatened to veto Keystone XL legislation, but we’ll keep trying new avenues to get it across the finish line.

We’ve also been busy at the committee level. I’ve already participated in a number of committee meetings to establish our agendas for this session, and all the chairmen have indicated that they plan to keep us active and engaged. Most of the Senate’s work actually gets done at the committee level, and I’m fortunate to be a member of four committees that are important to South Dakotans: Senate Armed Services; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Veterans’ Affairs and Environment and Public Works. I am looking forward to sharing our work with you back home in the coming months.

To help me along, I’ve brought on an exceptional staff who have been working hard to make sure we hit the ground running. In D.C., we have a seasoned group of policy experts. My state staff will act as liaisons with constituents when I’m called to session in Washington. As you know, part of our job as a Congressional office is to provide assistance should you encounter problems with a federal agency. Whether you’re having trouble with a farm program, a VA claim is being held up in paperwork or there is an issue obtaining social security benefits, my state staff will be available to help sort the issue out. They are situated across the state.

We’re still busy setting them up, but eventually we’ll have offices in Sioux Falls, Pierre, Rapid City and satellite offices in Huron and Aberdeen, in addition to Washington, D.C. We’ll send out contact information for each office as they become available. Until then, I encourage you to contact my Washington office at (202) 224-5842 with any inquiries. Thanks again for your support. I look forward to staying in touch throughout my time in the Senate.

Representative Stalzer, there’s a problem with your desk…

January 11, 2015January 11, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

As stolen from Facebook:

I have a hard time imagining the Republican or Democrat SOS candidates posting this. Even with the election over.

January 10, 2015January 11, 2015 @SoDakCampaigns

Umm…. I can’t imagine Shantel Krebs (R) or maybe Angelia Schultz (D) posting this to facebook. But now that the election is over for 2014 Libertarian Secretary of State candidate Emmett Reistroffer, it’s just another day on facebook: