Thune, Cortez Masto Introduce Bill to Alleviate Burdensome Tax Requirements for Individuals Working in Multiple States

 WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today introduced the Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act, bipartisan legislation that would simplify and standardize state income tax collection for employees who travel outside of their home state for temporary work. Under current law, individuals and employers face different state income tax reporting requirements in almost every state that vary based on length of stay, income earned, or both.

While some states require state income tax filing for as little as one day of work in the state, this legislation would establish a common-sense 30-day threshold to help ensure that an equitable tax is paid to the state and local jurisdiction where the work is being performed while alleviating burdensome tax requirements for employees and employers.

“It is complicated and unfair for an individual who lives in a state like South Dakota, with no state income tax, to have to file income taxes in multiple states for simply temporarily working in those states – in some cases, for as little as 24 hours – and not be able to recover any income tax payments he or she has to make,” said Thune. “The current framework is overly burdensome, and our legislation would provide much-needed relief by creating a common-sense, across-the-board standard for mobile employees who spend a short period of time during the year working across state lines.”

“Mobile workers who temporarily work outside of their home state should not find a surprise tax bill come April,” said Cortez Masto. “I’m proud to introduce this common-sense bill alongside Senator Thune to cut red tape and protect workers across the United States.”

“The Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act offers much-needed clarity and consistency in state income tax obligations for remote and mobile workers,” said Tommy Pollema, executive director of the South Dakota CPA Society. “As CPAs, we support this legislation because it simplifies compliance for employers, reduces administrative burdens, and protects employees from undue taxation in states where they spend only a limited number of days. A uniform federal standard is essential in today’s flexible workforce landscape, ensuring fair treatment for taxpayers while supporting the business community with clearer, more predictable rules.”

“The Mobile Workforce Coalition applauds and enthusiastically supports Leader Thune and Senator Cortez Masto on their reintroduction of the Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act of 2025,” said Maureen Riehl, executive director of the Mobile Workforce Coalition. “As an increasing number of companies and employees continue to be challenged by punitive nonresident state income tax rules, it is clear that a national 30-day standard legislative solution is necessary. Since its formation in 2011, the more than 300-member Mobile Workforce Coalition of diverse industries and organizations has advocated for uniform legislation at both the state and federal level, and this solution has enjoyed widespread bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. The time is now for this to finally become law.”

“The U.S. Chamber of Commerce applauds Leader Thune and Senator Cortez Masto for reintroducing the Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act, which would establish a uniform 30-day threshold for the application of state nonresident income tax withholding and information reporting requirements,” said Watson M. McLeish, senior vice president of tax policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “This long-sought, common-sense standard would simplify state tax jurisdiction questions and reduce compliance and reporting burdens on employers and employees alike.”

“The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) is pleased to endorse this bipartisan measure that achieves a reasonable balance between states’ rights to tax income and the needs of individuals and businesses to operate efficiently,” said Melanie Lauridsen, vice president of tax policy and advocacy at AICPA. “We are grateful to Senators Thune and Cortez Masto for their leadership on this issue. The AICPA endorses this legislation and urges other members of Congress to support American taxpayers and businesses by passing this bill.”

“On behalf of our corporate members, we are quite pleased to support Majority Leader Thune and Senator Cortez Masto in their efforts to reintroduce and enact the Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act of 2025,” said Pat Reynolds, president and executive director of the Council on State Taxation (COST). “The legislation, which would simplify reporting requirements for traveling nonresident employees and their employers, is long overdue, and will bring much needed clarity to an area that fosters widespread confusion and noncompliance. Since 2019, COST has been actively pursuing similar legislation on a state-by-state basis, and a federal bill would greatly enhance and augment those ongoing efforts. We look forward to working with Senator Thune to reconstitute the broad coalition of interested parties needed to see this federal effort to fruition.”

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Rounds Introduces Legislation to Prevent Smuggling of American AI Chips into China

Legislation would create a whistleblower incentive program at the Bureau of Industry and Security

 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) today introduced legislation to prevent the smuggling of American-made artificial intelligence (AI) chips into China. The Stop Stealing our Chips Act would amend the Export Control Reform Act to create a whistleblower incentive program at the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). The program is designed to increase reporting of illegal exports.

“The United States has taken extensive measures to prevent American-made AI chips from falling into the wrong hands, particularly China,” said Rounds. “Unfortunately, China continues to utilize back-door methods to smuggle these chips into their country, creating a grave national security concern. Our legislation would strengthen BIS’s export control enforcement by rewarding whistleblowers with credible information on illegal actions to come forward. We must do a better job protecting Americans and preventing the flow of illegal chips into China.”

“U.S. export control laws serve a crucial purpose in protecting our national security, restricting our adversaries’ access to cutting-edge U.S. goods and technology,” said Warner. “Unfortunately, too often, violations of these laws go unreported and undetected. This legislation would create an incentive for whistleblowers to report the bad actors that are breaking these laws, allowing BIS to better prevent the diversion of export-controlled goods and safeguard our national security.”

BACKGROUND:

The smuggling of cutting-edge AI chips from the United States into China is a growing national security concern, as China intends to use advanced AI systems created with these chips for military applications and advanced surveillance systems. Reporting has indicated that at least eight Chinese smuggling networks have conducted transactions exceeding $100 million each. Reports also indicate that these chips often reach sanctioned Chinese entities, including military research institutions and companies linked to the People’s Liberation Army. The United States has taken measures to restrict China’s access to these materials, but despite these measures, black-market networks and intermediaries have exploited loopholes to funnel restricted chips into China.

Specifically, Rounds’ legislation would:

• Require BIS to create a public, secure platform for submitting whistleblower reports.
• Establish a fund, financed by fines collected from export control violations, to cover whistleblower rewards and program operations.
• Includes confidentiality guarantees and anti-retaliation safeguards to protect whistleblowers.

Whistleblowers providing original information leading to fines against violators can receive 10 to 30 percent of collected fines, with exceptions for known terrorists and criminals as well as federal employees acting within the scope of their duties. Reports deemed credible must lead to formal investigations within 60 days, with whistleblowers receiving status updates every 30 days. Any remaining funds from fines will be returned to the Treasury. No new funds are appropriated for this program. This program is modeled after the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Whistleblower Incentive Program.

Click HERE to read full bill text.

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Johnson Applauds House Passage of Budget Resolution

 Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) released the following statement after voting to pass the budget resolution, unlocking the reconciliation process:

“Passing the budget resolution is a key step in the reconciliation process to extend Trump tax cuts, unleash American energy, and keep our borders secure,” said Johnson. “I was proud to vote YES to pass this legislation, allowing the Senate and House to work together to identify key reforms to ensure our federal government operates at its highest, most efficient capacity, and implement conservative policies.”

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Johnson Votes to Ensures Only U.S. Citizens Vote in U.S. Elections 

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) voted to secure the integrity of American elections by passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections. The SAVE Act requires proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote.

“The requirement to be a U.S. citizen to vote in U.S. elections is commonsense,” said Johnson. “The SAVE Act strengthens election security by ensuring those who are not U.S. citizens do not have the opportunity to sway our federal elections.”

Johnson supported this legislation last Congress. After House passage, many states examined their voter rolls for noncitizens.

• South Dakota identified and removed 273 noncitizen voters.
• Virginia identified and removed 1,600 noncitizen voters.
• Alabama identified 3,251 noncitizen voters.
• Texas identified and removed more than 6,500 noncitizen voters.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act will:

• Require an individual to provide proof of citizenship in person when registering to vote in federal elections.
• Require states to remove non-citizens from existing voter rolls by providing access to existing federal databases.
• Add penalties for federal, state, and local officials who knowingly register non-citizens to vote in federal elections.

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Rounds Introduces Legislation to Expedite Use of AI Medical Devices for Medicare Patients
Bill would create a Medicare payment system for AI-enabled devices

 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), co-chairs of the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus, today introduced legislation aimed at improving health outcomes for Medicare patients by encouraging the use of cutting-edge, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled medical devices. The Health Tech Investment Act establishes a consistent and predictable Medicare payment pathway for these technologies, providing patients with earlier and more accurate diagnoses.

“Medicare patients deserve access to the life-changing care that artificial intelligence-enabled devices can offer,” said Rounds. “There is currently no clear Medicare payment system for these devices, meaning that it can take years to be approved and paid out by Medicare accurately. This legislation would create that system, improving diagnoses and encouraging the adoption of AI devices in clinical settings.”

“I’m proud to cosponsor legislation that expands Medicare coverage of new technologies and helps New Mexicans get the best, most affordable high-quality care they need when they need it,” said Heinrich.

“Too often the prolonged pathway to coverage for medical devices and technology delays patient access to the critical care they need,” said Randall Rutta, CEO of the National Health Council. “This issue has intensified as the pace of innovation has increased. The National Health Council is pleased to support the Health Tech Investment Act to help patients gain timely access innovative health solutions.”

“Senator Rounds’ legislation to create a Medicare coverage pathway for AI-enabled medical devices will be an important development for cancer patients in South Dakota,” said Jane Veerman, an oncology clinical research nurse at Sanford Health. “Patients in rural regions of the country are too often the last to be able to access medical innovation since too many rural providers lack the resources to invest in innovative technologies. Senator Rounds’ bill would give Medicare patients certainty that their hospitals and physician offices would be reimbursed for investing in AI-enabled technologies and bringing them to patient care.”

BACKGROUND:

The use of AI in healthcare is quickly becoming the standard of care, with practitioners using algorithm-based healthcare services (ABHS) to detect and diagnose diseases sooner and advance better patient outcomes. The FDA has over 600 AI-enabled medical devices, but the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) lacks standard or consistent methods for covering and paying for these products. This inconsistency will, in the long run, impact the adoption and patient access to medically appropriate AI technologies across the country.

The Health Tech Investment Act will assign all U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved AI-enabled medical devices to a New Technology Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) in the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) a minimum of 5 years so that adequate data regarding delivery and service costs is acquired before assignment of a permanent payment code.

Specifically, the Health Tech Investment Act would:

• Develop a formalized payment pathway for ABHS FDA-cleared medical devices
• Provide patients with access to innovative, AI-enabled clinical technology
• Provide manufacturers and providers with the certainty they need to invest in developing next-generation healthcare technologies and bringing them to market.
• Improve patient outcomes, providing resources for providers to meet ABHS standards of care

This legislation is endorsed by AdvaMed, Alliance for Aging Research, Brem Foundation to Defeat Breast Cancer, Focused Ultrasound Foundation, National Health Council, National Psoriasis Foundation, Patients Rising and Right Scan Right Time.

Click HERE to read full bill text.

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If you recall the post from a day or two ago, Brown County GOP announced that while the Governor is no longer attending, that they will have a formal candidate announcement.

I have been asked about this, and  I suspect that the announcement will be for a constitutional office. More specifically, I would wager it will be an announcement from Deputy Treasurer Jason Williams that he is seeking his boss’ office.

According to his bio on the South Dakota Right to Life Board of Directors, where he serves as a director of the organization,

Since 2019 Jason has served as South Dakota Deputy State Treasurer. Prior to joining Treasurer Josh Haeder’s team, he worked in a senior advisory/public relations capacity in the Secretary of State’s office. Jason was born and raised on the family quasquicentennial farm in rural Brown County twenty-five miles outside of Aberdeen.

Jason describes himself as “an environmentalist and has constructed a two-story straw bale building out of renewable and recycled materials” after graduating from high school, and since that time, he has been involved in several campaigns including the Rounds for Senate effort, where he servesd as Statewide Coalitions Director in 2013:

Today, the Rounds for Senate campaign announced that Jason Williams has joined the team as the Statewide Coalitions Director.  Jason has been active in statewide campaigns for nearly a decade and has extensive relationships throughout South Dakota at the grassroots level.

Jason’s experience also includes:
• Coalitions Director for Kristi Noem for Congress (2010)
• Statewide Campaign Coordinator for Steve Barnett for South Dakota State Auditor (2010)
• South Dakota Republican Party Victory Operation (2004, 2008)
• Three terms as Brown County Republican Party Chairman

“I believe strongly in Governor Rounds as a person and in his record as Governor,” stated Williams, “He has surrounded himself with one of the best, South Dakota-based campaign teams ever assembled.  I’m excited about his clear focus on running a strong, statewide campaign.”

Read that here.

Jason currently lives in Pierre with his wife and family.

Busy afternoon today!  Hot off the press – the Minnehaha County Republican Party has issued a censure against State Senator Tom Pischke for his on-line conduct:

Good Afternoon,

When I ran for Chairman of the Minnehaha County Republicans, I made a commitment to help restore constructive dialogue among all Republicans and to move forward together in a meaningful way.

At our very first executive board meeting, I introduced a Code of Conduct for consideration, which the board unanimously approved. I have since encouraged all members of the Central Committee to uphold these standards as well. While I may not have the authority to enforce the Code of Conduct on Central Committee members, I hold my executive board to a higher level of accountability.

With that in mind, I am informing the Central Committee today of a formal censure of our Minnehaha Committeeman, Tom Pischke. A recent Facebook post came to my attention that I believe was in violation of the Code of Conduct. I reached out to Senator Pischke and requested that he remove the post, which he did. However, the damage had already been done.

This action is not taken lightly, but it is consistent with our shared commitment to respectful and constructive engagement.

Sincerely,
Korry Petterson
Chairman, Minnehaha County Republicans

 

 

From Facebook, Representative Chris Reder is feeling a bit of heat on the residency questions he’s facing in his Legislative District, versus his apparent homestead in Minnesota, and offered the following in response.

However, with this being noted, It still leaves many questions dangling out there.

The property was purchased last July, and apparently includes a homestead exemption where someone has declared this as their primary residence.

And the corporate papers filed with the Secretary of State this past January say his address is Minnesota:

DTOM Foundation Paperwork B0345-5410 by Pat Powers

That being said, there appears to be some questions regarding where he’s established his residency that aren’t going away any time soon, especially considering that the property in another state is owned.

And he’s literally telling everyone that he’s just maintaining a leased space for a cot or a couch… apparently for purposes of voter registration.

I’m sure this isn’t done by any stretch of the imagination.

South Dakota Public Broadcasting today has a story up on how recent the anti-business sentiment of some South Dakotans has damaged the reputation of our state as being business friendly, into one where the door has slammed shut, and businesses are going to go elsewhere:

“The black eye that South Dakota has right now on Wall Street is immense,” said Gevo CEO Patrick Gruber.

He’s referring to HB 1052, a bill the Legislature passed prohibiting the use of eminent domain specifically for carbon oxide pipelines.

Gruber told SDPB if Summit Carbon Solutions’ pipeline doesn’t go through South Dakota, the company will move its plant to another state. This comes after Summit indefinitely paused its application in the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission.

He claims the way the state Legislature handled the pipeline sent ripples farther than Pierre.

“It’s perceived as not a business-friendly state [on Wall Street], changing the rules mid-stream,” Gruber said. “The stuff that’s been done around that pipeline, it’s a travesty.”

and..

Sen. Crabtree said anyone can claim the state is open for business, but to get a true gauge on it, you have to look at the businesses themselves.

“You can have politicians go ahead and play politics, but the facts are that businesses are telling you that they don’t like it when the state chooses overregulation instead of innovation,” Crabtree said.

and..

“I think about a lot of the community and state leaders, farmers and ranchers that have come before us, those that have worked really hard to make the state a better place than what they found it. And they were driven to create opportunities that kept young people in our state,” Crabtree said. “I think a lot of those folks are rolling over in their graves right now with what the Legislature did. Instead of clearing the way for businesses and employees to thrive, we spent the last session trying to pass laws and created more regulation, more bureaucracy, and even started picking winners and losers. I don’t think that’s something we should be proud of.”

Read the entire story here.

Attorney General Jackley Warns Phone Providers About Unlawful Robocall Traffic

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley joins a bipartisan group of 51 Attorneys General in notifying nine voice service providers that they may be violating state and federal laws by continuing to route allegedly unlawful robocalls across their networks.

“These companies allow scams of all kinds to be passed on to the public,” said Attorney General Jackley. “This activity has to stop, and the Attorneys General are working to help their federal law enforcement partners.”

The Attorneys General are part of the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force which sent the letters to the nine providers. The letters demand the providers stop transmitting illegal robocalls and includes information about the task force’s investigation and analysis of each provider’s illegal and/or suspicious robocall traffic.  

Companies receiving the warning letters were Global Net Holdings, All Access Telecom, Lingo Telecom, NGL Communications, Range, RSCom Ltd., Telecast Network, ThinQ Technologies, and Telecentris.

Copies of the warning letters are available here.

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