Broadcaster Press 9 December 22, 2015 www.broadcasteronline.com South Dakota Projects Get Bump In Year-End Funding Bill, Says Noem WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Kristi Noem today supported a bipartisan year-end funding bill that strengthens our national defense, provides more support for South Dakota rural water projects, and offers additional support for school districts that rely on the Impact Aid program, among other things. The legislation passed with broad support, 316-113. “This package is far from perfect, but I’m confident it’s the best deal we could get given the hand we were dealt,” said Noem. “We fought hard to make sure our national security and defense systems were properly funded and upgraded the Visa Waiver Program to better ensure terrorists couldn’t exploit security gaps. And I’m happy with the outcome we earned on the security front. I’m also pleased that we were able to successfully make the case that several South Dakota priorities were worth a national investment. From support for the Impact Aid program to funding for rural water, this legislation will have a direct impact on many South Dakotans.” The bipartisan legislation included support for a number of South Dakota priorities, including: Greater support for Rural Water. The Lewis & Clark Rural Water System was appropriated the full budget request of $2.77 million. Additionally, the fund for ongoing rural water projects, which Lewis & Clark and a handful of other projects are eligible to draw from, was funded at $47 million, a nearly $20 million increase over previously passed levels. The rural water fund was originally created in 2013 as the result of an amendment offered by Rep. Noem to the FY2014 Energy and Water appropriations bill as a way to make the Lewis & Clark project eligible for additional resources. Continued support for research at the Sanford Lab. The legislation offers added support for the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility, which will be conducted at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, S.D., and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois. Added support for Impact Aid. Through the bill, additional support is offered to the federal Impact Aid program, which provides payments from the federal government to local school districts to make up for lost local taxes. Flexible funding for IHS facilities that have lost, or are at risk of losing, CMS accreditation. In recent weeks, IHS facilities in Rosebud and Pine Ridge have been notified that they are at risk of losing CMS accreditation, which would force many tribal members to find help miles and miles away from their homes. This legislation includes $2 million in new, flexible funding so the IHS Director can take the actions necessary to ensure CMS accreditation status is reinstated and retained, and, once accreditation has been reinstated, to restore thirdparty insurance reimbursement shortfalls. Puts new limits on the EPA. This legislation rejects funding for new or expanded EPA programs that let top-down bureaucrats pick winners and losers. It also holds the agency to the lowest spending levels since 2008. Insurers paid large penalties in South Dakota during 2015 By Bob Mercer State Capitol Bureau PIERRE – Insurance companies that violated South Dakota’s laws agreed to pay more than $1.3 million in penalties to state government during 2015. That’s according to records from the state Division of Insurance. Penalties paid by insurers have grown substantially since Gov. Dennis Daugaard took office five years ago. “I’m not sure I would consider this a trend,” state insurance director Larry Deiter said. “A large issue with a single company can lead to a significant penalty and can dominate a year’s results such as the $750,000 penalty did in 2015,” he said. Two groups of companies, Foremost Insurance and Farmers Insurance, agreed to a consent order June 3 to pay $750,000 to informally settle an enforcement investigation. Twelve enforcement actions this year resulted in penalties of $10,000 or more. (See list.) The total penalties paid in 2015 from 35 enforcement actions were $1,314,249.91, Deiter said. That is the largest amount since the Daugaard administration began. Totals varied during the four previous years: $177,500 from 41 actions in 2011; $650,309 from 37 in 2012; $606,000 from 52 in 2013; and $383,250 from 44 in 2014. Companies paid $13,500 from 25 enforcement actions in 2010, the last year of Gov. Mike Rounds’ administration. 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