12 Broadcaster Press August 8, 2017 www.broadcasteronline.com The Sturgis Motorcycle The President Needs A Full Roster Rally Rolls into Town By Sen. Mike Rounds Every August, South Dakota welcomes hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists from across the country to participate in the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. No single week in the entire year boasts a greater influx in the state's overall population than the week of the rally and the weeks before and after the rally. During this time, motorcyclists gather together in perhaps the largest bike gathering of all time. What began as a single motorcycle race in 1938, the weeklong rally takes place in the small town of Sturgis in the Black Hills of Western South Dakota, a normally quiet town with a population of almost 7,000. During the week of the rally, however, Main Street Sturgis evolves into a bustling hub where motorcycle enthusiasts and other tourists come to enjoy like-minded company, entertainment, the South Dakota landscape and local food. The economic impact of the rally is impressive. A study conducted by the Rally Department of the City of Sturgis gauged the economic impact of the 2010 rally, which hosted 466,000 attendees, as generating roughly $817 million dollars in economic activity for the state. That is just in one year. The city of Sturgis benefits from the rally, but so does the entire state of South Dakota. Though the rally only lasts 10 days, visitors often like to extend their trip to explore the rest of the state. With the Black Hills National Forest, Badlands National Park, Mount Rushmore National Monument, the Mickelson Trail, Jewel Cave, historic Deadwood and the Crazy Horse Memorial all within biking distance of Sturgis, visitors can experience the fun and excitement of the rally one day and the pristine beauty of South Dakota's Black Hills the next. While the Black Hills are a must-see for visitors to our state, opportunities for fun and adventure can be found in every part of South Dakota. In the central and eastern part of the state, a number of glacial lakes and reservoirs provide for top-notch fishing, especially if you’re trying to catch walleye or smallmouth bass. Visitors to our great state often like to camp, kayak, canoe, hike, bike or golf during their vacation—all great ways to explore the land of infinite variety that is South Dakota. Jean and I wish everyone attending this year’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally a safe and fun-filled trip. We hope that visitors will take some time to explore South Dakota’s stunning landscapes and rich history while they’re here in the land of great faces and great places. Weekly Column: Pushing Forward By Rep. Kristi Noem We’re a little over six months into President Trump’s first term, and regardless of what national pundits might say, the House has been systematically ticking through a conservative, pro-growth agenda. Altogether, we’ve passed more than 250 bills, a handful of which have been proposals I wrote. President Trump has signed more than 40 of these bills into law – more so than many presidents at this point in their administration. One of the largest areas of success – and least reported accomplishments – has been on the de-regulation front. Through the Congressional Review Act, Congress has the authority to repeal regulations. Prior to 2017, however, the provision had been used successfully just once. But this year, we’ve passed more than a dozen provisions under the Congressional Review Act that, when taken together, have saved hardworking Americans billions of dollars. As we’ve reduced regulations and outlined pro-growth policies, the economy has reacted with hundreds of thousands of new jobs. Alongside economic development, I’ve fought for greater workforce development, helping the House pass the Strengthening Career and Technical Education Act, which would expand our commitments to vocational and technical education training. At the same time, we’ve put America’s national security first. A year ago, we had an administration that prioritized climate change over terrorism and refused to call our enemies out for what they are: radical Islamic terrorists. Those attitudes have changed, as has our allocation of resources. Earlier this summer, for instance, I helped the House pass an annual defense bill that offered our troops a 2.4 percent pay raise (the biggest increase in eight years). The legislation also boosted end strength and provided needed aircraft, ships and systems. Additionally, we maintained the commit- ments made to our ally, Israel. On the border, we’ve seen illegal crossings decrease by 60 percent. Much of this is due to a tougher U.S. stance. I was proud to help the House pass Kate’s Law, which created harsher penalties for those who repeatedly cross the border illegally. We also passed legislation to crack down on sanctuary cities by withholding certain federal grants. Moreover, I’m supporting another bill that would go even further, deploying additional personnel and new technologies to the border. The House has also passed legislation to repeal Obamacare and replace it with patient-centered solutions. We approved more than a dozen bills to combat human trafficking in our communities. We passed legislation offering the resources necessary to build a strong border wall, invest in our military, and stop the EPA’s controversial Waters of the U.S. rule. And we ok’d the bipartisan Presidential Library Donation Reform Act, which would help eliminate the secrecy surrounding some donations to organizations like the William J. Clinton Foundation. Despite the House’s action on these items, the Senate has faced repeated delays and distractions from their Democratic colleagues, making similar progress difficult. This isn’t to say the House doesn’t still have work to do. I continue to drive progress on reforming our tax system in a way that simplifies the code; promotes economic growth for businesses, families and individuals; and holds the IRS more accountable. I am working closely with the House Agriculture Committee to develop the next Farm Bill. I’m also working on legislation to combat poverty and promote financial independence and upward mobility, while fighting for fundamental changes to the way the Indian Health Service operates. We need to make progress on driving down spending and getting our budget on track as well. But I am not about to slow down. We need to keep pushing forward. THE HEART & VASCULAR SCREENS Screening saves lives Get screened at Sanford Vermillion The Heart Screen™: For ages 40-75. The Vascular Screen: For those 40 or older. Type 1 diabetics should be screened at age 30 or older. AUGUST 28, 8 A.M. – 5 P.M. AUGUST 29, 8 A.M. – NOON SANFORD VERMILLION 20 S PLUM ST., VERMILLION, SD COST: $25 EACH Call (888) 996-4673 to schedule an appointment. By Sen. John Thune I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Christopher Wray. He was nominated by the president to serve as the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Christopher is eager to get to work leading the thousands of dedicated men and women at the FBI who work hard to protect the United States every single day. While I’m confident Christopher would report to the Hoover Building tomorrow if he could, my Democrat colleagues have unnecessarily dragged their feet on his and other nominations. Hundreds of presidential nominees like Christopher must first come before the Senate for vetting, a committee hearing, and ultimately consideration on the Senate floor. This is an important and centuriesold Constitutional process – one that I don’t take lightly. Many of these nominees come through the committee I chair, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. We’ve worked hard to process as many of them as quickly and as efficiently as possible. The Senate’s duty to provide its advice and consent is critical and should be timely. Yes, it’s important for the president to have his team place, but it’s more important for these federal agencies to be staffed-up because of the work they do for the American people. These are the folks who help “keep the trains running” at agencies like the U.S. Departments of Interior and Agriculture and help protect the United States at the U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. Unfortunately, my Democrat colleagues have ground the confirmation process on the Senate floor nearly to halt – not because they have problems with the qualifications of the nominees, but because they think they’re punishing the president. Again, it’s ultimately the American people who pay the price when federal agencies don’t have the right people in place to deliver the services and safeguards upon which so many folks rely. To put it in real terms, as of July 25, only 55 of President Trump’s nominees, which include judges and administration officials, had been confirmed by the Senate, and more than half of those nominees had to overcome unnecessary filibusters. During that same period of time in 2009, President Obama had more than 200 nominees confirmed. With respect to cabinet nominees, by the end of January 2017, President Trump had just three of his cabinet secretaries confirmed. By the end of January 2009, the Senate had confirmed 10 of President Obama’s cabinet secretaries. This is obstruction for the sake of obstruction. I hope my Democrat colleagues realize sooner rather than later that it’s just as important for this president to have a full roster in his administration as it was for the last president. The American people deserve it. Attorney General Explanation Released for Constitutional Amendment Regarding Initiated and Referred Measures PIERRE, S.D. - South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today an Attorney General Explanation for a proposed constitutional amendment has been filed with the Secretary of State. This explanation is for a revised amendment submitted by the sponsor. The Attorney General Explanation for this prior version of this amendment was filed June 5, 2017. The explanation will appear on a petition that will be circulated by the sponsor of the amendment. If the sponsor obtains a sufficient number of signatures (27,741) by November 6, 2017, as certified by the Secretary of State, the amendment will be placed on the ballot for the November 2018 general election. The amendment is entitled “An initiated amendment to the South Dakota Constitution regarding initiated and referred measures.” Under South Dakota law, the Attorney General is responsible for preparing explanations for proposed initiated measures, referred laws, and South Dakota Constitutional Amendments. Specifically, the explanation includes a title, an objective, clear and simple summary of the purpose and effect of the proposed amendment and a description of the legal consequences. The Attorney General Explanation is not a statement either for or against the proposed amendment. Attorney General Explanation - Constitutional Amendment Regarding Initiated and Referred Measures To date the Attorney General has released Attorney General Explanations for the following: 1. An initiated measure requiring students to use rooms designated for the same biological sex, and requiring public schools to provide a reasonable accommodation for students whose gender identity is not the same as their biological sex 2. An initiated measure authorizing a South Dakota-licensed physician to prescribe drugs that a terminally ill patient may take for the purpose of ending life 3. An initiated measure to legalize marijuana for medical use 4. An initiated measure to legalize certain amounts of marijuana, drugs made from marijuana, and drug paraphernalia, and to regulate and tax marijuana establishments 5. An initiated measure requiring people to use certain rooms designated for the same biological sex 6. An initiated measure to legalize all quantities of marijuana 7. An amendment to the South Dakota Constitution regarding initiated and referred measures 8. An initiated amendment to the South Dakota Constitution changing campaign finance and lobbying laws, creating a government accountability board, and changing certain initiative and referendum provisions (VERSION #1) 9. An initiated amendment to the South Dakota Constitution changing campaign finance and lobbying laws, creating a government accountability board, and changing certain initiative and referendum provisions (VERSION #2) 10. An initiated amendment to the South Dakota Constitution changing campaign finance and lobbying laws, and creating a government accountability board (VERSION #3) 11. An initiated amendment to the South Dakota Constitution changing campaign finance and lobbying laws, and creating a government accountability board (VERSION #4) 12. An initiated amendment to the South Dakota Constitution establishing open primary elections 13. An initiated amendment to the South Dakota Constitution providing for state legislative redistricting by a commission 14. An initiated measure prohibiting contributions to ballot question committees by non-residents, out-of-state political committees, and entities that are not filed with the Secretary of State 15. An initiated measure increasing the State tobacco tax and creating a postsecondary technical institute fund for the purposes of lowering student tuition and providing financial support to the State postsecondary technical institutes. (VERSION #1) 16. An initiated measure increasing the State tobacco tax and creating a postsecondary technical institute fund for the purposes of lowering student tuition and providing financial support to the State postsecondary technical institutes. 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