Broadcaster Press 3 May 21, 2019 www.broadcasteronline.com Public Universities Respond To State Workforce Needs PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Board of Regents this week approved new academic program requests from four public universities to meet emerging workforce and community development needs across the state. The following actions, sorted by the university making the request, were approved: Dakota State University • A new undergraduate certificate in data analytics equips students to solve data-driven business problems and to assist in analytics-driven decision making. The 12 credit-hour certificate, to be available online, may lead to further study in computer science or analytics at DSU. This is an ideal foundational certificate for students pursuing careers as a business or marketing analyst or as business intelligence and analytics developers. South Dakota School of Mines & Technology • Three specializations, formerly under the umbrella of an interdisciplinary studies major at SD Mines, will now be offered as stand-alone majors. The current interdisciplinary studies major will be eliminated. The new majors, all leading to a bachelor of science degree, are in atmospheric & environmental sciences; science, technology, and society; and pre-professional health sciences. • The atmospheric & environmental sciences major is the only meteorology-related undergraduate program offered in the state. • The science, technology, and society major combines rigorous coursework in natural sciences with a firm grounding in the social sciences and humanities for those students seeking to combine science and engineering with a stronger linkage to the human dimensions of scientific progress. • The pre-professional health sciences major prepares students for graduate study and professional advancement in fields such as occupational therapy or medicine. South Dakota State University • A new minor in engineering management will provide students with enhanced skills in production strategy, project management, engineering systems management, and cost analysis. The 18 credit-hour minor will appeal to students enrolled in engineering, applied science, and technology disciplines. This minor will be available through online delivery. • A new undergraduate certificate in pre-construction planning offers foundational skills in plan layout and development, construction materials, and commercial building methods, along with an understanding of building mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. The 12 credit-hour certificate is stackable to degrees in construction technology and construction management at SDSU, and will be available online. • Students pursuing the Ph.D. degree in computational science and statistics at SDSU will be required to select a specialization in either data science, mathematics, or statistics to complete their academic preparation leading to a distinct career path. Officials expect these specializations to further assist in recruiting high-quality graduate students into the Ph.D. program. University of South Dakota • New undergraduate certificates in introduction to child life and advanced child life will prepare child life specialists for certification through the Association of Child Life Professionals. The two 12 credit-hour certificates are designed to be taken consecutively and are of particular interest to social workers who interact with children in hospitals and other settings. Sales And Use Tax Rebate Programs Available For Livestock Development PIERRE, S.D. – In an effort to encourage more livestock development, the sale and use tax rebate programs (South Dakota Jobs Grant and Reinvestment Payment Program) are now available for that purpose. Last year, South Dakota counties turned down millions of dollars in capital investment related to livestock development. With the increased focus on agriculture at the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) with the Ag Development division relocating into the agency, the GOED saw an opportunity to address this very important issue. The GOED recognized that there was an opportunity to utilize two existing programs within the agency that have existed for several years and have been used in other industries, rather than create a new program. “For counties that see livestock development as a fit, this provides them an additional tool,” said Steve Westra, commissioner, Governor’s Office of Economic Development. “The decision to pursue these projects is still completely under local control,” he added. The use of the Reinvestment Payment and South Dakota Jobs programs can encourage growth in the ag economy and as an added benefit, there is a financial incentive for counties where these projects are located. Westra also noted that this funding doesn’t impact any of the already established local or state regulations regarding livestock development. If a county or a company has a project they think would be eligible, please contact John Austin, GOED Business Development Director, at (605) 773-4633. Focusing On Lowering Healthcare Costs By Sen. Mike Rounds Since I’ve been in the Senate, I have been focused on reversing the negative impacts Obamacare has had on South Dakota families. I was working as governor when Obamacare was signed into law and began to be implemented, and I saw firsthand how destructive the law was. For example, before it was enacted, South Dakota had more than a dozen insurers providing individual insurance. Today, there are just two. Additionally, South Dakota’s plans addressed those with preexisting conditions before Obamacare’s one-size-fits-all mandates drove companies out of the market. Costs for families continue to skyrocket because Obamacare—the so-called Affordable Care Act—is simply unaffordable for most South Dakotans. I am working in the Senate to find a solution to our country’s healthcare needs. I recently invited Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, to join me in Sioux Falls where we spoke with members of the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations about how we can minimize healthcare costs and lower premiums for South Dakota families. We also discussed ways we can reduce healthcare costs that both Republicans and Democrats can agree on, including addressing the rising costs of prescription drugs, incentivizing primary care and preventative care, and increasing transparency. Chairman Alexander has years of experience working on healthcare issues, and I appreciated having him in South Dakota with me to talk about how we can work with providers to improve delivery of care while reducing costs for consumers. Last year, we worked closely together on legislation known as Alexander/Murray, a bipartisan proposal that would have lowered health insurance premiums by up to 40 percent over three years. I also supported bipartisan legislation that would have stabilized the individual market through new risk mitigation programs. Election-year politics got in the way of both of these bills making it across the finish line. We continue to support the full repeal and replacement of Obamacare, but we are also leading efforts to chip away at it piece-by-piece. We’re focusing on undoing the law’s most unpopular provisions, like the Cadillac Tax, that would impose a 40 percent tax on certain employersponsored health care plans. I introduced Get your ad in the.. Classifieds a bipartisan bill this year to repeal the to enhance competition in the prescripconditions who have purchased insurCadillac Tax provision in Obamacare with tion drug market by fast-tracking the ance, children remaining on their parents’ Sen. Martin Heinrich from New Mexico. approval process for generic drugs. I also plans until the age of 26, guaranteed We already have more than 20 cosponsupport President Trump’s initiatives to renewal of coverage and portability of sors of our legislation, and we continue to lower drug prices. His plan would end the coverage. These principles will give all work hard to move it forward. gaming of regulatory and patent proSouth Dakotans the opportunity to access We were successful in getting rid of cesses by drug makers to unfairly protect affordable health care coverage and give Obamacare’s individual mandate in last monopolies and would streamline and them a choice when it comes to making year’s tax reform package, as well as the accelerate the approval process for overhealthcare decisions that are best for Independent Payment Advisory Board, the-counter drugs. themselves and their families. which was often called a “death panel.” I will continue working While there is more work to do, we have to provide relief to South made progress undoing some of ObamacDakota families, who are’s worst provisions. deserve quality, affordable When we’re talking about how to rehealthcare. We’ll continue duce healthcare costs, prescription drug to focus on reforms that prices are an important part of the discus- are patient-centered and sion. We all know costs are way too high market-based, while also for prescription drugs. Patient demand working to protect indifor prescription drugs continues to grow, viduals with pre-existing especially as the babyboomer generation ages and Irene, South Dakota their health care needs increase. 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