South Dakota Projects Get Bump in Year-End Funding Bill, Says Noem

Statement

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 third-party 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.

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