Caucus Membership

Caucuses are informal groups that allow Members of Congress with shared interests to work together to advance particular issues. Senator Rounds currently serves as co-chair of the Former Governor's Caucus. He is also a co-founder and co-chair of the Senate Regulations Caucus and the Senate Payments Innovation Caucus. He also belongs to the following caucuses:

• Air Force Caucus
• Army Caucus
• Baltic Caucus 
• Congressional Coalition on Adoption
• Congressional Fire Services Caucus
• Congressional French Caucus
• Congressional Pilots Caucus
• Congressional Wine Caucus
• Former Governors Caucus
• General Aviation Caucus
• ICBM Caucus
• Marine Corps Caucus
• Military Family Caucus
• National Guard Caucus
• Senate Broadband Caucus
• Senate India Caucus 
• Senate Law Enforcement Caucus
• Senate Motorcycle Caucus
• Senate Payments Innovation Caucus
• Senate Regulations Caucus
• Senate Reserve Caucus
• Senate Retirement Security Caucus
• Senate RV Caucus
• Senate Taiwan Caucus
• Senate Tourism Caucus
• Special Operations Caucus
• Sportsmen Caucus
• UAS Caucus
• Western Caucus

RESTORE

I’ve talked with many South Dakotans throughout the state who are tired of federal bureaucracy getting in the way of their everyday lives. From family health care decisions to business ones, federal regulations have become too complicated and redundant. I have made it a priority in the Senate to reduce unnecessary and excess regulations to make government more effective, efficient and accountable. That starts with reducing unnecessary federal regulations for Americans. In 2015, I introduced a resolution to permanently address overregulation in America. The bipartisan Regulation Sensibility Through Oversight Restoration (RESTORE) Resolution would establish a Joint Select Committee to conduct a comprehensive review of rules enacted by federal agencies and analyze the feasibility and options for creating a rules review process in congress. The committee would also hold hearings on the effects of these rules and recommend ways to reduce the regulatory burden on the American people. The RESTORE Resolution would create a Joint Select Committee consisting of members of both the Senate and House of Representatives. The committee would:

• Analyze the feasibility of a permanent joint rules review committee to
  • Review all rules causing an annual impact on the economy of $50 million or more before the rule is enacted; and
  • Delay the imposition of rules for review to the Permanent Joint Rules Review Committee.
• Analyze the feasibility of requiring each federal agency to submit each proposed rule over $50 million to the appropriate committees of Congress for review before the rule is enacted.
• Conduct a systematic review of rules enacted by federal agencies;
• Hold hearings on the effects of current rules and look for ways to reduce the regulatory overreach;
• Submit to Congress recommendations for a process to sunset overly burdensome and unnecessary rules, as well as a process for federal agencies to submit rules to Congress for review before they are enacted;
• Submit to Congress recommendations for ways to reduce the financial burden these regulations place on American families;
• Recommend whether Congress should overturn rules by enacting a joint resolution of disapproval; and
• Submit a list of rules that should be repealed.

We Want to Hear from You!

To help me best understand which federal agencies and regulations are in need of reform, I’m inviting South Dakotans to share their story of a federal regulation impacting their lives. Tell us about your red tape nightmare by emailing your story to Regulations_Story@rounds.senate.gov. Be sure to include your name and hometown in your submission.

Agriculture

Agriculture is our state's greatest economic engine.  South Dakota farmers and ranchers play an important role in feeding and fueling a growing global population. I will work to pass the Reins Act; a bipartisan effort to limit federal bureaucracy and the overreaching rule-making our producers are frequently exposed to under this Administration. 

Budget

With a growing national debt that threatens to destroy our economy, budget issues are a top priority of mine. We are required to balance our budget annually in South Dakota, and the federal government should do the same. I support a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution requiring the government to balance its books. I also believe lawmakers should follow the law and pass an annual budget in an open and transparent amendment process. I look forward to participating in the budget process under new Senate leadership and finding commonsense solutions to reducing the debt. 

Banking

Our financial system has been stressed in recent years due to the collapse of the housing market, an economic downturn and the passage of Dodd-Frank, an ill-advised attempt to regulate the financial services industry. As a member of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs committee, my focus is to instill free-market principles to our financial institutions and roll back Dodd-Frank, which has wrongfully affected dozens of financial institutions in South Dakota.

Cybersecurity

The number one responsibility of the federal government is to provide for the defense of our country, and now more than ever, that includes protecting our defense systems and civilian infrastructure from damaging cyber-attacks. Recent events have shown that the United States is not immune to a cyber-attack from hostile foreign actors. Even more alarming, our adversaries have determined that the reward outweighs the risk of launching a cyber-attack against our nation. It is the newest, most sophisticated form of attack threatening our national security today. A cyber-attack on our critical infrastructure, including electric grids, transportation systems and water supplies, could cause significant destruction, or worse, lead to loss of life. As chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, I will work with my colleagues in Congress, the administration, our military personnel and other stakeholders to develop policies that will protect the United States from damaging cyber-attacks.

Education

A strong education system is vital to making certain our young people have the opportunity for a prosperous future. To accomplish that goal, I believe the federal government’s role in education should be limited and well-defined. In July, the Senate Passed the Every Child Achieves Act, or ECAA, a comprehensive, bipartisan overhaul of our education system that will improve the quality of education across the nation. The ECAA restores decision-making on education and accountability standards to those who know students best—parents, teachers and local school boards—and provides flexibility to our education system.

Energy

I believe in a “North American” solution to our dependence on foreign energy, which includes the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Maintaining steady, balanced energy production will allow the United States to export energy around the world while growing our economy and strengthening our national security. I will continue to work in the Senate to promote South Dakota and American energy production.

Environment

The Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee has jurisdiction over a host of issues important to South Dakotans. It oversees key infrastructure projects and provides oversight to two agencies known for overstepping their regulatory boundaries: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers. As a member of the EPW committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee Superfund, Waste Management and Regulatory Oversight,  I will fight to keep over regulation of these agencies in check and promote a fact-based energy and infrastructure policy that encourages economic growth.

Family Values

Since my time working as governor and state senator, protecting and strengthening family values has been a priority of mine. I am pro-life and believe in the traditional definition of marriage.

Health Care

Obamacare continues to wreak havoc on the health care industry.  I will work to repeal and replace it, section-by-section, in a business-like manner.  Too many South Dakotans have lost the coverage they enjoyed, faced higher premiums or been dropped from their provider all together because of Obamacare. Instead, it should be replaced with a market-based solution that keeps Americans in control of their health care.

Immigration

President Obama overstepped his boundaries when he used executive action to essentially provide amnesty to millions of immigrants who crossed our borders illegally. Our immigration system is unequivocally broken, but reform must start with stronger border security to stop the influx of illegal immigrants for good. Only then can we begin to create a limited, legal path to citizenship for those who are currently in the U.S. illegally.

Jobs and the Economy

South Dakotans are feeling the effects of a sluggish national economy and overregulated industries that hinder growth. A strong economy depends on business-friendly federal policies that encourage growth in the private sector.  This includes lowering taxes and streamlining the tax code so South Dakotans can keep more of their paychecks. 

Rounds Legislative Accomplishments

Legislation Rounds has led which were adopted into law or provisions or portions of which were included in broader legislative packages signed by the president.

• Increasing Transferability of Entitlement to Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act– Allows survivors of deceased service members, who had Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits transferred to them, to reallocate those benefits to other designated survivors.
• Veterans TEST Accessibility Act –Helps returning veterans transition into civilian life. Under previous law, veterans were required to use a full month of their Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility to be reimbursed for licensing, certification and national tests, such as those required to be an athletic trainer, fire fighter or medical technician. The TEST Accessibility Act addresses this issue by reimbursing veterans for the cost of an approved test and pro-rating the affected month of eligibility to be used for future educational expenses, such as tuition.
• A Bill to Amend Title 38 to Provide Educational Assistance to Purple Heart Recipients – Adds Purple Heart recipients to the list of eligible veterans who can access full Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It also makes Purple Heart recipients eligible to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which is an optional program for universities to provide additional funding to veterans if their Post-9/11 GI Bill does not fully cover education costs. The VA is required to match the university’s contribution.
• GI Bill Comparison Tool Improvement Act –Increases transparency for veterans when choosing where to enroll in school by adding a metric to the GI Bill Comparison Tool identifying which educational institutions allow veterans to stay enrolled in classes pending receipt of GI Bill funds.
• Veterans Choice Equal Cost for Care Act –Eliminates the “secondary payer clause” to make certain veterans do not pay more for private care under the Choice Act than they would if they were seen at a VA facility.
• DOD Cyber Support to Civil Authorities Act – Requirement that the DOD develop a comprehensive plan for the U.S. Cyber Command to support civil authorities in responding to cyber attacks by foreign powers against the United States or a U.S. person.
• Cyber Act of War Act – Requirement that the administration develop a policy to determine when an action carried out in cyberspace constitutes an act of war against the United States.
• Cyber Command Employment Personnel Training Act– Improves the Department of Defense’s (DOD) hiring practices for cyber security professionals by making certain specified categories of personnel are trained on new rules for hiring and pay flexibilities for civilian cyber security employees. These rules permit faster hiring and higher pay for these employees than is normally the case for the U.S. civil service.
• Whole of Society Cyber Personnel Cooperation Resolution – Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the DOD should fully use the Intergovernmental Personnel Act Mobility Program and the DOD Information Technology Exchange Program to obtain cyber personnel across the government by leveraging cyber capabilities found at the state and local government level and in the private sector in order to meet the needs of DOD for cybersecurity professionals, and (2) DOD should implement at the earliest practicable date a strategy that includes policies and plans to fully use such programs to obtain such personnel for DOD.
• National Cybersecurity Exercise Act –Requires the U.S. Cyber Command, the U.S. Northern Command, and other DOD commands or components, consistent with the recommendations made by a Government Accountability Office report, to conduct a tier 1 exercise of support to civil authorities for a cyber incident.
• Department of Defense Principal Cyber Advisors Act –Creates a “Principal Cyber Advisor” position within each of the services to act as a single point of responsibility for cybersecurity. The goal is to bridge the gaps, seams and fragmentation within the services’ cyber postures.
• Defense Cybersecurity Personnel Authorizations and Inventory Oversight Act– Requires the Principal Cyber Advisor of the Department of Defense to conduct a study to determine the optimal strategy for structuring and manning elements of the Joint Force Headquarters–Cyber Organizations, Joint Mission Operations Centers, and Cyber Operations–Integrated Planning Elements
• Service Member and Family Operational Tempo and Relief Act –Requires the DOD to implement Government Accountability (GAO) recommendations to better measure the total time individual service members are away from home, known as “perstempo”. Specifically, the recommendations were that DOD:  (1) clarify its policy to include specific and measurable DOD-wide perstempo thresholds for use while statutory thresholds are waived or assure service-level policies are established and followed and (2) take steps to emphasize the collection of complete and reliable perstempo data.
• Required report on added acquisition authorities for USSOCOM –Requires DOD to report to Congress on what additional, service like, acquisition authorities should be authorized for USSOCOM.
• National Defense Accelerator Network Act - Requires a pilot program to produce dual-use startups in defense technology that would attract funding from the public and private sector to include venture capital firms in the United States. The program is used to accelerate the commercialization of basic research innovations for defense application.
• Defense Acquisition Decision Making Streamlining Act – Requires the DOD to implement a GAO recommendation that the Secretary of Defense, to improve the DOD acquisition milestone decision process, should select major defense acquisition programs to pilot different approaches for streamlining the entire milestone decision process, with the results evaluated and reported for potential wider use. 
• Defense Acquisition Contractor Workforce Improvement Act – Requires DOD, in its strategic workforce plan, to include certain contractor personnel in the defense acquisition workforce for purposes of the DOD annual strategic workforce plan.
• Long Range Strike Aircraft Mix Act –Directs the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress on the results of a to-be-performed independent study that determines a future mix for the Armed Forces of: (1) shorter range fighter-class strike aircraft and long-range strike aircraft platforms, and (2) manned aerial platforms and unmanned aerial platforms.
• Department of Defense Training Ranges Strategic Planning Improvement Act –Requires the DOD to develop and implement a comprehensive strategic plan to identify and address deficits in the capabilities of DOD training ranges to support current and anticipated readiness requirements to execute the National Defense Strategy.
• National Defense Cybersecurity Consortia Act –Requires the DOD to establish a university consortia to advise and assist DOD on cybersecurity. It would provide a single portal for DOD to access the expertise of universities designated as National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Centers of Academic Excellence, such as DSU.
• TRICARE Portability Act of 2015 –Streamlines the process for service members and military retirees enrolled in Tricare health plans when they move from one Tricare region to another. The previous system for transferring Tricare beneficiaries is often ineffective, resulting in unnecessary delays.
• PTSD Medication Prescribing Improvement Act – Requires each branch of the armed forces to monitor the prescribing practices of medications to treat symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among service members.
• DOD Depot Maintenance Best Practices Act –Directs the DOD to submit to the congressional defense committees a comprehensive plan for the sharing of best practices for depot-level maintenance among the military services.
• Caregiver Program Information Improvement Act –Helps make certain wounded warriors and their families are fully aware of the services available to them through the VA caregiver program. It requires the caregiver program to be added to the list of statutorily-mandated counseling items for service members pending separation from the DOD.
• TRICARE Expedited Evaluation and Treatment for Prenatal Surgery Act– Helps make certain that a pregnant woman covered under TRICARE, a DOD program that provides health care to military personnel and their dependents, receives expedited fetal surgery if needed.
• Promotion Board Opt-Out Opportunity Act –Authorizes the DOD to permit an active duty officer or a reserve active-status list officer to request exclusion from consideration by a selection board for promotion to the next higher grade.
• Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act – Fully repeals the Cadillac Tax provision of the Affordable Care Act. If implemented, the Cadillac Tax threatened to raise healthcare premiums even higher by imposing a 40 percent tax on certain employer-sponsored healthcare plans, including the plans of over 400,000 South Dakotans
• Conservation Easement Amendment – Establishes a federal education program to make certain landowners are given all of the federal conservation options available to them when choosing to put their land into a conservation program, such as a conservation easement, through the Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Home Mortgage Disclosure Adjustment Act –Provides small banks and credit unions with data reporting relief, thereby making it easier for consumers to access credit.
• Protecting Veterans Credit Act – Protects the credit ratings of veterans wrongly penalized by delays in reimbursements for medical bills by the VA.
• Community Bank Access to Capital Act– Rolls back burdensome financial regulations to make it easier for community banks to serve their customers, who often reside in rural areas with fewer available lending options. Specifically, it frees small banks from having to complete arduous and expensive tests mandated by Dodd-Frank and makes it easier for banks with less than $3 billion in assets to raise capital and grow.
• Municipal bond capital relief – Provides relief from Dodd-Frank capital rules so that banks can count high-quality municipal bonds toward their capital requirements, making it easier for local governments to issue debt.
• TAILOR Act - Allows regulators to more nimbly tailor capital rules to the size of a financial institution. This eases the regulatory burden on smaller financial institutions so they can focus their resources on taking care of their customers, rather than spending time and money on regulatory compliance.
• Federal Savings Association Charter Flexibility Act –Streamlines federal rules to help small, local federal savings associations (FSAs), or thrifts, expand their ability to offer loans to more families and businesses without going through a costly charter conversion process.

National Security

Protecting our nation through a strong defense system is a fundamental role of the federal government.  We must remain steadfast in our ability to protect ourselves from enemies at home and abroad. On the Senate Armed Services Committee, my priority is to make sure our military remains the best in the world. To achieve this, our military must be adequately funded, trained and equipped with state-of-the-art technology. I will also work to protect the longevity of Ellsworth Air Force Base, which plays an important role in protecting our nation. 

Overregulation

I’ve talked with many South Dakotans throughout the state who are tired of federal bureaucracy getting in the way of their everyday lives. From family health care decisions to business ones, federal regulations have become too complicated and redundant. I have made it a priority in the Senate to reduce unnecessary and excess regulations to make government more effective, efficient and accountable. That starts with reducing unnecessary federal regulations for Americans.

To help me best understand which federal agencies and regulations are in need of reform, I’m inviting South Dakotans to share their story of a federal regulation impacting their lives. Tell us about your red tape nightmare by emailing your story to Regulations_Story@rounds.senate.gov. Be sure to include your name and hometown in your submission. 

Second Amendment

I am a strong supporter of second amendment rights with a proven record of standing up for gun owners. I’m against any additional regulations that restrict individual, law-abiding citizens from owning and using firearms. 

Small Business

The Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship has jurisdiction over legislation related to small business, and is responsible for oversight of the Small Business Administration. Additionally, it is tasked with researching problems facing small businesses in the United States and reporting them to the full Senate.

Taxes

Our current tax code is too complex, inefficient and long overdue for reform. The last major reform occurred 29 years ago when President Reagan signed the 1986 Tax Reform Act. Over this period of time, the tax code has grown by more than 40,000 pages. Additionally, according to the National Taxpayers Union, the cost of tax preparation cost taxpayers and businesses an estimated $202.1 billion this past year, due to 6.1 billion hours in labor lost complying with the tax code. I believe we must streamline our tax code, broaden our tax base and lower rates across the board. Making these changes will benefit the economy and protect hard-working South Dakota families from higher taxes.

Tribal Relations

The history of Native Americans is deeply woven into the fabric of America, especially in South Dakota. While we are all South Dakotans, I recognize the sovereignty of tribal governments. This creates a special relationship when interacting with local, state and federal agencies. I am committed to working as partners to seek realistic, long-term and innovative solutions to the unique circumstances our tribal governments face.

Veterans

Our men and women in uniform make incredible sacrifices to protect and defend our freedoms. Thus, it is our duty to make sure they receive the care they’ve been promised upon returning to civilian life. As a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I am committed to giving our veterans the care and benefits they need to thrive and grow. Recent scandals within the Department of Veterans Affairs are unacceptable; I will keep a close watch on the agency so that such mistakes do not happen again.

Trade

Free and fair trade plays an important role in American commerce. From higher wages for U.S. workers to supporting small businesses and agriculture, trade has a proven record of keeping our economy healthy and vibrant. In South Dakota alone, trade supports 124,000 jobs. In 2013, we exported $3.7 billion worth of products. Trade levels the playing field in the global marketplace so we have the best opportunity to promote American-made goods throughout the world. We should continually be looking for ways to increase trade opportunities.

The bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation passed earlier this year was an important first step in establishing clear guidelines that enforce transparency, maintain Congress’ important role in the process and sure South Dakotans’ voices are heard in all trade negotiations.

Press Releases

Rounds Calls for Administration to Reverse Obama-Era Regulations Limiting Consumer Choice

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined 13 of his colleagues in sending a letter to HHS Secretary Tom Price encouraging the administration to reverse Obama-era regulations that limit consumers' ability to purchase short-term, limited duration insurance plans. These plans offer consumers a variety of health benefits and are another option for health coverage, but a recent regulation decreased the maximum policy length of short-term plans from 364 days to just 90 days. As a result of th… Continue Reading