Senator John Thune today filed his bill, the Respecting States’ Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (S.371), as an amendment to the so-called DC Voting Rights Bill (S.160). The bipartisan Thune amendment would allow individuals to carry lawfully concealed firearms across state lines, while at the same time respecting the... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today introduced an across-the-board middle class tax rebate amendment (S. AMDT #538) to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Senator Thune’s amendment would strike the entire $936 billion Senate stimulus bill and replace it with a $936 billion across-the-board-middle-class tax rebate for 182 million Americans.... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today voted for Kids First, a comprehensive proposal to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) through 2013. SCHIP was created in 1997 to help states provide health coverage to the children of working-poor families who did not qualify for Medicaid. “We created SCHIP when I... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune on Thursday introduced legislation designed to block a recent environmental proposal which could regulate many South Dakota farms and ranches. Thune’s legislation would exempt farms and ranches from the onerous regulatory requirements of the Clean Air Act. Specifically, the legislation calls for an exemption for any emission... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today commented on the Wind-Hydro Integration study released by the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA). The study analyzes the potential integration of wind power in central South Dakota and the use of hydroelectric power generated by the Missouri River. “South Dakota has tremendous energy resources in the... Continue Reading
United States Senator John Thune (R-SD) today announced that the Department of the Interior finalized updated regulations regarding the possession of firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. The ruling allows an individual to carry a concealed weapon in a national park or wildlife refuge if that person is permitted... Continue Reading
Following months of work in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, yesterday the White House Office of Management and Budget approved a plan that will allow the City of Sioux Falls to advance fund the remaining federal share of the Big Sioux Flood Control Project. Without the protection... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune, along with other Senate colleagues, yesterday sent a letter to President Bush requesting that as federal agencies prepare their budgets for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, they should include funding authorized for tribal justice, health care, and water projects under Senator Thune’s amendment to the foreign aid bill... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune made the following statement today in response to the U.S. Department of Justice filing a civil antitrust lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Chicago to block the proposed merger of JBS-Swift, S.A., the third-largest beef packer in the United States, and the National Beef Packing Company, the... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today issued the following statement in response to an interim report from the U.S. Department of Energy concerning on-going tests of higher blends of ethanol. “E10, the mixture of 90 percent gasoline and 10 percent ethanol is currently saving consumers money and reducing our dependence on imported... Continue Reading
The U.S. Senate last night passed S. 3109, Senator John Thune’s bipartisan bill to modernize the way the federal government and states track the shipment of hazardous waste. For over 25 years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has required carbon copy paper manifests to accompany waste materials from their origin... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today announced that the Senate has approved legislation to fund the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security for the entirety of Fiscal Year 2009, which begins on October 1st. In addition, the measure ensures that all other government agencies are funded through a six month... Continue Reading
