Press Releases
Adult Supervision
I come from a big family - a good Catholic family! I'm the oldest of eleven kids - Mike, Mick (Michele), Doc (Dennis), Doug, Tim, Dan, Tom, Pat, Steve, Scott and Jamie. We grew up together in Pierre and no matter what we did, whether it was exploring the hills north of Pierre or wandering the neighborhood, we always made an adventure out of it. Being the oldest, my parents naturally expected me to use good judgement and to keep my siblings safe. I don't know if that meant adult supervision or ju… Continue Reading
09.23.20
Rounds Nominates Chris and Amber Friedel of Parkston for “Angels in Adoption” Award
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today announced he has nominated Chris and Amber Friedel of Parkston for this year's Angels in Adoption award, presented by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI). Chris and Amber Friedel have adopted two children, Chase Robert (age 5) and Kamber Jean (age 2). After dealing with years of fertility treatments, Chris and Amber decided to look into adoption. On Christmas Day of 2015, they were notified that they would be adopting Chas… Continue Reading
09.17.20
Delegation Introduces Bill to Allow State to Conduct Clean-Up Effort at Gilt Edge Mine
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) today introduced the Gilt Edge Mine Conveyance Act, legislation that would authorize the state of South Dakota to purchase approximately 266 acres of U.S. Forest Service land in Lawrence County. The land transfer authorized by this legislation would allow the state to conduct a clean-up effort within the boundary of the Gilt Edge Mine superfund site once the Environmental Protection Agency c… Continue Reading
09.17.20
Rounds, Colleagues Lead Effort to Punish Criminals for Targeting Law Enforcement Officers
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today joined Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and a number of their Senate colleagues to introduce the Protect and Serve Act, legislation that would create federal penalties for individuals who deliberately target local, state or federal law enforcement officers with violence. "South Dakota's law enforcement officers are men and women with families just like ours, who put their lives in danger every day to protect our communities," said Rounds. "As a nation… Continue Reading
09.17.20
Rounds Receives Top Rating from Pro-Life Group
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) received an "A" Rating from the pro-life organization the Susan B. Anthony List for consistently voting to protect the lives of unborn babies as well as the consciences of taxpayers who don't want their hard-earned tax dollars paying for abortions domestically or internationally. "Every life is a precious gift from God," said Rounds. "The sanctity of human life is something we should all seek to protect. I'll continue working in the Senate on polic… Continue Reading
09.14.20
Delegation Applauds Environmental Protection Agency Decision to Deny ‘Gap-Year’ Small Refinery Exemption Petitions
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) issued the following statements after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied dozens of requests from oil refineries seeking economic hardship exemptions from ethanol blending requirements under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) dating from 2011 through 2018. "The EPA's excessive issuance of Small Refinery Exemptions has undermined the integrity of the RFS for years, harming Sout… Continue Reading
09.10.20
With Delegation Support, Department of Transportation Awards South Dakota Critical Highway Funding
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT's) decision to award a $22 million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant to reconstruct 30 miles of Highway 46 between US-81 and I-29 near Beresford and Irene, a critical route for agriculture producers in southeast South Dakota and for those driving between Yankton and Sioux Falls. "South Dakota's highways … Continue Reading
09.10.20
Rounds, Colleagues Urge Protection for Law Enforcement Officials
WASHINGTON- U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), David Perdue (R-Ga.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) in a letter to Attorney General William Barr concerning the recent rise in individuals willing to justify targeting law enforcement officers for harassment, assault and deadly attacks. "Over the past three months, our nation has been in the … Continue Reading
09.09.20
Deadline Extended for Service Academy Nomination Applications
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today announced that the deadline for students to apply for a service academy nomination has been extended to October 30, 2020. Each year, Rounds is able to nominate a certain number of South Dakota students to the following U.S. Service Academies: U.S. Military Academy at West Point, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. These academies allow young people to serve our country while receiving a full four-year sc… Continue Reading
09.03.20
Update on Jean Rounds
ROCHESTER, MINN - U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and his wife, Jean, today provided the following update on Jean's cancer treatment: This week, Mike and Jean traveled to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for a scheduled 90-day checkup. After several days of testing, a malignancy was found in the same spot that Jean's sarcoma was located. As a result, Friday morning she will undergo a surgical procedure, known as an ablation, to remove the malignancy. "As any family who has gone throug… Continue Reading
08.19.20
Nine South Dakota Students Nominated by Rounds Starting at U.S. Service Academies
PIERRE-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) announced that nine South Dakota students he nominated to the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy have been accepted to be members of the Class of 2024 at their respective academies. He also announced that his office is currently accepting nomination applications for the Class of 2025. Applications must be submitted by October 1, 2020. More information on the nomination process can be found HERE. The following stude… Continue Reading
08.18.20
Rounds, Smith and Baldwin Introduce Bipartisan Plan to Invest in Rural Public Transit
PIERRE-U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) recently introduced bipartisan legislation to improve public transportation in certain rural communities across the country. The Investments in Rural Transit Act would increase the federal contribution for operating assistance in rural areas with high transit dependency. "Rural transit plays an important role in the lives of many South Dakotans," said Rounds. "For those who don't own a car or cannot drive… Continue Reading
08.17.20
Rounds: Earlier Start Date for Haying, Grazing and Chopping of Cover Crops Will Help South Dakota Farmers and Ranchers Prepare for Fall and Winter Season
PIERRE-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today made the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced farmers and ranchers in 19 South Dakota counties can begin haying, grazing and chopping cover crops on prevented plant acres starting on September 1 rather than November 1: "The past two years have been incredibly difficult for South Dakota farmers and ranchers, with many facing excessive moisture and flooding, while other parts of the state are facing drought co… Continue Reading
08.05.20
Rounds, Thune Introduce Legislation to Improve Snowpack and Drought Monitoring in the Upper Missouri River Basin
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) today introduced legislation that would improve flood monitoring systems and the accuracy of soil moisture and snowpack data. The bill would authorize funding for the Army Corps of Engineers' (Corps') continued installation of a network of weather monitoring stations as well as funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to implement a pilot program to acquire and utilize the data. "South Dakota… Continue Reading
07.31.20
Rounds, Colleagues Urge Administration to Support Physician Training Programs in Rural Communities
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined a bipartisan group of senators in a letter to the administration to support physician training programs in rural communities. Such programs can strengthen and maintain a physician workforce for the future, especially in rural areas. In addition to Rounds, the letter was sent by U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Cind… Continue Reading
07.30.20
Rounds Urges Inclusion of New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act in COVID-19 Relief Legislation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today urged the Senate to include his legislation, the New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act, in any future COVID-19 relief legislation. The bipartisan, bicameral bill would allow meat and poultry products inspected by state Meat and Poultry Inspection (MPI) programs to be sold across state lines. Excerpts of Rounds' Remarks: "Like so many sectors of our economy, the food production industry was ill-prepared for the unprecedent… Continue Reading
07.28.20
Rounds, Colleagues Introduce TRUST Act for Inclusion in COVID-19 Relief Legislation
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and 13 other colleagues to introduce the Time to Rescue United States' Trusts (TRUST) Act of 2020, bipartisan and bicameral legislation which would create a process to rescue the endangered federal trust funds and rein in the national debt. The TRUST Act of 2020 is an updated version of the TRUST Act, which Rounds cosponsored last year. "I strongly support efforts to manage the 70 percent of the budget that we don't c… Continue Reading
07.24.20
Rounds, Shaheen Introduce New Legislation to Invest in PFAS Health Impact and Best Practices Education for Physicians
PIERRE - U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) introduced bipartisan legislation this week that would promote the creation of educational courses for physicians regarding the health impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals. Their legislation, the Physician Education for PFAS Health Impacts Act, would establish a grant program within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to fund the creation of training and education courses and materials f… Continue Reading
07.24.20
Rounds, Graham, Capito Introduce Legislation to Move PPE Supply Chain From China to the United States
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) introduced the U.S. MADE Act of 2020 to decrease U.S. dependence on countries like China for critical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for our health care providers. "It has become clear that the U.S. cannot and should not rely on our adversaries like China to supply critical medical equipment such as PPE," said Rounds. "With COVID-19 continuing to put a strain on our hospitals and cl… Continue Reading
07.23.20
FY 2021 NDAA Passes Senate with Rounds Support, Includes a Number of South Dakota Priorities
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and Chairman of the SASC Cybersecurity Subcommittee, today made the following statement after the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2021: "This year marks the 60th consecutive year that we've passed a strong, bipartisan NDAA out of the Senate," said Rounds. "This shows that when we have a common goal-in this case, strengthening our military and taking ca… Continue Reading
