Committee Assignment

Committees

Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation: Senator Thune serves as the Chairman of this committee.  The importance of this is that first he is in a leadership position on a committee that has always been important nationally but as well as in the state of South Dakota.  The state is heavily involved the the transportation and commerce sectors of the American economy.

Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry: Senator Thune serves as a member of this committee which is important because the committee overseas matters relating to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  The USDA directly impacts the South Dakota livestock industry as well as the crop industry so it would make sense that Senator Thune is a member of this committee since it directly effects his constituency.  This committee is also deals with matters concerning the Rural Utilities Service and Rural Development which is responsible for rural energy development, rural business financing, and rural health care services, all of which directly impact South Dakota.

Committee on Finance: Senator Thune serves as a member of this committee which is constantly of national importance considering it deals with matters in relation to taxation and other revenue measures generally.  South Dakota has an outstanding health care program and this committee has jurisdiction over healthcare programs under the Social Security Act, including Medicare, Medicaid, or any other health or human services program funded by a specific tax, and last but not least it also has jurisdiction over Social Security.  These are all programs that are not only important to America as a whole but also the rising population of elderly people that reside within South Dakota.  This committee is surely beneficial for Senator Thune because he can help represent his constituency, but also beneficial for the committee to have a member from a state that has such a terrific health care system.  

(Senator Thune connecting his committee work to his constituency wants and needs)

Subcommittees    (Information for this section provided by Project Vote Smart an accredited resource for information regarding members of congress)

Subcommittee on Commodities, Markets, Trade and Risk Management:  Senator Thune serves as a member of this subcommittee whose parent committee is the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry.

Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure:  Senator Thune serves as a member of this subcommittee whose parent committee is the Committee on Finance.

Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness:  Senator Thune serves as a member of this subcommittee whose parent committee is the Committee on Finance.

Subcommittee on Jobs, Rural Economic Growth and Energy Innovation:  Senator Thune serves as a member of this subcommittee whose parent committee is the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry.

Subcommittee on Livestock, Marketing and Agriculture Security:  Senator Thune serves as a member of this subcommittee whose parent committee is the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry.

Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy:  Senator Thune serves as a member of this subcommittee whose parent committee is the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry.

Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight:  Senator Thune serves as a member of this subcommittee whose parent committee is the Committee on Finance.

The subcommittees that Senator Thune serves on all have two things in common which are their parent committee is one that Senator Thune already is a member of and they all of a direct affect on Senator Thunes constituency in one way or another.  

Committee/Subcommittee Legislation

S. 834 Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act was reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation on March 25th, 2015 and according to govtrack.us there is a 53% chance of the bill being enacted which is substantially high.  An explanation for this particularly high percentage could be that the bill is simply amending a law already in place in a relatively minor way.  Regardless it is a bill introduced by Senator Thune that has a substantial chance of being enacted.

In the 114th Congress so far no bills have been reported by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry but fifteen bills have been referred to the Committee.  The most recent to be referred as of March 26th, 2015 was S. 876 a bill that would amend the Commodity Exchange Act.  Since govtrack.us only gave it a 4% chance of being enacted and a 14% chance of getting passed committee it would appear that the bill, introduced by Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), is destined to die in committee.

S. 339 ObamaCare Repeal Act was reported by the Senate Committee on Finance on February 3rd, 2015 seeks to obviously repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 entirely.  This is an incredibly salient issue because of the impact that passing this Act would have on the health care industry.  Govtrack.us gives it a 46% chance of being enacted, a relatively high percentage till one looks at the issue being addressed in the legislation.  This is an issue that the American public and Congress are both polarized about so it will be interesting to watch this bill continue in the legislative process.