{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=38089DF8-382F-4C63-9683-1278368DADBA", "Weekly Column: A Look Back", "2014-12-12", "2014", "2014-12", "Republican", "House", "SD", "Kristi Noem", "N000184", "noem.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "I almost can\u2019t believe how fast 2014 has gone.\u00a0 My son Booker is about three inches taller while his Christmas list is about half as long (although somehow twice as expensive!)\u00a0 As we look to wrap up the year, I wanted to share with you some of the successes I\u2019ve had in Congress during the last twelve months.\r\nThe year kicked off with passage of the long-awaited Farm Bill.\u00a0 I was honored to serve as the first House Member at the Farm Bill negotiating table in nearly two decades and even more thrilled to get so many provisions in place for South Dakota producers and consumers.\u00a0 Among other items, we got a strong crop insurance program, revived the livestock indemnity program, and built support for pine beetle mitigation efforts.\r\nA few months later, the House passed a provision I wrote that would allocate a total of $31 million to a rural water project fund that the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System is eligible to draw from.\u00a0 Our communities have put in more than their share of the funding for Lewis and Clark, but the federal government has not kept their end of the deal.\u00a0 This provision moves us in the right direction and I was glad to see it included in the final funding bill.\r\nIn July, the Black Hills Cemetery Act, a bill I wrote after many conversations with West River communities, was signed into law.\u00a0 To reduce liabilities for taxpayers and honor those who have been caring for these nine historic Black Hills cemeteries for generations, this legislation returns the cemeteries\u2019 ownership to the generous communities who maintain them.\r\nLater that month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed another piece of legislation I wrote.\u00a0 This one addressed human trafficking and would have opened an existing Department of Justice grant program to shelters that are looking to house survivors of human trafficking.\u00a0 With only around 200 beds available to underage human trafficking survivors nationwide, it was a need I spoke with many South Dakota groups about.\u00a0 I was disappointed the Senate did not take up the bill, but I\u2019ll continue the fight in the years to come.\r\nIn August, I was proud to welcome the Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs (VA) Committee to Hot Springs to hold a congressional hearing.\u00a0 I\u2019ve visited the VA hospital in Hot Springs many times and have always been impressed by their commitment to our veterans, but the impassioned showing at that congressional hearing blew me away.\u00a0 It earned them the support of the House VA Committee, which is critical.\u00a0 Through an end-of-the-year funding agreement, we were able to restrict any FY2015 funds from being used to move forward on closing the facility.\r\nEarlier this month, the House passed the ABLE Act, which would allow those with disabilities or their families to open tax-free savings accounts \u2013 similar to the 529 investment plans many people use to save for their kids\u2019 college.\u00a0 The funds in these tax-free accounts could be used for medical expenses, housing, transportation, and higher-education.\u00a0 As a co-sponsor of this bill, I always knew how important it was to extend this benefit to families, but it really hit me when I received a Facebook message from a father in southeastern South Dakota just hours before the vote.\u00a0 He wrote that the bill would help his family \u201csave for a brighter tomorrow for our son.\u201d\u00a0 The impact of this bill is real and will open new doors for many families like this.\r\nOn these issues and many others, I relied on your voice and am so grateful for those who have called, written, or emailed me with their thoughts.\u00a0 I also believe it is my responsibility to keep you informed on what I\u2019m doing, as I am ultimately accountable to you.\u00a0 As a result, my office has made more than 150,000 phone calls to South Dakotans this year and written 104,000 letters and emails.\u00a0\r\nPerhaps our most important accomplishments, however, are found in the hundreds of South Dakotans we\u2019ve helped receive veterans benefits, navigate Social Security, adopt a child, or guide through countless other federal bureaucratic processes.\u00a0 It\u2019s truly been an honor to serve you this year and I am looking forward to tackling new challenges in the year to come.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": 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