{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=3DF04EBC-8E9A-48DA-95E1-63CE1C8FD653", "Weekly Column: Keeping Resolutions", "2014-12-31", "2014", "2014-12", "Republican", "House", "SD", "Kristi Noem", "N000184", "noem.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Making New Year\u2019s resolutions seems to be as much of a tradition as breaking New Year\u2019s resolutions.\u00a0 We commit ourselves to getting in shape or quitting bad habits, but by January 5, many have already strayed.\u00a0 We blame it on self-discipline or holiday leftovers, but research suggests it has more to do with how we go about setting goals.\r\nStudies show we\u2019re more likely to achieve our resolutions if we set specific goals, such as \u201cI will lose five pounds by March 1.\u201d\u00a0 And once those goals are set, we ought to tell someone so we don\u2019t go it alone.\u00a0 With this approach to goal setting in mind, I sat down and put together a list of specific and public resolutions that will move us toward the larger goal of reigniting the promise of opportunity in America.\u00a0\r\nFirst, I will work to update and simplify the tax code, which hasn\u2019t been done since gas cost less than 90 cents a gallon.\u00a0 Over the last 25-plus years, special interest groups have manipulated the tax code time and again, carving out so many loopholes that we now have a 73,954-page-long tax code.\u00a0 As a friend of mine says, that\u2019s 10 times longer than the Bible with none of the Good News!\u00a0\r\nI want to strip out those loopholes, protect folks from an abusive IRS, and lower the tax rate for hardworking Americans, and I\u2019m optimistic there\u2019s positive momentum behind such changes.\u00a0 We won\u2019t likely rewrite our entire tax code in a single year, but we must make progress toward creating something that\u2019s simpler and fairer.\r\nSecond, I want to open new markets for trade between South Dakota and the world.\u00a0 The United States is currently in negotiations with 11 nations to create a Trans-Pacific Partnership and with the European Union to create the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.\u00a0 South Dakota already exports around $1 billion annually to markets involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership and $125 million to the European Union, but there is room to grow if we can level the playing field for U.S. exporters.\u00a0 Both the President and Congressional leadership are optimistic this is an area where we can put partisanship aside, find common ground and make progress on these negotiations.\r\nFinally, I want to target government agencies and programs that inhibit our liberties and lives.\u00a0\u00a0 One of the most significant impediments to our individual liberties today is the Affordable Care Act.\u00a0 While I would like to see the legislation fully repealed, there is little-to-no hope that President Obama will sign legislation doing so and there isn\u2019t enough support from Democrats in Congress to override the certain veto.\u00a0 Nonetheless, I\u2019ll do all I can to weaken the law and give relief to those most impacted until we can get the support needed for a full repeal.\u00a0 Already, we\u2019ve reduced the law\u2019s funding and repealed the onerous 1099 requirements.\u00a0 This year, I\u2019m hopeful we\u2019ll also be able to repeal the law\u2019s medical device tax and further limit its Independent Payment Advisory Board, a panel of 15 unelected bureaucrats who are charged with making decisions that could limit Medicare recipients\u2019 access to coverage.\r\nOnerous federal regulations and roadblocks have also made energy more expensive than it has to be.\u00a0 I fully expect that one of the first votes I\u2019ll take in the new Congress will be to move forward on the Keystone XL Pipeline \u2013 a pipeline that would create jobs and generate over $20 million in property taxes in South Dakota.\u00a0 I\u2019ll also be looking to rein in unnecessary EPA regulations, which could help make energy more affordable for South Dakotans.\r\nI know I\u2019ve outlined a very aggressive agenda.\u00a0 Some of these items can be settled in the next 12 months.\u00a0 Others, like simplifying the tax code and expanding trade, may take longer if we want to do it right, but this is the year to get started on these larger goals as well.\u00a0 I am optimistic though and I believe we have a new Congress that is prepared to govern and ready to take the tough votes that are necessary to restore the American Dream.\u00a0 I for one can\u2019t wait to tackle all that 2015 has in store.", 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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