shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com June 6, 2017 • Page 9 Weekly Column: Reforming The South Dakota Releases Indian Health Service Education Plan By Rep. Kristi Noem For years, federal reports have documented shocking cases of mismanagement and poorly delivered care within the Indian Health Service – more often referred to as the IHS. The agency was left to make improvements on its own, but even with consistent funding increases, it produced an unacceptable level of care. Babies have been born on bathroom floors and with no doctor present. Surgical equipment has been washed by hand. Staff have interacted with patients even though their certifications have lapsed. Even now, years after many of these problems were identified, some IHS hospitals in South Dakota continue to run afoul of basic care standards, with one facility facing the loss of critical financial support just over a month ago because of the poor levels of care being delivered. Nowhere in the world is this kind of care acceptable – especially not in our backyards. This May, I introduced the Restoring Accountability in the IHS Act, which fundamentally changes how the IHS operates. At its core, this legislation is about putting patient care first. In many cases, improving care begins with recruiting better medical staff and hospital leadership. Most IHS facilities in South Dakota are located in remote areas and the incentives to move there – let alone relocate one’s family there – haven’t been adequate. My legislation provides stronger incentives for new hires, including relocation reimbursements when employees move to high-need areas and an expanded student loan repayment program. The bill also works to take advantage of volunteer labor, removing some of the barriers that currently inhibit medical professionals from volunteering at an IHS hospital or clinic. And when it comes to firing employees who fail to support the patients they’re there to serve, we give the IHS greater authority to do so. Beyond hiring and firing, the Restoring Accountability in the IHS Act aims to improve patient care through greater oversight. That means new standards for timeliness of care, restrictions on bonuses, and reporting requirements to help identify staffing needs, measure patient care, and detect any misuse of funds. Enough is enough. We need to move swiftly, yet deliberately, with these reforms. I’ve been working very closely with my counterparts in the Senate to advance the Restoring Accountability in the IHS Act through both chambers at the same time. I’m hopeful this will help streamline the process and enable us to get President Trump a bill sooner. Lives have been lost because of what’s happening. Big adjustments need to be made – and they need to be made quickly. I’m committed to this process and to working together to ensure tribal members receive the care their families need. PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota today released its state plan for education required under the Every Student Succeeds Act. The release kicks off a 30-day comment period in which members of the public are invited to weigh in on the proposed plan. Development of the plan follows a year of conversations with stakeholders across the state, including students, parents, teachers, school administrators, school board members, legislators, tribal representatives and representatives from higher education. “South Dakota was in a solid position when ESSA passed,” said Secretary of Education Melody Schopp. “For nearly five years, we have been focused on preparing students to leave the K-12 system college, career and life ready. Passage of ESSA provided us the opportunity to assess our system and look for flexibilities within the new federal law that would support our state priorities for educating students.” While the plan must address major federal requirements, it also affords states the opportunity to showcase its own state priorities. Under the proposal, South Dakota plans to pursue several innovative ideas for supporting student growth, which will be reflected in the way its school accountability system is structured. For example: • At the high school level, South Dakota will expand its accountability indicator related to college and career readiness. This means schools would receive recognition for providing opportunities for students (e.g., dual credit courses, Advanced Placement courses and exams, and career and technical education courses), in addition to measuring performance on the ACT or Smarter Balanced test. • South Dakota will look to emphasize the importance of a positive school climate by developing an accountability indicator around the idea of safe and healthy schools. This indicator would apply to elementary and middle schools. • South Dakota will look to explore options for allowing schools to assess students not based on the strict structure of grade levels, but rather at their level of learning. • South Dakota will pursue the use of pilot schools to immerse students in engaging academic and work-based experiences that are directly connected to a student’s end goals. “We took our time in developing this plan – with the driving idea of doing what is right for South Dakota students,” Schopp said. “We look forward to receiving additional input on the proposal.” Since passage of ESSA in December 2015, the department has engaged with more than 50 groups to discuss and gather feedback on ESSA-related education topics. These conversations, as well as the recommendations of four work groups, helped to form the basis of the proposed plan. Governor Dennis Daugaard will review and provide input into the plan as well, prior to its submission to the U.S. Department of Education in September. To access the plan and to provide public comment, visit doe.sd.gov and click on the “Every Student Succeeds Act” box. Weekly Column: A Better Way To Determine How Your Vertical Gardening Workshop Offered By Yankton Co. 4-H Tax Dollars Are Spent For the first time ever, Yankton County 4-H will be offering a workshop on vertical gardening, a practice becoming more and more popular in urban areas. The workshop will be held on June 13 at the Yankton County Extension Office. Participants will be provided all materials needed for the workshop. Topics such as different ways, types, and practices of vertical gardening will be covered. At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to take home their own mini vertical garden. This workshop is open to all members of 4-H. It will run from 1-2:30 p.m. and you can sign up over email at yankton4H@vaslbb.net. As the global population expands, many new, innovative and beneficial practices are being implemented in our communities. If you are interested in having your children learn more about these new gardening practices and what they have to offer them, this would be a great workshop for them. If you have any questions or need more information, contact Yankton 4-H Intern, Abby Steffen by phone: (605) 665-3387 or email: yankton4H@vaslbb.net. For information on how to sign up for 4-H, call the Extension Office at 605-665-3387 or check out yankton4h.com. By Sen. Mike Rounds President Trump recently sent his first budget proposal to Congress. Historically, a president's budget, which is required by law to be submitted annually, is viewed as a framework for the administration’s priorities and typically kicks off the appropriations process in Congress, where we are supposed to work our way through 12 individual appropriation bills. These bills allow us to make important changes to policy in the United States. When the appropriations process works as intended, it is the best tool we have to make certain that the federal government is a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars, reining in wasteful spending and allowing us to review programs to make sure they are working as intended. The problem is, the appropriations process has only worked as intended four times in the last 43 years. Yet the process remains unchanged. It is the epitome of "Washington is broken." Rather than working through the separate appropriation bills individually, Congress continues to pass spending bills that preserve the status quo. I, along with a number of my colleagues in the Senate, have grown increasingly frustrated by this broken budget process and are working to fix it. M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y Even when the appropriations process works as it should, Congress still only debates around 28 percent of our annual spending, as the 12 appropriations bills only INTERESTED IN THIS SPOT? include spending for defense and non-defense discretionary programs. Meanwhile, Call 665-5884 to place your ad here. mandatory payments on Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and interest on our ever-growing debt account for 72 percent of our budget and are not even debated in Congress. They run on auto-pilot. Discussions about lowering our federal deficit must include addressing to way we manage our mandatory payments if we’re ever goCall 665-5884 the www.missourivalleyshopper.com ing to address the growing fiscal crisis we’re currently in. 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