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Mike Rounds
RWon the General, 2020 South Dakota U.S. Senate
South Dakota U.S. Senate, Jr (2014 - Present)
To be claimed
Former Member, Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife Subcommittee, United States Senate
Former Member, National Security and International Trade and Finance Subcommittee, United States Senate
Former Member, Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee, United States Senate
Former Member, Seapower Subcommittee, United States Senate
Former Member, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, United States Senate
Former Member, Subcommittee on Airland, United States Senate
Former Member, Subcommittee on Economic Policy, United States Senate
Former Member, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protections, United States Senate
Member, Armed Services
Member, Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Member, Environment and Public Works
Member, Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety
Chair, Subcommittee on Cybersecurity
Member, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection
Member, Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
Member, Subcommittee on Personnel
Member, Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment
Member, Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
Chair, Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight
Member, Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Member, Veterans' Affairs
Astrological Sign:
Scorpio
Hobbies or Special Talents:
Racquetball, Hunting, Boating, Camping
Names of Grandchildren:
Ian, Micah, Elaina, Andrina, Isabel, Beckett
— Number of Grandchildren:
— Pets (include names):
1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-life
1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- No
2. Do you support expanding federal funding to support entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare?
- No
Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Unknown Position
1. Do you support the protection of government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct?
- Unknown Position
Do you support increasing defense spending?
- Yes
1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes
2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes
3. Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19?
- Yes
1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- No
1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)?
- Yes
2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- No
1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- No
1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- Yes
2. Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19?
- Yes
1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- Yes
2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- Unknown Position
1. Should the United States use military force to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a weapon of mass destruction (for example: nuclear, biological, chemical)?
- Unknown Position
2. Do you support reducing military intervention in Middle East conflicts?
- Unknown Position
Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)?
- Yes
1. Abortions should always be legally available.
- No Answer
2. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer
3. Abortions should be legal only when pregnancy resulted from incest, rape, or when the life of the woman is endangered.
- X
4. Abortions should be legal only when the life of the woman is endangered.
- No Answer
5. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer
6. Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and parental notification requirements.
- X
7. Prohibit the late-term abortion procedure known as "partial-birth" abortion.
- X
8. Support "buffer zones" by requiring demonstrators to stay at least 15 feet away from abortion clinic doorways and driveways.
- No Answer
9. Other
- No Answer
10. Should South Dakota government funding be provided to clinics and medical facilities that provide abortion services?
- No
1. College and university admissions
- No
2. Public employment
- No
3. State contracting
- No
4. Other
- No Answer
1. Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
- No Answer
2. Support contracting with private sector firms to build and/or manage state prisons.
- No Answer
3. End parole for repeat violent felons.
- X
4. Expand the use of the death penalty for additional circumstances relating to murder.
- No Answer
5. Oppose the death penalty.
- No Answer
6. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- No Answer
7. Inform communities when a convicted sex offender moves into the community.
- X
8. Increase state funds for programs which rehabilitate and educate inmates during and after their prison sentences.
- No Answer
9. Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer
10. Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
- No Answer
11. Strengthen penalties and sentences for sex offenders.
- No Answer
12. Lower the limit defining drunk driving to .08 blood alcohol content.
- No Answer
13. Prosecute juveniles who commit murder or other serious violent crimes as adults.
- X
14. Eliminate the early release option for prison inmates who accumulate good time.
- No Answer
15. Support the current Boot Camp program for juvenile criminal offenders.
- X
16. Other
- No Answer
1. Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
- X
2. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- X
3. Support limits on cash damages in lawsuits against businesses and professionals for product liability or malpractice.
- X
4. Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
- X
5. Other
- No Answer
6. Should South Dakota eliminate the video lottery?
- No
7. Do you support allowing the Legislature to determine future telephone rates instead of the Public Utility commission?
- Yes
1. Increase state funds for professional development of public school teachers and administrators.
- X
2. Encourage private or corporate investment in public school programs.
- X
3. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious).
- No Answer
4. Favor charter schools where independent groups receive state authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- No Answer
5. Support sex education programs which stress abstinence.
- No Answer
6. Support sex education programs which stress safe sexual practices.
- No Answer
7. Increase state funds for school construction and facility maintenance.
- No Answer
8. Increase state funds for hiring of additional teachers.
- No Answer
9. Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
- No Answer
10. Other
- No Answer
11. Do you support extending the school day until 5:00 or 5:30 for daycare purposes?
- No
1. Require the use of cleaner burning fuels in order to prevent pollution.
- No Answer
2. Support "self-audit" legislation which creates incentives for industries to audit themselves and clean up pollution.
- X
3. Require a cost/benefit analysis to determine the economic impact of proposed environmental regulations before they implemented.
- X
4. Require the state to fully compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses on privately owned land.
- No Answer
5. Provide funding for recycling programs in South Dakota.
- No Answer
6. Request added flexibility from the federal government in enforcing and funding federal environmental regulations.
- No Answer
7. Suspend participation in unfunded, federally mandated environmental protection legislation.
- X
8. Restructure the electric utility industry to allow consumers to choose their power company.
- No Answer
9. Provide tax relief to wetland owners.
- X
10. Other
- No Answer
11. State environmental regulations should not be stricter than federal law.
- Undecided
12. Do you support a constitutional amendment limiting corporate hog farming?
- No
13. Do you support taxing large surface mine companies to pay for any reclamation work needed after the mines are no longer in use?
- Yes
14. Do you support permitting private landowners to issue bounties for coyotes killed on their property?
- Yes
1. State Senators and Representatives (four 2-year terms)
- No
2. Governor (two 4-year terms)
- Yes
3. Individual
- Yes
4. PAC
- Yes
5. Corporate
- Yes
6. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes
7. Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
- No
8. Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
- No
9. Would you vote to ratify an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring an annual balanced federal budget?
- Yes
10. Do you support consolidating local governments to reduce the number of counties in South Dakota?
- No
11. Other
- No Answer
1. Ban the sale or transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons.
- No Answer
2. Increase state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
- No Answer
3. Maintain state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
- X
4. Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
- No Answer
5. Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms by law-abiding citizens.
- No Answer
6. Favor allowing citizens to carry concealed firearms.
- X
7. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks with firearms.
- No Answer
8. Other
- No Answer
9. Do you support recognizing permits or licenses from other states to carry concealed pistols as valid in South Dakota?
- Undecided
1. Provide tax incentives to small businesses that provide health care to their employees.
- No Answer
2. Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care, through managed care, insurance reforms, or state funded care where necessary.
- No Answer
3. Provide health care to uninsured children by designing a children's health insurance program.
- X
4. Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
- No Answer
5. Use state funds to continue some Medicaid coverage for legal immigrants.
- No Answer
6. Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- X
7. Guaranteeing medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- X
8. Other
- No Answer
1. Increase state funding for programs to prevent teen pregnancy.
- No Answer
2. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
- No Answer
3. Increase state funds to provide child care to children in low-income working families.
- No Answer
4. Deny or suspend state-issued permits and licenses to parents who are delinquent in paying court-ordered child support.
- X
5. Favor banning smoking in public places.
- No Answer
6. Increase state funding for Head Start in order to serve additional children and/or increase services from a half to a full day.
- No Answer
7. Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
- No Answer
8. Support state funding of programs for at-risk youth such as guaranteed college loans and job training and placement.
- No Answer
9. Other
- No Answer
10. Do you believe that the South Dakota government should include sexual orientation in South Dakota's anti-discrimination laws?
- No
11. Do you believe that the South Dakota government should recognize same-sex marriages?
- No
1. Education (K-12)
- Slightly Increase
2. Education (Higher)
- Slightly Increase
3. Environment
- Maintain Status
4. Health care
- Maintain Status
5. Law enforcement
- Maintain Status
6. Transportation infrastructure (highways, roads, bridges)
- Greatly Increase
7. Welfare
- Slightly Decrease
8. Other
- No Answer
1. Alcohol Taxes
- Maintain Status
2. Capital gains taxes
- Eliminate
3. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status
4. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status
5. Gas taxes
- Slightly Increase
6. Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
- Eliminate
7. Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
- Eliminate
8. Property taxes
- Slightly Decrease
9. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status
10. Do you support a flat tax structure for state income taxes?
- No
11. Do you support eliminating inheritance taxes?
- No
12. Do you support removing sales tax from food?
- No
1. Maintain current time limits on welfare benefits.
- X
2. Require that able-bodied welfare recipients must start working to continue receiving benefits .
- X
3. Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- No Answer
4. Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients.
- No Answer
5. Provide child care for welfare recipients who work.
- No Answer
6. Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
- No Answer
7. Allow welfare recipients to remain eligible for benefits while saving money for education, starting a business, or buying a home.
- No Answer
8. Limit benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare.
- No Answer
9. Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
- No Answer
10. Other
- X
11. Do you support suspending welfare checks from parents with children who are not attending school regularly?
- Undecided
Please explain what your two main legislative priorities will be if elected. Please explain how you would obtain any additional government funding needed to implement these priorities.
- No Answer
1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-life
1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- No
1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No
1. Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants?
- Yes
Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline?
- Yes
Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- No
1. Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
- No
1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act?
- Yes
1. Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- Unknown Position
Do you support same-sex marriage?
- No
1. Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict?
- Yes
Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts?
- Yes
Latest Action: Senate - 06/19/2019 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Tracker:Latest Action: Senate - 06/13/2019 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Tracker:By Senators Cramer, King, Rounds, Manchin, Daines, Smith, Barrasso, Tester, and Enzi "Agriculture is the economic engine for many communities in the Midwest, North East, and across the Upper Great Plains. Our agricultural producers play a critical role in feeding and fueling our nation, and also in our national security strategy. When we can produce affordable, nutritious food here at home, we don't have to rely on other countries to obtain it. Unfortunately, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is exposing several vulnerabilities to our nation's food supply chain. "Today, around 80 percent of the nation's beef is processed by only four meat packing companies, two of which are foreign owned. In the last few weeks, several of their processing facilities have closed because of COVID-19 outbreaks among their workforce. This highlights a chokepoint in our food supply chain. With fewer processing plants available to accept livestock, our farmers and ranchers have fewer outlets for their product. At the same time, American consumers are seeing shortages of beef, pork and poultry at the grocery store. "As we look to enhance additional markets for producers and consumers, one is immediately available. The New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act is a bipartisan bill which would allow meat and poultry products inspected by state Meat and Poultry Inspection (MPI) programs to be sold across state lines. Senators Rounds (R-S.D.) and King (I-Maine) led a bipartisan group of senators to introduce this legislation last year, and now we are urging our congressional leaders to include it in any future economic recovery measures. "This commonsense legislation would allow meat and poultry products that have been inspected by a Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS)-approved state MPI program to be sold across state lines. Right now, there are 27 states with inspection programs certified by FSIS that meet or exceed federal inspection standards. However, only six states are allowed to sell their state- inspected meat and poultry across state lines. "Under federal regulations, state MPI standards must be "at least equal to" federal meat and poultry inspection programs. For example, in South Dakota, state-inspected meat products such as beef and pork are limited to markets within South Dakota, despite being subject to inspections equal to or exceeding federal inspection standards. "This bill would level the playing field for producers of meat and poultry products while maintaining the highest quality standards for consumers. Since the state inspection standards are required by law to be equal to or better than the federal inspection standards, it makes sense to allow products that pass state inspection protocols to be sold across state lines. This legislation will create new markets for producers and processers, give consumers more choices at the grocery store, and continue to maintain the high quality and safety standards necessary to keep consumers healthy. "Farmers and ranchers in South Dakota, Maine, North Dakota, Iowa, Montana, West Virginia, Wyoming, Minnesota, and across the country consistently produce some of the highest-quality products in the world. This legislation opens up new markets for farmers and ranchers and will promote a more competitive meat and poultry processing environment. It will give smaller, state inspected meat and poultry processing facilities the opportunity to compete in markets throughout the United States. "As Congress continues debating ways to provide economic relief while bolstering our nation's supply chains, we will be seeking to get commonsense ideas such as this included in any potential legislation."
Wed 7:40 PM – 8:40 PM CDT
Wed 5:20 PM – 6:20 PM EDT
Tue 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EDT
