12.14.16

Hoeven Highlights End-of-Year Legislative Accomplishments in Meeting with Golden Kiwanis Club

MINOT, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today met with members of the Golden Kiwanis Club of Minot to highlight important provisions for North Dakota he worked to include in the recent year-end legislation Congress passed.

“We worked hard to pass legislation to support our military, combat the opioid epidemic and enable reservoir permit holders to stay on their land,” Hoeven said. “In the National Defense Authorization Act, we included measures to make Minot Air Force Base more secure by replacing UH-1N helicopters that provide security, and we funded improvements for B-52s stationed at the base and development for a new intercontinental ballistic missile. The 21st Century Cures Act authorizes $1 billion over two years to fight the opioid epidemic across our nation. We passed a Water Resources Development Act which helps North Dakota reservoir permit holders. In the year-end funding bill, we included provisions to give the Farm Service Agency additional loan authority to help farmers and we clarified the restart rule for truck drivers.”

Some of the provisions included in the end-of-year legislation Hoeven highlighted include:

National Defense Authorization Act
• Authorizes $18 million for the Air Force to begin replacing the Huey helicopters that provides security for the intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) located around Minot Air Force Base
• Authorizes $114 million for research and development on a next generation ICBM to replace the existing Minuteman III
• Authorizes funds to continue upgrades to the B-52’s internal weapons bay and authorization of new projects to modernize the B-52, which includes developing a new advanced radar system and equipping Line of Sight Tactical Data Link (TDL); currently the B-52 is the only combat aircraft without Line of Sight TDL
• Authorizes $95 million for research and development on a new nuclear cruise missile to replace the aging Air Launched Cruise Missile carried on the B-52
• Authorizes an across-the-board pay raise of 2.1 percent for all servicemen and women

21st Century Cures Act
• Provides $1 billion over two years to help states combat opioid addiction and includes support for treatment and prevention activities
• Helps increase access to outpatient therapeutic services in rural hospitals – including drug infusions, blood transfusions, outpatient psychiatric services, wound treatment and cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services – by maintaining the general supervision requirement for these services for calendar year 2016
• Authorizes new funding for the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration
• Streamlines and modernizes the approval process for new drugs and medical devices
• Makes reforms to help ensure Americans who are struggling with mental health or substance abuse disorders can receive the care they need

Water Resources Development Act
• Enables Lake Tschida homeowners to remain on their lots
• Limits fee increases for permittees on Lake Tschida, Patterson Lake and the Jamestown Reservoir
• Authorizes a states-first approach to coal-ash management and recycling
• Authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to carry out pilot projects to help prevent and mitigate ice jams, with a priority for the Upper Missouri River Basin

Government Funding Legislation Provisions
• Provides FSA with sufficient loan authority to meet increased demand and ensure that farmers and ranchers continue to have access to capital
• Requires that the Department of Transportation follow the existing 34-hour restart rule for truck drivers

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