My oldest daughter will be graduating college in the next few years and I'm concerned about the job market she'll enter into when she does. Already, millions of more experienced Americans are looking for work and can't find it. And because this has gone on for more than six years, the number of Americans participating in the job market is at the lowest point since the 1970's. It's unprecedented and unacceptable.
Fortunately, the picture looks different for South Dakotans, largely because we have a healthy state economy that allows employers to hire and expand. I was a part of that legacy as a state legislator and I want to replicate that at the federal level.
First and foremost, we need to do more to support small businesses and the hardworking Americans who enable them to succeed. As a former small business owner, I know how hard it can be when Washington gets in the way, so I've tried to protect businesses from a growing government. I'm proud to have joined the House in passing a number of bills to do this.
We also must do all we can to support growth industries, including the energy, tourism and agriculture sectors. The Keystone Pipeline, for example, is expected to create thousands of jobs, but the administration refuses to act. I'm proud to have joined the House in passing H.R.3, the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, which would allow the project to move forward. In supporting and helping the House pass the JOLT Act, I'm working to help bring more international tourism to places like South Dakota. And I was proud to work together with the Senate in enacting the Farm Bill, which helps sustain South Dakota's number one industry: agriculture.
We also must rein in regulations. One of the bills I've supported, the REINS Act, would require Congress to take an up-or-down vote on all new major regulations -- that is, those that have an economic impact of $100 million or more. That may seem like a high threshold, but more than a hundred of these expensive regulations are created by Washington bureaucrats each year.
Through these and other means, I will continue to work for a healthier economy, so all Americans can find careers that allow them to provide for themselves and their families today as well as save for their future.