• It's hard to believe that we are already halfway through the year with summer in full swing. If you're like me, it's easy to lose track of days between running errands and arranging work and family schedules. But amidst the busyness that summer can bring, Congress is also busy working to promote job creation and a healthy economy.
• This past month, the number of those unemployed in the United States increased by 110,000, bringing the total number of unemployed individuals to almost 12 million. However, in South Dakota, we're doing something right. While the national unemployment rate is 7.6 percent, South Dakota's continues to be substantially lower at 4.1 percent.
• I recently visited with a woman in South Dakota about some of the tough decisions her family is facing this summer - decisions I know a lot of families across South Dakota can relate to. This woman's husband is facing reduced hours at his work because his employer has to cut back labor costs and her kids are having a

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