Noem Introduces Anti-Rioting Legislation to Keep South Dakotans and Their Property Safe

Noem Introduces Anti-Rioting Legislation to Keep South Dakotans and Their Property Safe

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem today sent the final version of her anti-rioting legislation to legislators, tribal leaders, state’s attorneys, and other stakeholders.

“As governor, my duty is to protect South Dakota’s people and property,” said Noem. “In unprecedented fashion, consulting with stakeholders, we’ve put together legislation that promotes law and order, protects the community against violence, and safeguards our state’s legitimate interest in protecting our people and their property, all while upholding constitutional rights of free speech and lawful assembly. I look forward to working with the legislature to make sure we give our law enforcement the tools they need to keep our people and their property safe.”

Noem’s legislation accomplishes three objectives:

  1. Repeals the sections that the federal court struck down in a September 2019 decision;
  2. Replaces those sections with a new crime of incitement to riot within the confines of the law; and
  3. Updates the riot and riot boosting civil actions to mirror the updated riot and incitement to riot crimes

Click here to download Noem’s legislation. Click here to download an explanation of Noem’s legislation.

Once filed, the legislation will be available at sdlegislature.gov.

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Liz May for Congress files with Federal Election Commission

Former State Representative Liz May has filed her candidacy for Congress with the Federal Election Commission as of today:

Liz May FEC Filing by Pat Powers on Scribd

Not too much that’s interesting in the filing. Fairly boring stuff, but it’s confirmation that she’s in the race.

What does the filing tell us that we didn’t already know? The campaign’s website is lizmayforcongress.com (which is not active yet), Paula Livermont of Spearfish is noted as her campaign treasurer, who I believe may be her former district mate’s (State Rep Steve Livermont’s) spouse.  And her campaign account is in a bank in Ohio.

The Liz Marty May for Congress campaign has yet to officially launch, but clearly she’s in (sans announcement) and running at this point.

Release: SD Retailers elect officers and board members

SOUTH DAKOTA RETAILERS ELECT OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS

PIERRE, S.D. – Earlier this month, the members of the South Dakota Retailers Association (SDRA) have elected a slate of officers and board members for 2020. Those elected include:

R.F. Buche* of Wagner Named President-Elect

R.F. Buche of G.F. Buche Company, based in Wagner, has been elected President of the SDRA Board of Directors. Buche officially received the gavel from outgoing President Terry Van De Walle of Sioux Falls during SDRA’s Awards Banquet in Pierre. Buche has served on the SDRA Board since 2012.

Other 2020 Officers:

Steve Beck of Pierre Named President-Elect

Steve Beck of Beck Motor Company in Pierre has been named President-Elect of the SDRA Board of Directors. Beck has served on the board since 2011.

Eric Sinclair of Sioux Falls Elected Secretary-Treasurer

Eric Sinclair of Montgomery’s in Sioux Falls has been elected Secretary-Treasurer of the SDRA Board of Directors. Sinclair has served on the Board since 2014.

Twelve Board Members Elected:

SDRA board members are responsible for setting policy, determining the organization’s legislative positions, and implementing membership programs and services.

  • Shane Conger of Hy-Vee in Watertown has been elected to his second three-year term on the SDRA Board of Directors.
  • Brett Hanson of Tri State Building Center in Sisseton has been elected to his second three-year term on the SDRA Board of Directors.
  • Nate Kessler of Lamont Companies in Aberdeen has been elected to his first three-year term.
  • Lori Lang of Dark Canyon Coffee in Rapid City was elected to a three-year term, after serving previously on the Association’s Services Corporation Board.
  • Angela Leiferman** of Mid Dakota Meats in Winner has been elected to her first three-year term.
  • Scott McMacken of Papa John’s in Brookings has been elected to his second three-year term.
  • David Mickelson of Graham Tire in Sioux Falls has been elected to his first three-year term.
  • Nancy Savage of Child’s Play Toys in Sioux Falls has been elected to her first three-year term.
  • Scott Stern of Stern Oil Co. in Freeman has been elected to his first three-year term.
  • Hillarey Warner of HH Design in Britton has been elected to her first three-year term.
  • DeLon Mork of Dairy Queen in Madison was re-elected to a fourth one-year term on the Association’s Services Corporation Board. Mork served as the Association’s president in 2014.
  • Gary Cammack of Cammack Ranch Supply in Union Center was elected to a one-year term on the Association’s Services Corporation Board. Cammack served as the Association’s president in 2017 and 2018.

The SDRA Services Corporation Board oversees current SDRA member services and considers options for new services.

Outgoing board members include Terry Van De Walle of WR Hospitality in Sioux Falls who served as the Association’s president in 2019, and board member Dick Murphy of Mrs. Murphy’s Irish Gifts in Sioux Falls.

State House passes measure to make legislature more independent

From Todd Epp at KELO AM Radio comes a story about House Bill 1001, and the efforts of legislators to make a more independent body:

House Bill 1001 would remove a number of statutes passed in 1939–50 years after statehood–that put into state law the operation and organization of the legislature. In short, HB1001 would remove those laws and depend upon the state constitution and House and Senate rules to set things like hiring legislative staff and pay, how they organize their bodies, and other procedural issues.

For proponents of the change like House Speaker Steve Haugaard (R-Sioux Falls), the matter goes to the independence of the legislative branch from the executive. If the House and Senate rules are in statute, then they then have to be signed–or vetoed–by the governor.

“We want to get things to the point where we run our own affairs,” Haugaard, one of the bill’s sponsors, said in the hour and a half debate.

Read the entire story here.

I don’t think it’s inappropriate for the legislative bodies to set their own rules as governed by rule and the state constitution.

And in fact this seems to be one of those unusual members where they can make for a stronger legislative body without being at the expense of infringing on the executive branch.

Alex Jensen for SF City Council campaign posts video

In Sioux Falls, the Alex Jensen for City Council campaign posted a video of Alex going door to door in his pursuit of the cItywide at-large City Council seat. From Facebook:

US Senator Mike Rounds’ Weekly Column: The Sanctity of Human Life

The Sanctity of Human Life
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

Right now in the Senate, we are spending many hours each day listening to arguments about the impeachment of President Trump. It’s a historic time in our country. Once the trial is finished, I plan to write a weekly column sharing my thoughts on the impeachment process. It’s a responsibility I take very seriously. The impeachment trial begins every day (except Sundays) at 1 p.m., so I have had some time in the mornings to focus on my other Senate duties. This includes meeting with South Dakotans who are visiting Washington. We recently welcomed a number of South Dakotans who came to participate in the March for Life.

The March for Life is held each year on the national mall, and it coincides with the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, that legalized abortion. Tens of thousands of participants come from all over the country to share their pro-life views with their legislators. As a supporter of the pro-life movement, it is inspiring to see so many Americans who, like me, are working to change peoples’ hearts and minds on the issue of abortion. From conception to natural death, life is a gift that should be treated with dignity.

In the Senate, I have cosponsored dozens of bills aimed at protecting innocent lives. The tide is beginning to turn, and more people are starting to understand the importance of protecting life, at all stages. After all, most people, regardless of their political beliefs, believe in the sanctity of life. I really think it’s in our DNA as humans. You hear stories all the time of people doing extraordinary things to save the lives of others. All life is precious, and it is not up to us to decide whether life should continue. Only God can make that decision.

My views on abortion have been shaped by events in my own family, specifically my Grandma Georgiana. When Georgiana’s mother was pregnant with her, she was kicked by a horse. As a result, no one thought Georgiana would survive past birth. She was born with only one eye, was deaf in one ear, had heart problems and no feeling in part of her face. Yet, not only did she survive but she lived to age 85. If she were born to a different family, with today’s attitudes about abortion, she might not have been given the chance to live. At this point in the story, I should also tell you that Georgiana wasn’t my biological grandmother.

My dad, Grandpa Don, was one of ten children born to Mary and Marion “Butch” Rounds. Sadly, Mary passed away when my dad was very young. Butch didn’t have the money or ability to care for ten kids, so the younger kids were sent to live among family and friends. My dad was taken in by the Kauth family who lived in a nearby town. He was raised by Georgiana Kauth and her brother John. They were incredibly loving and supportive caretakers to my dad.

It’s been nearly two years since dad passed away, and not a day goes by that I don’t think about him and the legacy he left behind. He was raised with a deep faith in the Lord, a strong work ethic and a servant-minded heart. Looking back, I think about the many different paths dad’s life could have taken had Grandma Georgiana and her family not taken him into their home with loving arms. Or had Grandma Georgiana not instilled strong moral values in him from such a young age. Or, if Grandma Georgiana, who everyone thought would not survive past birth, had been discarded before she even had a chance to live, as is all too common in America today. Grandma Georgiana is a beautiful reminder of how precious all life is.

Each life is precious and each life has value. The sanctity of human life is something we should all work to protect. God has a plan for all of us, and even when we’re facing difficulties, we have to trust in his guidance. To me, pro-life means choosing family, and I’ll always fight for that cause.

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Congressman Dusty Johnson’s Weekly Column: Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo

Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo
By Rep. Dusty Johnson

At the end of this month, the 62nd annual Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo will be taking place in Rapid City. An estimated 331,000 people from all over the country will descend on Western South Dakota, making it the second largest annual event in South Dakota.

It all started when members of the Rapid City Chamber Ag Committee hatched an idea to bring the rural lifestyle to the Rapid City community. They had the foresight to realize that as more and more people migrated to the bigger cities, the way of life in rural America could be lost, so they set forth a plan to preserve their Western heritage. Here we are sixty-two years later enjoying stock shows all over the state.

The first “winter show”, as it was called then, was small and showcased only three different breeds of cattle. Today it showcases some of the best cattle from almost every breed raised right here in South Dakota. The event continued to grow and evolve into what we know today, the Black Hills Stock Show. There is something for all to be found at this winter event including horse and livestock sales, over 300 vendors, entertainment, and art shows.

It’s also a great opportunity for kids like mine who weren’t raised on a ranch to experience some dirt on their boots and the smell of cattle stalls. And there’s ample opportunity for them to check out the petting zoo, practice their roping skills, or meet a rodeo clown.

To top off the festivities, a family from South Dakota produces several Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) rodeos including a night of extreme bull riding. The Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo is a way for hard working producers to take a breather and catch up with friends and family, as well as for locals to be exposed to the rural way of life. It’s something I look forward to every year.

Agriculture and the Western way of life is something I’m fighting to protect on the Agriculture Committee in Washington. Our cattle producers are some of the hardest working people I know, which is why I will continue to strongly support them in Congress. One, for example – the Farm and Ranch to School Act – provides schools and ranchers greater flexibility to serve local meat in the cafeteria.

Congress and the administration are hard at work to allow ranchers to do what’s best for their operation while being good stewards of the land. Working with Congress, we’ve repealed the Obama-era WOTUS land grab and replaced it with clear, predictable guidance. This week I attended the Sioux Falls Stock Show and I am eager to head to West River at the end of the month to visit with folks from across the state.  I hope to see you there!

Governor Kristi Noem’s Weekly Column: Connecting South Dakota

Connecting South Dakota
By Governor Kristi Noem 

In America’s early days, our Founding Fathers recognized the importance of communication. They saw that it was so vital to the business of the people that they even included a provision in the Constitution to allow for the government to establish post roads.

Today’s business – and day-to-day life – is often done by a different kind of post road: the internet. Unfortunately, in some areas of South Dakota, people are being forced to choose between living in their rural community or having access to high-speed internet. This should not be.

Last year, I outlined a plan to connect more South Dakotans than ever before to high-speed internet.

In March, I worked with the legislature to allocate $5 million to be used as matching funds for broadband improvement. The Connect South Dakota program, which launched in May, brought in a total of $12.2 million.

Additionally, because the state now has a plan in place, South Dakota companies have been awarded additional points on their applications for USDA Reconnect grants. In December, this federal program awarded another $9.5 million in high-speed broadband infrastructure that will create or improve connectivity for more than 1,750 homes in rural South Dakota.

Combined, that means our $5 million has resulted in a $25 million investment in unserved or underserved areas – connecting 6,500 homes and nearly 150 businesses to high-speed internet.

These aren’t just numbers. These are businesses and families that now have expanded online opportunities.

Take the Lindermans, for example. John and Patty own the only grocery store in Timber Lake, on the Cheyenne River Reservation. Because they didn’t have high-speed internet, it meant they couldn’t provide their customers with credit card, debit card, or WIC and EBT payment options. They even had to do all their orders for the store somewhere else. As you can guess, they lost a lot of business. But for Patty and John, they were most heartbroken about sending away moms who wanted to buy food for their kids.

Because of the good work of our Connect South Dakota program, the Linderman business is now connected to high-speed internet.

The great news is that there are about 150 businesses and 6,500 families that have been connected through this program.

But more work needs to be done. This legislative session, I will be working with your district senators and representatives to allocate another $5 million to address more of our connectivity needs.

Bringing our communities into the 21st century ensures that every person in our state has access to online opportunity no matter where they live. I hope you’ll join me in my efforts to preserve our state’s rural way of life.

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