Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Making Washington Work for You
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
November 21, 2024

 BIG Update

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director testified in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this week to address concerns about the Agency’s response to disasters. It was recently reported that employees were directed to skip homes that displayed Trump signs or flags.

I joined Fox Business to discuss the hearing. You can watch my conversation by clicking here or the image below.

BIG Idea

Our veterans served to keep America the way the Founders intended—free. In return for their service, they deserve the best support and care we can provide. I’ve heard from veterans and veterans’ groups in the past that the current system isn’t doing enough to meet their needs. To address these concerns and remedy deficiencies in the VA, I voted to pass the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act which covers a broad range of veterans’ health care and benefits policies.

To name a few, the bill would streamline the Veterans Community Care Program, including the patient scheduling system, dental treatment availability, and outreach to veterans. It also provides much-needed support for caregivers, increases assistance for nursing home alternatives and establishes a program to provide in-home care services. The bill also provides resources and support to Native American veterans and homeless veterans.

The Elizabeth Dole Act is a huge win for veterans to provide overdue updates to make sure our veterans don’t get the short end of the stick during and after their service.

BIG News

Earlier this year, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) announced it would be restructuring post offices across the country, including two in South Dakota. Following opposition to these changes from Congress and citizens, the USPS put the plan on pause to reevaluate their decision. This week, the USPS announced it will not be changing the services at the Sioux Falls post office. This is great news for those in Sioux Falls who won’t experience drastically higher processing times for local mail. I’m glad the USPS is changing its course.

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Apprenticeships in Action: Celebrating Opportunity
By: Sec. Marcia Hultman  
November 22, 2024  

This year, 2024, marks 10 years of raising awareness and celebrating “National Apprenticeship Week.” Apprenticeships are an effective approach for South Dakotans to gain on-the-job training plus classroom instruction to earn a nationally recognized credential while continuing to earn a living for their family. In the last two years, we have taken apprenticeships to a whole new level in our state.

A year and a half ago, Governor Kristi Noem invested just under $8 million to increase the number of apprenticeship opportunities available in South Dakota. Since this investment, South Dakota has significantly increased the number of programs available, growing from 102 programs to 145. Nearly 300 South Dakota businesses have inquired about starting a registered apprenticeship program. And 50 new programs are in development. I’m so proud of my team who has put in the hard work to make this happen.

I want to give an example of one profession that has especially benefited from apprenticeships and is near and dear to my heart: teaching. Just like my grandmother and mother before me, I was trained to be a teacher. However, the options to get there look quite different today. 

In many recent years, teachers have been hard-to-fill positions with some of the highest number of job openings in South Dakota. To address this need, the Department of Labor and Regulation (DLR) worked with the Department of Education and our post-secondary education partners to launch a Teacher Apprenticeship Pathway.

The Teacher Apprenticeship Pathway keeps costs low for current paraeducators as they continue to gain work-based learning experience combined with technical instruction to become licensed teachers. The program allows individuals to earn and learn while staying in their home community. All coursework is offered virtually at convenient times, so participants can continue to work while enrolled. School districts provide a local mentor to support the apprentices throughout the process. Northern State University and Dakota State University offer the necessary coursework over a two-year period to earn a bachelor’s degree in education, as well as a teaching certificate. 

This pathway has already achieved great results. 88 participants joined the program in the first year. More than 90% of these teacher apprentices are sticking with the program, and 100% say they are very likely or somewhat likely to stay in South Dakota throughout their education career. That will make a real difference in our teacher workforce well into the future. And thanks to support from the legislature, this effort is expanding as a second cohort of teacher apprentices began this fall. 

Our first graduate of the Teacher Apprenticeship Pathway, Kandy Flowers, is now teaching in Wessington Springs. When she graduated, Kandy thanked everyone involved in the program and shared how she is now able to continue working with the students she has been assisting – but with the addition of her teaching certification. Kandy shared her hopes for the continued success of the Teacher Apprenticeship Pathway because “it works.”

This is but one example of the ways apprenticeships are launching careers and changing lives in South Dakota. It’s simple; apprenticeships work. And DLR is here to continue advancing apprenticeship opportunities in South Dakota for years to come. We thank Governor Noem for her support of these efforts. I can’t wait to see how opportunities continue to grow and evolve for the people of South Dakota.

Marcia Hultman is Cabinet Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation.

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South Dakota’s branch of the US Term Limits organization is joining us on advertiser’s row as chaired in the state by the always awesome State Senator Erin Tobin.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with her group, US Term Limits encourages people to contact their legislator and encourage they pass a resolution applying for an Article V convention for the sole purpose of enacting term limits on Congress.

Please click and support Erin and her group, as well as our other advertisers including Summit Carbon Solutions as they seek to keep our ethanol markets competitive worldwide, Governor Kristi Noem, US Senator John Thune, Dusty Johnson for US Congress, and Senator Mike Rounds.

And don’t forget if you have questions on ad prices, ad positions, and ad commitments, you can direct those to me by clicking here.  (Advertising is available on a first-come first-served basis, and discounts are provided for extended commitments.)

Attorney General Jackley Praises Selection of Pam Bondi as AG Nominee

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley praises President-elect Trump’s selection of Pam Bondi as his Nominee for Attorney General.

“I served with, and was impressed, with Pam as Florida’s Attorney General,” said Attorney General Jackley. “She is an experienced prosecutor who will strengthen the relationship between federal, state, and local prosecutors and bring respect to the Department of Justice.”

In 2017, then-Attorney General Bondi served as the keynote speaker at the South Dakota Law Enforcement Charitable Game Feed held in Sioux Falls.

Attorney General Jackley, who is also a former U.S. Attorney, is one of several Attorneys General advising the Trump transition team on legal issues.

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Senate Passes Thune-Rounds Resolution Honoring Former Senator Tim Johnson

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) announced that the U.S. Senate passed their resolution honoring former Sen. Tim Johnson.

“Former Senator Tim Johnson was a steadfast leader who represented South Dakota with integrity and compassion,” said the senators. “It is fitting that he be honored in this way, a tribute to his nearly 30 years in Congress and lifetime of service to the state he loved.”

Text of the resolution is available here.

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Rounds’ Legislation Headed to President’s Desk to Rename South Dakota Post Offices after Fallen Service Members

Legislation Honoring First Lieutenant Thomas Michael Martin and Staff Sergeant Robb Lura Rolfing now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today announced that two of his bills to rename South Dakota post offices in Huron and Sioux Falls after fallen service members have passed the House and await the President’s signature to make them law. Both of the bills passed the Senate on April 23, 2024.

First introduced in November 2023, S.3267 will designate the Huron Post Office as the “First Lieutenant Thomas Michael Martin Post Office Building.” Originally from Huron, 1LT Martin was a 5th generation Beadle County Martin whose great-great-grandfather homesteaded northeast of Huron in the 1880s. 1LT Martin was born in Huron and later moved around the country due to his parents’ active duty service that moved the family out of South Dakota. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1998 and would go on to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. 1LT Martin died during combat operations on October 14, 2007 while serving his country in Iraq.

First introduced in June 2023, S.2143 will designate the Downtown Sioux Falls Post Office as the “Staff Sergeant Robb Lura Rolfing Post Office Building.” Staff Sgt. Rolfing was born and raised in Sioux Falls and graduated from O’Gorman High School. He was a Special Forces engineer sergeant assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Fort Carson, Colorado. Staff Sgt. Rolfing died from wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq on June 30, 2007. He was killed by small arms fire while deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a member of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, Arabian Peninsula.

“1LT Martin and Staff Sergeant Rolfing represent the best of our nation,” said Rounds. “These two men gave their lives in defense of not only our nation but the freedoms we stand for. The naming of these Post Offices in their honor will stand as a reminder to all who visit about the true cost of freedom. Thank you to my House colleagues who supported these two pieces of legislation. I look forward to seeing them signed into law.”

“Our family is so honored to have a prominent building named in memory of our son, in the city I grew up in, and where two of our four children were born,” said Ed Martin, 1LT Martin’s dad. “Our family is confident that Tom’s legacy will live on for years, as those who pass by the Huron Post Office will give cause to pause and research who he was, what he stood for, and why our beautiful historic Huron Post Office is named in memory of our Tom.”

“We would like to thank Sen. Rounds and the American Legion Auxiliary for continuing Robb’s legacy of service to his country,” said Staff Sgt. Rolfing’s parents, Margie and Rex Rolfing.

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Johnson IHS Reform Bill Advances out of Committee

Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Natural Resources Committee passed the Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act led by U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.).

Johnson introduced the bill in March to reform the Indian Health Service (IHS) and protect Native Americans’ credit. In April, he testified in the Natural Resources Committee on behalf of the bill.

“Tribal members are often left to foot the bill on a health care charge that isn’t theirs to pay,” said Johnson. “My bill would right this error and ensure the Indian Health Service pays the bills it owes. I’m glad the Committee agrees with this commonsense legislation and advanced my bill today. IHS must do better.”

“Representative Johnson’s bill will help tackle longstanding issues arising from the untimely reimbursement of claims by IHS for services purchased from and referred to providers outside the IHS. Under no circumstance should a Native person ever pay for approved Purchased and Referred Care (PRC) or be penalized for IHS’s lack of payment. By ensuring the IHS, and not Tribal citizens, are liable for PRC payments and any associated medical debt, this bill will meaningfully improve the patient experience at IHS. We appreciate that his Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act establishes a timeframe for reimbursing patients who paid out of pocket for authorized PRC services. We thank Representative Johnson for his dedicated leadership on these issues and for listening to the concerns of Tribes and tribal health care advocates. We look forward to working with Representative Johnson to enact this bill,” said Frank Star Comes Out, President, Oglala Sioux Tribe.

The Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act of 2024 would:

• Ensure that IHS – not the tribal citizen – is liable for payments for PRC services that are or were authorized by IHS.
• Direct the Secretary to notify PRC providers and patients that the patients are not liable to any provider or debt collector for charges associated with authorized PRC services.
• Permit IHS to establish and implement procedures to allow patients that paid out-of-pocket for IHS-authorized PRC services to be reimbursed by IHS no later than 30 days after a patient submits the necessary documentation.

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Thune: The Days of the Biden Border Crisis Are Numbered

 “Securing our border and removing those who have entered our country illegally are at the top of President Trump’s priority list. And the Republican Congress is committed to doing everything it can to help him.”

Click here or on the picture above to watch the video.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke on the Senate floor about the historic national security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border created by the Biden-Harris administration’s reckless policies. Thune noted that President Trump and the Senate Republican majority will work together to end the lawlessness and inhumanity at the southern border.

Shhh.. Don’t tell anyone.

The confederate group of break-away county Republican party organizations led by Bon Homme GOP County Chair Stu Cvrk are hosting their super-secret candidate forum where they trying to winnow down their select and pre-vetted candidates to be the next State GOP Chair, from a list that was publicized earlier today featuring “honest” Lee Qualm (Lost last 2 elections) , Ethanol opponent Jim Eschenbaum (Won County race), and Ezra Hays, who wants to use the party to exact their values from candidates, (and has never run for office).

Why am I not confident this would represent anything other than the bottom of a bell curve.

Their zoom forum is being held tonight, and is a super-secret private meeting limited exclusively to active SD GOP state central committee members who are members of county delegations (chairman, vice chairman, state committeeman, state committeewoman).  Notice this cabal does not want to hear from elected officials, precinct people, or the hundreds of people who make the Republican Party work, so you’re not allowed to participate in the confederacy’s candidate vetting. So, don’t participate in the meeting being held tonight via zoom at 7PM CST / 6PM MST.  And I’m sure they don’t want any outsiders to participate. So, unless you’re on their special list,  you should absolutely NOT join the zoom meeting with the following codes: 

Join Zoom Meeting. – https://zoom.us/j/92189292425?pwd=QCQP6ELHUQQu1ltxAyWCKWRy2mvZB4.1
Meeting ID: 921 8929 2425
Passcode: 149826

And they really don’t want you to know their agenda, which includes having the candidates answer such questions as

Putting back together what they just spent much of 2024 burning down..

1. **Party Unification**

   – How do you plan to address divisions within the party and foster unity among members with differing viewpoints?
– What specific initiatives would you implement to ensure all factions of the party feel represented and respected? How would state central committee members participate directly in those initiatives?
– Can you share a time when you successfully unified a diverse group to achieve a common goal?

Bringing in more Democrats to the Republican Party, as well as DEI efforts…

4. **Party Building**

  – What strategies do you have to attract independents and conservative Democrats to the Republican Party?
– How would you tailor your messaging to appeal to voters who are not currently registered Republicans?
– What initiatives would you promote to build a more inclusive and welcoming party environment?

How they will enforce the party’s will on elected officials, and how will they punish people for platform violations…

6. **Accountability to the US and State Constitutions and GOP Platform**
– How will you ensure that the party remains accountable to both the US and State Constitutions, as well as the GOP platform?
   – In what ways would you promote adherence to constitutional principles and the state GOP platform among elected officials and party members?
   – How would you address situations where party members or officials act in ways that contradict the party’s principles?

And at the very end, they bring up that pesky thing about how they intend to pay for their grandiose plans after these groups have spent the last year NOT donating to support the state Republican Party. 

11. **Budgeting and Execution
   – What are your top-level budgeting plans?   

You would think as opposed to asking about their DEI efforts, and controlling what candidates say and do, the State GOP’s primary role – fundraising and candidate recruitment – would garner a primary focus as opposed to it being the final item. Or in the case of candidate recruitment not be mentioned at all.

So, candidates, elected officials, activists, precinct committee people, make sure you don’t join the super-secret zoom meeting at 7PM CST / 6PM MST by using the following links..

Join Zoom Meeting. – https://zoom.us/j/92189292425?pwd=QCQP6ELHUQQu1ltxAyWCKWRy2mvZB4.1
Meeting ID: 921 8929 2425
Passcode: 149826

Because they don’t want you to hear what they plan to do to control you, at the same time they can’t raise any money to get you elected.

From facebook, after this morning’s text message announcing his resignation from the State Legislature, Representative-elect Chris Reder is now walking his statement back:

This might be indicative of how close the vote in the House is as much as anything, as Reder is considered a member of the hard-right and was an attendee of the October rally in Sioux Falls with Mark Robinson.

Stay tuned.