Gov. Rhoden Announces Senior Chief Jeremiah Schneider as Secretary of Veteran Affairs
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden announced that Senior Chief Jeremiah Schneider will serve as the new Secretary of Veteran Affairs. He will assume this new position on March 6, 2025. You can find a photo of Senior Chief Schneider here.
“Senior Chief Jeremiah Schneider is a hard-working professional with strong leadership skills,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “He has served his country wholeheartedly for many years, and I am confident that he will work diligently with me to keep South Dakota strong, safe, and free.”
Senior Chief Schneider was born and raised in Wentworth, South Dakota. In May 1995, he enlisted in the United States Navy, turning down a baseball scholarship in favor of serving his country. Senior Chief Schneider currently serves as the Deputy Senior Enlisted Leader for Expeditionary Medical Facility Camp Pendleton and the CEO of Bethel Lutheran Home.
“I want to thank Governor Larry Rhoden for the honor of nominating me as the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs,” said Senior Chief Jeremiah Schneider. “I will approach this position with the same determination, vigor, and love of country that I have in my naval and civilian careers. I have been and will continue to be an Advocate for the State of South Dakota, our Governor, and our Veterans.”
Senior Chief Schneider’s personnel awards include the Navy Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal and the Joint Service Commendation Medal. He is also Seabee Combat Warfare qualified.
Senior Chief Schneider is married with four children and currently resides in Southeastern South Dakota.
When in Pierre today, Dusty Johnson told a Pierre Radio station that there’s a possibility he could run for Governor in 2026, according to Huron Radio:
“I expect to. Nobody knows the future for sure. One of the difficult things about being in the House is that you are up for election every two years regardless. So, yeah. I’m doing the things you need to do to go out and make sure that the voters understand that I work hard whether I run for another term in the House or whether I run for Governor. In general, they think I’m doing a pretty good job, I’m going to keep working hard.
I feel like if I take care of my day job, the politics will take care of itself down the road.”
Draft Explanation Released For Constitutional Amendment Submitted by Sioux Falls Man
PIERRE, S.D. – An explanation for a draft constitutional amendment, proposed by Rick Weiland of Sioux Falls, that would require legislative changes to initiatives and referendum procedures to be approved by a vote of the people, has been submitted for public review by the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office.
Attorney General Marty Jackley takes no position on any such proposal for purposes of the ballot explanation. He has provided a fair and neutral explanation on the proposed constitutional amendment to help assist the voters.
This proposed constitutional amendment would allow the Legislature to pass legislation that changes or repeals laws affecting initiative and referendum procedures. The legislation does not become effective unless approved by the voters and the next general election.
State law requires the Attorney General draft a title and explanation for each initiated measure, initiated constitutional amendment, constitutional amendment proposed by the Legislature, or referred measure that may appear on an election ballot. The Attorney General’s explanation is meant to be an “objective, clear, and simple summary” intended to “educate the voters of the purpose and effect of the proposed” measure, as well as identify the “legal consequences” of each measure.
Once the Attorney General has filed and posted the draft explanation, the public has 10 days to provide written comment. The explanation was filed Feb. 20, 2025 (Thursday) and the deadline for comments on this explanation is Sunday, March 2 at the close of business in Pierre, South Dakota. The final explanation is due to the Secretary of State on Wednesday, March 12.
Current law requires 35,017 valid petition signatures for the measure to qualify for the 2026 general election ballot.
To file written comments on a draft Attorney General’s explanation please use one of the following methods below. Copies of all received comments will be posted on this website. https://atg.sd.gov/Legal/ballotexplanations.aspx#gsc.tab=0
Comments may be submitted via mail, or through hand delivery, to the Attorney General’s Office at:
Office of the Attorney General
Ballot Comment
1302 E. Hwy. 14, Suite 1
Pierre, SD 57501
Comments that are hand delivered must be received by the close of business in Pierre, South Dakota, by Friday, February 28.
Comments may also be emailed to ATGballotcomments@state.sd.us by Sunday, March 2. Comments should be clearly expressed in the body of the email. The Attorney General’s Office will not open attachments to prevent malware or other digital threats. Please include your name and contact information when submitting your comment. The title of the comment must be included in the subject line of the email.
Attorney General’s Office Releases Explanation for Draft Constitutional Amendment Proposed by Sioux Falls Man
PIERRE, S.D. – An explanation for a draft constitutional amendment, proposed by Rick Weiland of Sioux Falls, that would require legislative changes for voter-approved initiated measures for seven years after approval to be approved by a three-fourths vote of the Legislature and also require approval of the voters, has been submitted for public review by the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office.
Attorney General Marty Jackley takes no position on any such proposal for purposes of the ballot explanation. He has provided a fair and neutral explanation on the proposed constitutional amendment to help assist the voters.
This proposed constitutional amendment would restrict the Legislature’s ability to change or repeal voter-approved measures seven years after the measure takes effect. During that seven-year period, the Legislature can still approve legislation that would either change or repeal laws approve by initiated measure, but such action would have to be passed by three-fourths of all members in each legislative chamber and also be approved by voters at the next general election.
State law requires the Attorney General draft a title and explanation for each initiated measure, initiated constitutional amendment, constitutional amendment proposed by the Legislature, or referred measure that may appear on an election ballot. The Attorney General’s explanation is meant to be an “objective, clear, and simple summary” intended to “educate the voters of the purpose and effect of the proposed” measure, as well as identify the “legal consequences” of each measure.
Once the Attorney General has filed and posted the draft explanation, the public has 10 days to provide written comment. The explanation was filed Feb. 20, 2025 (Thursday) and the deadline for comments on this explanation is Sunday, March 2 at the close of business in Pierre, South Dakota. The final explanation is due to the Secretary of State on Wednesday, March 12.
Current law requires 35,017 valid petition signatures for the measure to qualify for the 2026 general election ballot.
To file written comments on a draft Attorney General’s explanation please use one of the following methods below. Copies of all received comments will be posted on this website. https://atg.sd.gov/Legal/ballotexplanations.aspx#gsc.tab=0
Comments may be submitted via mail, or through hand delivery, to the Attorney General’s Office at:
Office of the Attorney General
Ballot Comment
1302 E. Hwy. 14, Suite 1
Pierre, SD 57501
Comments that are hand delivered must be received by the close of business in Pierre, South Dakota, by Friday, February 28.
Comments may also be emailed to ATGballotcomments@state.sd.us by Sunday, March 2. Comments should be clearly expressed in the body of the email. The Attorney General’s Office will not open attachments in an effort to prevent malware or other digital threats. Please include your name and contact information when submitting your comment. The title of the comment must be included in the subject line of the email.
“Senator McConnell’s legacy is one of remarkable service to the Senate, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and our nation.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today released the following statement:
“Senator McConnell’s legacy is one of remarkable service to the Senate, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and our nation,” said Thune. “Over decades of tireless work, his mastery of Senate procedure, commitment to the institution, and dedication to the rule of law have shaped the course of American governance for generations to come. His leadership has strengthened the Senate’s role as a deliberative body and delivered historic achievements, from advancing the judiciary to championing Kentucky’s interests. Senator McConnell’s contributions will remain a lasting reflection of his steady vision, determination, and service to the country he loves.”
Had a reader send this to me, as they believe this is where Bethany Soye got her inspiration for HB 1239, her librarian lock-up bill that proposes to send librarians, teachers, and museum workers to jail because someone doesn’t like a book that has been checked out:
Remember the vote is this afternoon on this ridiculousness – call your legislators .
Great Job on Fox yesterday by Senate Majority Leader John Thune in explaining how far Republican Senators have come, in working with Speaker Johnson and the Republican House, on TAX CUTS, THE BORDER, and some of the most important legislation that our Country has ever considered.…
Someone get a victim doll. Because we have book-burning legislators who need to show us on the doll where the words hurt them. And even better, in a show of the continuing ridiculousness that the 100th legislative session has become, some legislators now want to walk school librarians out of public schools in handcuffs because material slipped in that they found objectionable, according to testimony on House Bill 1239.
A South Dakota legislative committee advanced a bill Wednesday at the Capitol in Pierre that would subject schools, universities, museums, libraries and their employees to criminal prosecution and jail time for allowing children to view material defined in state law as obscene or harmful to minors.
An opponent of the bill said it would put “librarians in handcuffs” for lending a book to a child that some adults might consider inappropriate. One member of the House Education Committee who voted in favor of the legislation, Rep. Travis Ismay, R-Newell, suggested an arrest might be insufficient punishment.
“If a librarian rented this out to my son or daughter, you’d be lucky if you got hauled out of there in handcuffs,” Ismay said. “So, yes, if they’re breaking the law anyway, why would we have any problem with librarians getting hauled out of the library in handcuffs?”
Representative Travis Ismay, who celebrates “White History Month” (not kidding) intimates that an arrest might not be good enough for a librarian who checks out a book with thoughts he objects to. Why? Because parents are incapable of being parents, and legislators feel the need to substitute laws for parenting because that’s the legislature’s job?
What happened? Honestly, at what point did the nanny-state envisioned by legislators become such a stifling, choking parental substitute that they insist it invade every aspect of what a parent should be doing when it comes to their kids? No where is there a better example of this than in House Bill 1239 where we have actual elected legislators – completely illiterate morons, but elected legislators – intimating that arrest might not be good enough for a librarian who checked out a book with a passage they objected to.
House Bill 1239, where Representative Travis Ismay suggested “you’d be lucky if you got hauled out of there in handcuffs” is scheduled to be heard on the House floor today. Call your legislator, or e-mail your legislator, and tell them to kill the embarrassing HB 1239.
And while you’re at it, tell them to knock off the threats to arrest school librarians, or to flog librarians in the public square, or whatever this ridiculousness is that the book burners are proposing.
Senator Mike Rounds Weekly Round[s] Up: February 10-16, 2025
Welcome back to another Weekly Round[s] Up! We’re continuing to confirm President Trump’s nominees at a record pace here in the Senate. We now have 18 in place, including Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, whose swearing-in ceremony I attended this week at the White House. As we vote on nominees, we continue with our regular business in the Senate like meetings with South Dakotans, hearings and classified briefings. I also introduced legislation this past week to create more oversight of the bureaucracy. More on all of this in my Weekly Round[s] Up:
South Dakotans I met with: Leaders from the Oglala Sioux Tribe, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe; Dr. Troy Meink, nominee to serve as Secretary of the Air Force, who is originally from Lemmon and graduated from South Dakota State University (Go Jacks!); representatives from the South Dakota chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business; physicians from the South Dakota State Medical Association; leaders from Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity; and members of South Dakota Civil Air Patrol.
South Dakota towns represented: Brookings, Eagle Butte, Hermosa, Lemmon, Madison, Mission, Pierre, Pine Ridge, Rapid City and Sioux Falls.
Other meetings: Emil Michael, nominee for Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency; David McIntyre, President and CEO of TriWest; Bill Pulte, nominee to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency; King Abdullah II of Jordan; and Gary Cohn, Vice Chairman of IBM. As I mentioned, I attended the swearing-in ceremony for our new Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, whose nomination passed the Senate this week. I supported her through the process and look forward to working with her, particularly through my work on the Select Committee on Intelligence. I also attended our Senate Bible Study and our Senate Prayer Breakfast, where Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma was our speaker.
Hearings: I attended three hearings this week. One was a closed hearing in the Select Committee on Intelligence. One was a hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee to hear from the leaders of United States Northern Command and United States Southern Command. I also attended a hearing in the Senate Banking Committee where we heard from Jay Powell, Chair of the Federal Reserve. You can watch my questions from that here.
Classified briefings: I attended one classified briefing on Central Command as part of my work on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Votes taken: 7 – we confirmed three additional cabinet nominees this past week: Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services and Brooke Rollins for Secretary of Agriculture. We also took two procedural votes on the nominations of Howard Lutnick for Secretary of Commerce and Kelly Loeffler for Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
We’re working hard to get to the finish line on cabinet nominees. There are 24 positions within the executive branch that are considered “cabinet level.” Of these, two are not confirmed by the Senate: Vice President JD Vance, who was elected by the American people, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who was hand-selected by the President. This means we have just four nominees left before President Trump has his full cabinet in place, but rest assured we’re just getting started on the President’s plan to Make America Great Again.
Legislation introduced: I introduced two cybersecurity related bills this past week. The Cyber Conspiracy Modernization Act would strengthen penalties for cybercrimes. The Providing Individuals Various Opportunities for Technical Training to Build a Skills-Based Cyber Workforce Act of 2025 (Cyber PIVOTT Act) would provide scholarships to students and professionals training in cyber-related fields. You can read more about these bills here.
I also joined Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in reintroducing the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act to help put power back in the people’s hands instead of the administrative state. Under the REINS Act, once major rules from government agencies are drafted, they must then be affirmatively approved by both chambers of Congress and then signed by the President, satisfying the bicameral and presentment requirements of the Constitution. Currently, regulations ultimately take effect unless Congress specifically disapproves. Read more here.
My staff in South Dakota visited: Pierre and Tea.
Steps taken: 50,659 steps or 25.23 miles.
Video of the week: I joined Newsmax for an update on cabinet confirmations, as well as to discuss eliminating the federal Department of Education:
A South Dakota legislative committee advanced a bill Wednesday at the Capitol in Pierre that would subject schools, universities, museums, libraries and their employees to criminal prosecution and jail time for allowing children to view material defined in state law as obscene or harmful to minors.