Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Rounds, Colleagues Introduce the Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight and Accountability Act

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jim Risch and others introduced the Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight and Accountability Act, legislation to address the outstanding issues related to the administration’s rushed and disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“The refusal to listen to commanders on the ground, failure to provide sufficient resources to execute visa processing requirements and groupthink among senior Biden administration advisors caused the withdrawal from Afghanistan to be chaotic and deadly. Congress has an opportunity to act and address the many consequences of the president’s botched withdrawal. Our legislation prioritizes the safe evacuation of Americans and Afghan partners still stranded in Afghanistan while holding the Taliban accountable for their terrorist acts and human rights abuses. I will work with my colleagues to keep Americans safe and terrorism at bay,” said Rounds.

“I’ve asked the administration for a plan and while they say they have one, they have not revealed any details of a plan. My office is still working with Special Immigrant Visa applicants who supported America’s effort in Afghanistan. Now families, including children, of these Afghans are in danger of execution. We have a responsibility to get them out. Congress has an obligation to engage in oversight of these activities. I hope the administration would work with us in passing this essential legislation in an expedient, bipartisan manner,” added Rounds.

In addition to Rounds, other cosponsors of this bill include Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Todd Young (R-Ind.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.).

This legislation:

• Establishes a State Department task force to focus on the evacuation of American citizens, legal permanent residents, and Afghan Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) who are still stuck in Afghanistan.
• Imposes oversight mechanisms on the processing of SIVs and refugees.
• Requires strategies for counterterrorism and for the disposition of Taliban-captured U.S. equipment.
• Sanctions the Taliban and others in Afghanistan for terrorism, drug-trafficking, and human rights abuses.
• Authorizes sanctions on those providing support to the Taliban, including foreign governments supporting the Taliban.
• States that the United States should not recognize any member of the Taliban as the ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States or as the ambassador of Afghanistan to the United Nations.
• Calls for a comprehensive review of foreign assistance to entities that support the Taliban.
• Places restrictions on non-humanitarian foreign assistance to Afghanistan.

Text of the legislation can be found here.

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Keloland News follows last night’s story from KOTA-TV/Dakota News Now with their own story that a settlement has been reached between parties representing Jason Ravnsborg and the wife of Joe Boever:

Said Tysdal, “In response to your inquiry, I am confirming that the case has been settled and the terms of the settlement are confidential.  The parties will not have further comment and Mrs. Boever requests that her privacy be respected going forward.”

Read the entire story here.

Johnson, Phillips: Get It Done Act Forces Lawmakers to Avoid Shutdowns and Address Spending

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) introduced the GET IT DONE Act, a bipartisan bill to implement sequestration to avoid a government shutdown should Congress fail to pass a complete appropriations bill.

“When political leaders can’t reach an agreement, we need a system that holds them accountable rather than punishing millions of everyday Americans,” said Johnson.

“Government shutdowns are the worst negotiation tactic in our political system. The human toll is irresponsible and inexcusable,” Phillips said. “The only people who should suffer financial hardship when elected leaders can’t govern are the elected leaders themselves. I am proud to join Rep. Dusty Johnson, my fellow member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, to lead this endeavor.”

Both Johnson and Phillips were sworn into office during the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. During the 2019 government shutdown, a reported 4,400 federal employees in South Dakota did not receive a paycheck, while Members of Congress continued to get paid. The government has shut down on three separate occasions for a total of 54 days in the past eight years.

If by the first day of a fiscal year a regular appropriations bill has not been enacted, the bill would:

• Continue the previous fiscal year’s funding for the first 30 days;
  • For each subsequent 30-day period, the rate of operations will be reduced by 2.5%;
• Hold senior government officials pay in an escrow account until such a bill is enacted;
• Prohibit funds to be used to pay for travel for senior government officials to leave the Washington Metropolitan Area;
• Express that Houses of Congress may not adjourn for a period of more than 12 hours until such a bill is enacted, ensuring Members of Congress remain in Washington to pass a budget.

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Noem Administration Submits Permit Application for 2022 Mount Rushmore Fireworks

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, on behalf of Governor Kristi Noem, the South Dakota Department of Tourism submitted its application for a special use permit for the 2022 Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration. The application was submitted to the National Parks Service (NPS).

“There truly is no better place to celebrate America’s birthday than Mount Rushmore, our nation’s enduring Shrine to Democracy,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “Despite their arbitrary decision to cancel the 2021 Fireworks Celebration, the Biden Administration has an opportunity to work with us to celebrate next year and for the years to come.”

Under Governor Noem’s leadership, the Fireworks Celebration was returned to Mount Rushmore in 2020 after being canceled for more than a decade. Unfortunately, NPS rejected the permit application for the 2021 celebration, and Governor Noem is currently in litigation with NPS over that rejection. The name of that lawsuit is Noem v. Haaland.

The Fireworks Celebration would occur in conjunction with the Memorandum of Agreement signed on May 6, 2019, between the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior and Governor Noem.

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Breaking from KOTA-TV comes reports of the resolution of the civil portion of last September’s tragic accident by Highmore:

South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg has reached a settlement agreement with Jenny Boever, the widow of Joe Boever, just over a year after Ravnsborg struck and killed Joe Boever outside of Highmore.

Read the entire story here.

From Sanford Health:

From my e-mail box:

Pat,

Tonight at 8pm ET (and again at 10pm ET), Newsmax will be airing a special town hall with Governor Noem from the Reagan Ranch in Santa Barbara, California.

She’ll be sitting down with Rob Schmitt for a wide-ranging conversation and we hope you’ll tune in.

You can either watch online, or on your TV or streaming device.

– Team Noem

Thune: Democrats’ Massive Government Expansion Jeopardizes Individual Liberties

“Republicans oppose Democrats’ tax-and-spending spree because it spends an irresponsible amount of money, but more than that, we oppose it because it moves us further and further away from the American idea of limited government.”

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

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today called out Democrats for pursuing an irresponsible and reckless tax-and-spending spree that would significantly increase already high inflation and raise taxes on South Dakota families. Thune emphasized that Democrats’ massive government expansion would stifle economic growth and jeopardize individual liberty.

Flags at Half-Staff in Honor of Former Legislator Robert Weber

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol from sunrise until sundown on Wednesday, September 29 in honor of former State Representative Robert Weber. Weber served as state representative from 1973 to 2000.

A Mass of Christian burial for Weber will be held on Wednesday, September 29, at 10:30 am at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Clear Lake, SD.

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Yes, I read it too, so you don’t have to spam the other posts.  There’s a big to do in the media over an age discrimination lawsuit that was settled, with allegations from the media that the Governor was too-involved.

I probably look at it with different eyes. I worked in the same office as Sherry Bren long, long ago when I worked at the Division of Insurance at the Department of Commerce in the mid-90’s, and she was ‘the person’ in the Real Estate Appraiser office.  Very nice lady.

Having worked in Real Estate myself over the last decade plus (maybe going back at some point), I also have a few observations about real estate appraisers.  If you need a loan, your real estate appraisal can be one of the biggest time bottlenecks for closing. Sometimes you can get them in 2 weeks. Sometimes 30 days.  They probably need more people in the industry.

Becoming a real estate appraiser is a very long process, basically an apprenticeship, where you have to go work for someone for quite some time before you can hang your own shingle.

Related to what was allegedly expressed by the Sec. of Labor in the story, it well may be a profession that’s a little behind the times.  I don’t know enough about the number of people in line to be an appraiser or the process to say it is, or it isn’t.

If the Governor was made aware of what she saw as unnecessary bottlenecks and hoops, I can see her acting in a manner exactly as Bill Janklow would have and summoning the state employee to a meeting.

Frankly, I don’t know what was said in meetings, so from my perspective, I don’t have any opinion to express beyond that it’s tough to become an appraiser, and we always seemed to need more of them.

Months later, DOL and Sherry Bren parted ways, she thought it was unfair and age-based discrimination, they fought it out and settled.  And that brings us to today.

I doubt I’m going to change any minds, and you probably won’t change my experiences.  But that’s my 2 cents worth.