Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Independence
By: Governor Kristi Noem

On July 4, 1776, our Founding Fathers signed a transformational document full of beautiful principles that would come to define our great nation. “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” Thomas Jefferson famously wrote before outlining those principles.

Looking back, it’s easy to forget how controversial those ideas were at the time. After all, throughout our nation’s history we’ve embraced those transformational concepts. They’ve elevated America to unprecedented heights. But today, we see numerous challenges to those fundamental principles. While other parts of the country are tearing up the Declaration, South Dakota is working to defend the inspirational ideas laid out by our Founding Fathers.

“All men are created equal,” Jefferson continued, outlining the founding ideal of the American experiment. Though it took some years before our nation lived up to this ideal, we have made great strides in advancing and preserving the equality of all human beings.

Unfortunately, today some seek to sow division in our nation, rather than emphasizing the equality that makes America so special. Misinformed ideas like critical race theory are incorrectly re-framing American history as a story of “us versus them” rather than “We the People.” They seek to replace 1776 – when the Declaration was signed – as the year of our nation’s founding with the lie that it actually occurred in 1619.

In South Dakota, we are not allowing critical race theory and other similar ideas to infiltrate our schools. Instead, we will teach our true, patriotic history. Our students will learn of America’s triumphs and mistakes alike. And from both, they will achieve a greater love and appreciation for our principles and our history.

Jefferson continued his list of guiding principles with, “…That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” South Dakota is certainly standing for these rights.

South Dakota is working to protect the right to life of all of our people, born and unborn. Most recently, I signed legislation to protect the right to life even of unborn children who have been diagnosed with Down syndrome, and I also had the opportunity to sign 5 other pro-life bills. This past year, our state saw the fewest abortions of any year since the devastating Roe v. Wade decision. And to our knowledge, my office is the only governor’s office in the country that has a preborn child advocate who wakes up every day looking for ways to defend life. South Dakota will continue to build a culture of life as our Founding Fathers intended.

Over the last year, South Dakota has received attention because we’ve defended our people’s right to liberty. Our Founding Fathers were clear. Benjamin Franklin, who worked alongside Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence, famously stated, “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Unfortunately, 2020 showed leaders across our country infringing on the liberty of their people in the name of safety. South Dakota took a different path, and we are strong today as a result. That is how we will continue to operate for as long as I am governor.

I will continue to defend the principles of the Declaration of Independence. After all, our state honors Thomas Jefferson at Mount Rushmore, our Shrine of Democracy. This Independence Day, take some time with your family to reflect on our Founding ideals. America is the greatest nation on earth because our Founding Fathers took the time to articulate them, fight for them, and secure them for all of us.

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Pro-Freedom Bills Take Effect on July 1

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, pro-freedom reforms promoted by Governor Kristi Noem will take effect in South Dakota. July 1 marks the start of the 2022 fiscal year and ushers in several changes to state law.

“‘Freedom’ isn’t just a buzzword for us in South Dakota. It’s our way of life. It guides everything that my administration does,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “I’m proud that we had the opportunity to advance freedom for South Dakotans this legislative session. And I look forward to continuing to work with the legislature to expand the freedoms of our people.”

The pro-freedom reforms that are becoming law include:

• HB 1079 and SB 103, which protect the privacy rights of donors to charitable organizations, as well as the charitable organizations themselves.  Today, the Supreme Court of the United States recognized that the First Amendment protects this same information in their landmark AFP v. Bonta decision;
• HB 1094 simplifies city zoning regulations and eases the permitting process for homebuilders and homeowners in South Dakota. This will help the cost of living remain affordable for South Dakotans and will spur additional housing development in South Dakota communities;
• HB 1111 protects property rights by strengthening due process protections in instances of seizures and forfeitures involving the Department of Game, Fish and Parks (GFP);
• HB 1140 protects property rights of landowners and codifies GFP’s policies pertaining to open fields, which will strengthen relationships between conservation officers and landowners;
• SB 55 authorizes certain innovative insurance products and services through insurance innovation waivers;
• SB 100 continues the prohibition on the seizure of firearms and ammunitions; and
• SB 177 expands freedom and parental choice in homeschooling.

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Healthcare Reforms Take Effect on July 1

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, several healthcare reforms promoted by Governor Kristi Noem will take effect in South Dakota. July 1 marks the start of the 2022 fiscal year and ushers in several changes to state law.

“Over the last year, South Dakota adapted to challenges and found innovative new ways to deliver healthcare to our people,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “These flexibilities will increase healthcare options for South Dakotans, and I am excited that they are finally becoming law today.”

The healthcare reforms that are becoming law include:

• HB 1077 recognizes out-of-state licenses for certain healthcare professions, which will help to address workforce shortages in healthcare;
• SB 96 increases telehealth flexibilities, which proved so critical over the last year. This will particularly help with delivery of healthcare services to South Dakota’s rural communities;
• HB 1263, which increases price transparency in health insurance, becomes law, starting the implementation timeline.
• SB 32 adds Bethel Lutheran Home in Madison, Platte Healthcare in Platte, and Tekawitha in Sisseton to the Access Critical Nursing Facility Program. This gives families the assurance that their loved-ones have the opportunity to stay close to home;
• HB 1131 authorizes direct primary care agreements and will lead to reduced overall healthcare costs.

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According to Facebook reports, one of the leaders of the Gays for Trump movement is being featured at a rally in Sioux Falls towards the end of the month:

Activist Scott Presler has been traveling the country providing instruction to groups on how to organize, as well as doing trash pickups in various communities.

There’s no formal sponsorship of the event, which appears to be promoted by the group of people who pushed Mark Mowry to challenge US Senator John Thune in the 2021 US Senate race.

Pro-Life Laws Take Effect in South Dakota on July 1

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, several pro-life laws promoted by Governor Kristi Noem will take effect in South Dakota. July 1 marks the start of the 2022 fiscal year and ushers in several changes to state law.

“The Declaration of Independence summarizes what we all know in our hearts to be true: God created each of us and endowed all of us with the right to life. This is true for everyone, including the unborn,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “I look forward to the day when the Supreme Court recognizes that all preborn children inherently possess this right to life, too. Until that time comes, I am glad that these bills are taking affect to protect the right to life of preborn South Dakota children.”

The pro-life reforms that are becoming law include:

• HB 1110, which bans abortions motivated by a diagnosis of or test indicating the unborn child has Down syndrome;
• HB 1051, which requires doctors to properly protect the life of any child born alive following a failed abortion;
• SB 183, which declares certain surrogacy contract provisions regarding abortion as unenforceable;
• HB 1114, which provides a better definition of “abortion;” and
• HB 1130, which establishes requirements for the presentation of a written statement regarding the discontinuance of a drug-induced abortion.

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Governor Kristi Noem became a grandmother this week with the birth of her first grandchild. From Facebook:

Congratulations to all!

I’ve been out on the road for the past several days trying (and failing) to get a vacation. Aside from getting a few hundred miles away, only having to turn around, I did get to see my aunt who turns 89 soon, who I hadn’t seen in 5 years.

In the back & forth, I did manage to pick up some political items in my travels. One of the items I was really pleased to find (and picked up today) was a South Dakota Item I hadn’t seen before:

Slightly larger than a baseball card, as part of their campaigning, candidates would hand out blotter paper with their information on it, similar to today’s palm cards, with the opposite side being composed of absorbent blotter paper for people to use after they wrote something with a fountain pen (predating ball point pens).

Running out of Pierre, Burke was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives in 1895 and 1897. He ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1898, won election, and remained in that position through 1907, losing the nomination for the 1906 election, although he won again in 1908 and remained in the House through 1915, serving as Minority whip from 1913 through 1915. In 1914, he received the nomination for the United States Senate seat from South Dakota and chose not to run for reelection to the House. (Via Wikipedia)

Burke actually lost this Senate race, but was later named Commissioner of Indian Affairs in the 1920’s.  And the town of Burke, South Dakota is named for him.

I Can Do Those Things Too!
by State Rep. Trish Ladner

I spent this past weekend working with the Main Street Arts and Crafts Festival in Hot Springs, SD. This Festival has been happening in Hot Springs for the past 44 years and thanks to its dedicated board of directors’ hard work and dedication, this event is showcased within the state as one of the premier events of the summer in South Dakota. This year, after a year hiatus due to the pandemic, over 57+ vendors converged on Centennial Park bringing with them their hand-crafted wares. The excitement and enthusiasm to be back together selling their treasures was palpable. There were vendors from eight states including South Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wyoming, North Dakota, and Ohio. This diverse group of entrepreneurs didn’t let the pandemic stop them. Instead of throwing in the towel and getting discouraged, they spent the last 18 months of isolation refining their designs and producing more inventory. These are true American tradesmen who are proud of their workmanship and were anxious to restart their businesses and their participation in the free enterprise process once again. Ronald Reagan said it best when he said, “Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States. We that live in free market societies believe that growth, prosperity and ultimately human fulfillment, are created from the bottom up not the government down.” This weekend proved to be a testimony to just how true his statement was then and continues to be now!

Friday morning found Centennial Park buzzing with enthusiasm from the visitors who couldn’t wait until Friday afternoon for the festival to officially open and arrived early, ready to buy the treasures and custom hand-crafted items they discovered, booth by booth. Visitors to the festival included families from Texas, Iowa, North Carolina, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Oklahoma (just to name a few), all anxious to restart the adventures in their lives once again! The festival included something for everyone; A Native cultural presentation, fun activities for the children like building their own birdhouses. and food vendors who served up delicious food , while live music, provided by local musicians, filled the air. One little girl emerged from the crafts tent after building her birdhouse, looked at the vendor’s products as they walked by and said, “Mommy, I can make those things too. Can we buy some nails on the way home?” An entrepreneur is born!

So, why share this event with you? What does all this mean? Today, we are led to believe by “the powers that be”, that a corporate, socialistic society is not only the best option for us as a nation, but is the only option for us going forward. The government will supplement and provide your daily needs … don’t worry! You don’t need to make a way to succeed by the efforts of your hands, or take pride in what you do. All you need to do is behave, and obey the rules and you will receive your monthly stipend that is allotted to all who comply. No thank you!

What I experienced this weekend at this event gave me new vision and as a legislator, renewed by hope in America’s free enterprise system. It is refreshing to remember that we are more alike, than we are different. Most of us, as Americans, want to live free lives independent from the government and create a life that provides for our family’s needs, (and a little more if possible), keep our families safe, and thrive. This weekend gave me a hope for the future for America, and I wanted to share that hope with you.

Wishing you all an amazing 4^th of July this weekend as we celebrate the end of monarchy and tyranny and the rebirth of liberty. Liberty that gives us the freedom to exercise our American qualities – even the freedom to stay at home and barbecue!