Author: @SoDakCampaigns

This was just posted to the South Dakota Democrat Party’s website:

South Dakota Democratic Party accepting applications for U.S. District Judge appointment

For immediate release
Contact: Randy Seiler, Chair

SIOUX FALLS, SD (April 22, 2021) The South Dakota Democratic Party is accepting applications for the position of United States Judge for the District of South Dakota that will be vacated by Justice Jeffrey Viken. Augustana University President Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin has announced she will not seek a federal bench nomination.

“We will move with both great care and expediency to offer insight and to recommend a potential nominee to fill the upcoming judicial vacancy that the Biden administration will fill,” said Chair Randy Seiler. “We thank President Herseth-Sandlin for her consideration and respect her commitment to the work of Augustana University.”

Chairman Seiler announced that he has assembled a committee to review applications and make the recommendation to the Biden administration. The committee is a diverse group committed to submitting the best nominee for the job.

“This is a very important position and a big decision. We will take every step to ensure a qualified candidate is submitted. We don’t take these appointments lightly,” said Seiler.

Along with chairman Seiler, the committee will include:

• Julian Beaudion, state law enforcement officer and Director of the SD African American History Museum
• Neil Fulton, former federal public defender
• Nikki Gronli, Democratic Party Vice Chair
• Troy Heinert, South Dakota State Senator
• Brendan Johnson, Attorney, and former U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
• Peri Pourier, South Dakota State Representative

Applicants need to submit their resume by 5:00 PM (MT) on Friday, May 7, 2021. Qualified applicants can apply by emailing a cover letter and resume to [email protected]. Anyone who has previously sent a resume need not resubmit their application and will be considered for the nomination.

Please direct questions to Chair Randy Seiler via email at [email protected] or by phone at (605) 222-8877.

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The selection of these positions had in the past at least had the appearance of being a semi-official function of office for the federal delegation making recommendations.

But since Democrats are unable to elect anyone, this appears to have been turned over entirely part and parcel to the Democrat party as a political function as chosen by Democrat Party leadership.

Of course, Democrats had to make it weird as well, by announcing as part of their RFP that anyone applying is their “second choice” after Stephanie Herseth Sandlin took a pass on the position.

What are your thoughts?

Johnson: I Am Opposed to D.C. Statehood, But Not Suffrage

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD) spoke on the U.S. House floor today in support of his bill, the D.C.-Maryland Reunion Act, a proposal that would merge the residential portions of the district with Maryland. Johnson opposed H.R. 51, legislation Democrats passed today to provide D.C. with statehood and full voting representation in Congress.

Click here to watch the full clip.

This was an interesting development with one of our state’s last Democrat elected officials. Former Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin is NOT going to take a position on the federal bench:

President Stephanie Herseth Sandlin is staying at Augustana University.

and..

“My place is at Augustana,” she said in a statement. “I have indicated to the White House that I do not wish to be further considered for or appointed to the federal bench.”

Read it here.

The biggest takeaway is that by skipping a judgeship, it leaves her in play in the future for running for office.

Thune, Brown Reintroduce Bill to Protect Remote and Mobile Workers from Unfair Tax Bills Caused by the Pandemic

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), ranking member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight, and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, today reintroduced the Remote and Mobile Worker Relief Act (S. 1274), bipartisan legislation that would ensure that mobile workers, including medical professionals from around the country, who supported areas hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic do not face unexpected or increased state income tax bills. The bill would also address potential problems remote workers are facing during the pandemic, including the possibility of having their state income taxes become out of balance because they worked from home in a different state than their ordinary place of employment during the pandemic.

“Frontline workers should not have to worry about facing a higher or an unexpected tax bill because of their work and sacrifice to help Americans throughout this crisis,” said Thune. “Doctors, nurses and other workers who voluntarily crossed state lines to help during the pandemic deserve a debt of gratitude, rather than an unexpected tax bill. This bill ensures these mobile workers are not unfairly taxed, while also providing greater tax certainty for those who are working remotely.”

“Healthcare workers have been on the frontlines of this pandemic for months now,” said Brown. “Not only are they combatting this virus in their own communities, but many of them have travelled across state lines to help in areas that have been hit hardest. A surprise tax bill is the last thing they need. We should make it easier for these mobile workers to support themselves and their families.”

The Remote and Mobile Worker Relief Act would:

• Provide uniformity in state and local income tax assessment and withholding obligations for employees that may travel on behalf of their employer to work in a state that is different from the state where they reside. The legislation would establish a permanent 30-day threshhold before any income tax obligations can be enforced by the non-resident state. For the tax years 2020 and 2021, the threshhold is set at 90 days to help ensure that medical professionals and other workers who traveled to support areas hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic do not face unexpected or increased state income tax bills from these states.
• Preserve the status quo by allowing employers to continue to assign the income for employees temporarily working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic at their pre-pandemic work location versus the location where they may have been working remotely. For example, if you are generally taxed in North Carolina because your job is there, but you live in South Carolina, your tax situation wouldn’t change simply because you worked from home during the pandemic. These provisions provide much needed certainty by placing states, employees and their employers in the same position they would have been in pre-pandemic. These provisions are only applicable for the 2020 and 2021 tax years.

The legislation is built off of Thune and Brown’s Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act, which they introduced last Congress. The Remote and Mobile Worker Relief Act is supported by the South Dakota CPA Society and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

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Thune: H.R. 1 Designed to Increase Democrats’ Power, Not Election Integrity

“This legislation is an unacceptable federal takeover of elections that would undermine election integrity and substantially curtail First Amendment rights.”

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

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today discussed H.R. 1, the Democrats’ federal elections takeover bill that is designed to increase Democrats’ chances of maintaining their tenuous hold on power. Thune expressed that protecting the right to vote and preserving the integrity of our election systems are essential, but that H.R. 1 is simply a power-grab attempt by the left.

Get the popcorn. Because things are heating up in Pennington County.

Frequent Kristi Noem critic and State Representative Taffy Howard was lobbing bombs at the Governor again yesterday for her recent appointments to the Board of Regents.

Rep. Howard penned a missive on Facebook claiming the Governor’s appointments of former Chief of Staff Tony Venhhuizen, SDAHO executive and former Senate Majority Leader Tim Rave, and former Senator and Appropriations Committee member Jeff Partridge did not seat “even one single conservative appointment” in the group.

The notion that there was not “even one single conservative appointment” in this group is a completely goofy notion, as all three would certainly fall on the right side of the political spectrum.

And I’m not the only one who noticed, as Pennington County GOP Committeeman Ed Randazzo took to facebook to call out Representative Howard, claiming that her “victim mentality is a cloak” she “chooses to wear.”

County Committeeman Ed fired off a note telling Taffy “Our Governor is revered nationwide by freedom loving Americans for her commonsense courageous leadership. And yet some continue to deride our state and its leaders.  The victim mentality is a cloak you choose to wear. I choose to count the blessings we have here in South Dakota and look forward to helping make our state even better.”

To which she replied back to Ed in part “if you want to be the lobster in the pot and pretend nothing is wrong right up to the point of cultural death, go ahead, but I will not.”

The “Cloak of Victim Mentality” versus “Lobster in the pot.”

Glad to see everyone is getting along as well as usual in Rapid City Republican circles.

Governor Noem Bans Vaccine Passports in South Dakota

PIERRE, S.D. – Yesterday, Governor Kristi Noem signed Executive Order 2021-08, which bans government-instituted vaccine passports in South Dakota.

“Since the start of the COVID pandemic, we have provided the people of South Dakota with up-to-date science, facts, and data and then trusted them to exercise their personal responsibility to make the best decisions for themselves and their loved-ones,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “We’ve resisted government mandates, and our state is stronger for it.

“I encourage all South Dakotans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but we are not going to mandate any such activity,” continued Governor Noem. “And we are not going to restrict South Dakotans’ exercise of their freedoms with un-American policies like vaccine passports. In our state, ‘Under God, the people rule.’ And that is how we will operate for as long as I am governor.”

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The Aberdeen American News (via the Argus) has a story on the Governor’s speech to a recent prayer breakfast in Aberdeen, where in addition to telling people they should not live in a state of perpetually being offended, Governor Noem notes that her faith helps her love her critics as well as her supporters.

“We live in a world that’s addicted to being offended, don’t we? People love to be offended by each other, but this pastor said people are going to throw offenses out at you all the time,” Noem said. “You’re the one who decides if you want to bend over, pick it up and carry it around with you, but then you’re the one carrying the burden.”

and..

She is no stranger to being criticized by South Dakotans or others across the country. It’s something she said has taught her how to love differently.

“There’s one thing 2020 has taught me is that I’ve got a few critics out there, but I also need to realize that I need to love them,” Noem said.

Read the entire story here.

Rounds, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan TRUST Act

Bipartisan, bicameral legislation to rescue endangered federal trust funds and rein in national debt

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and 10 other colleagues in introducing theTime to Rescue United States’ Trusts (TRUST) Act, bipartisan and bicameral legislation which would create a process to rescue the endangered federal trust funds and rein in the national debt. Rounds and Romney initially introduced the legislation last Congress. A one-pager of the legislation is available here.

Some of the nation’s most important federal programs are financed through dedicated revenue sources and managed through trust funds. A number of the largest trust funds are heading towards insolvency—made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that four of the major trust funds will exhaust their reserves within the next 11 years. The bipartisan, bicameral TRUST Act would provide a vehicle to address the key structural issues behind the debt and allow Congress to put our major federal programs on a stronger footing.

“Our federal trusts, including Social Security and Medicare, are on an unstable fiscal trajectory,” Rounds said. “Unfortunately, necessary deficit spending during the COVID-19 pandemic has only made this situation more urgent. We must act now to shore up our budget and protect Americans’ hard-earned retirement benefits. The TRUST Act is a bipartisan solution for managing the 75 percent of the budget that we do not currently vote on. Our bill will create congressional committees specifically tasked to develop legislation to restore and strengthen endangered federal trust funds. It’s time we get a handle on our debt and protect our federal trusts for generations to come.”

“There is broad recognition that we need to address the looming insolvency of our federal trust funds,” Romney said. “Getting our country through the COVID-19 pandemic has required us to borrow trillions of dollars, which has in turn threatened essential programs like Medicare and Social Security. Congress must respond in a way which will address this long-term problem, which is coming down the pike much sooner than was expected. Our TRUST Act is a bipartisan solution which will shore up our federal trust funds and put us on a path toward a stronger fiscal future.”

The TRUST Act is cosponsored by: Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Mark Warner (D-Va.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.). U.S. Representatives Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), and Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Ga.) have introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

Support for the TRUST Act:

“More than a decade after the Fiscal Commission we co-chaired released common-sense, comprehensive recommendations to fix the debt and to secure our major entitlement programs, those programs still remain in serious financial jeopardy. The Social Security, Medicare, and Highway Trust Funds are all predicted to be insolvent in the next 11 years, triggering deep, across-the-board cuts in benefits. The COVID-19 pandemic has sped the timeline to insolvency and makes solutions even more urgent. While most people in Washington would prefer to burrow – or leave! – their heads in the sand, the TRUST Act would create a truly bipartisan process to save these important programs. We know from personal experience that when Democrats, Republicans, and Independents work together in good faith, they can identify real and lasting solutions: the Fiscal Commission recommendations were supported by 11 of 18 commissioners. We earnestly thank Senators Romney and Manchin, Representatives Gallagher and Case, and other co-sponsors for taking the lead on this important and vital effort. Time is running out to enact critical and thoughtful reforms to appropriately fund our infrastructure and return solvency to Social Security and Medicare.” – Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform

“Senator Romney and these cosponsors deserve immense credit for developing a plan to fix the federal government’s most important trust fund programs, which are headed toward insolvency due to years of neglect. We just can’t wait any longer to fix a problem that leaves all who depend on these programs dangerously vulnerable. The TRUST Act is a sensible, bipartisan and balanced approach that would bring together lawmakers to develop fixes, without pre-baking any of the outcomes. We have known for decades that we must shore up the finances of these critical systems, and the current crisis is a reminder of how being prepared is a must in responsible governing. The TRUST Act would provide much-needed fiscal leadership.” – Maya MacGuineas, President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

“The Senate expressed bipartisan support for the TRUST Act in its recent budget resolution. It’s good to see momentum behind this and other proposals that would help ensure we don’t lose sight of the serious fiscal challenges that lay ahead.” – Michele Stockwell, Executive Director of BPC Action

“This proposal could prompt bipartisan action on key trust fund depletion dates that threaten indiscriminate across-the-board cuts to vital programs within the next 15 years. It is, in effect, a responsible call to repeal and replace the irresponsible ‘do nothing plan.’ Democrats and Republicans may have very different ideas about how to address the shortfalls in these trust funds, but neither party should want to be responsible for the damaging and disruptive consequences of inaction. Time is running out to enact reforms. The TRUST Act is a credible way to get the process started and The Concord Coalition applauds its bipartisan, bicameral leaders.” – Robert L. Bixby, Executive Director of The Concord Coalition

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Thune: Democrats’ Court-Packing Plan is a Danger to Democracy

“I hope that at least some of my Democrat colleagues will find the courage to speak up and consign the idea of court-packing to the ash heap of history, where it should have remained.”

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

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today discussed Democrats’ partisan legislation to pack the U.S. Supreme Court and warned of the destruction it would do to America’s well-established court system. Thune strongly encouraged Democrats to consider the damage this blatant power grab would do to the health of the nation’s democracy and the stability of our country.