Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Democrat Brooks Briscoe who ran for election to the South Dakota House of Representatives to represent District 3 in both 2016 and 2018 recently faced not a political opponent but the long arm of the law as a result of his arrest for the thefts of several golf carts in 2020.

According to the Aberdeen American News, he received suspended imposition of sentence, and his attorney claimed he stole the golf carts because of a drug addiction:

Brooks Briscoe, 54, recently pleaded guilty to one count of felony grand theft. Briscoe explained to Judge Richard Sommers that he stole the golf carts from Lee Park Golf Course over the course of a year, then sold them.

and..

With the suspended imposition, the charge will be kept off of Bricoe’s record if he follows probation rules.

Other related charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Restitution of $13,910 has been paid. Briscoe must also repay court-appointed attorney fees and fines and court costs of $1,107.

Read the entire story here.

Johnson and Colleagues Question Treatment of National Guard

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) along with 33 of his Republican colleagues demanded better treatment of the National Guard deployed to Washington after it was reported that thousands of Guardsman were kicked out of House and Senate buildings and placed in parking garages. Johnson requested an explanation as to what initiated the abrupt order that forced the National Guard outside and who made the decision.

“On January 21, 2021, the day after the inauguration, it was reported that thousands of Guardsmen were abruptly ordered out of the very buildings they are here to defend and instead placed in parking garages or directed outside in the winter cold,” said the Members.

“While it has since been reported that the situation was relatively short-lived and the Guardsmen have been allowed to return, the inadequate living and working conditions of the National Guard throughout the Capitol Complex are unacceptable.”

Johnson and his colleagues also volunteered their personal offices to be used as needed for as long as the National Guard remains in Washington.

To view the letter, click HERE.

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Governor Noem Introduces Legislation to Ban Down Syndrome Abortions

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem introduced a bill to ban abortions based on a diagnosis of Down syndrome.

“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 those with an extra chromosome,” 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 asking the South Dakota legislature to pass a law that bans the abortion of a preborn child, just because that child is diagnosed with Down syndrome.”

Recent media reports illustrate that some European countries, like Iceland and Denmark, have virtually eliminated children with Down syndrome by aborting nearly every child that has it. Research estimates that two out of every three Down syndrome pregnancies in the United States end in an abortion. Tests to diagnose Down syndrome can be conducted as early as 10 weeks into pregnancy.

The 48th Anniversary of the fateful Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision was last Friday, January 22^nd.

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Day One Layoffs
By Sen. John Thune

As we begin a new Congress with a Democrat-led House of Representatives, a Democrat in the White House, and a 50-50 split in the Senate, I’m sure there will be plenty of policy disagreements ahead. But I am also hopeful that we will find ways to work together across the aisle to address the challenges facing Americans. I was heartened to hear President Biden talking about unity during his inauguration and pledging to be a president for all Americans. That’s why I was disappointed to see that one of his first actions as president was to yield to demands from the far-left wing of his party and sign an executive order canceling the Keystone XL pipeline – a project that was not just shovel-ready, but was well underway, and well on its way to providing good-paying jobs for thousands of Americans.

The Keystone XL project has already created 2,000 new jobs, and is estimated to support approximately 11,000 jobs over the course of its construction. Somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 of these jobs are expected to be in South Dakota.  Missing out on these jobs and hundreds of millions in wages would be unfortunate at any time, but it’s particularly devastating given the many jobs that have already been lost during this pandemic.

And the Keystone pipeline’s benefits aren’t limited to good-paying jobs. The pipeline is expected to garner $100 million in property taxes annually along the route. These revenues, as well as the economic impact of easement payments, could be reinvested in our schools, rural communities, and local infrastructure.

The Biden administration is determined to transition away from oil and gasoline, but that is not something that can be done overnight. And the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline can actually move us toward a clean-energy future by allowing us to cut emissions in a sensible way. Modern pipelines provide a cleaner and safer way to transport oil, with the added benefit of alleviating rail traffic to free up capacity for our farmers.

It’s not just that the pipeline itself would be a cleaner upgrade to our energy infrastructure. Rather, it would be paired with $1.7 billion in renewable energy pledged to fully offset its operations. TC Energy, the pipeline’s operator, adapted its original plans to address environmental and social concerns raised when the pipeline was first reviewed by the Obama administration. The 1.6 gigawatts of renewable energy would rank TC Energy among the highest corporate backers of renewable energy purchases, directly supporting President Biden’s plan to bolster green-energy investments in the United States.

Due to these added investments, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – a staunch liberal – is supportive of the Keystone XL pipeline and even included it in Canada’s clean energy roadmap. And the pipeline has the additional benefit of deepening our economic ties to Canada, one of our most important trading partners.

I have no illusions about how some feel about pipelines, but cancelling this project ignores the reality of our nation’s energy demands and denies a timely conversation about infrastructure modernization. Keystone XL has been through multiple exhaustive environmental reviews, and the pledged renewable investments make it a model for environmentally responsible oil transport. Still, the extreme environmental wing of the Democrat Party has chosen to demand the elimination of Keystone XL as a symbol of Democrats’ commitment to the far left’s environmental agenda – no matter how many jobs are lost in the process. I’m disappointed that President Biden went along with their demands at the expense of hardworking Americans, and I will continue to press for affordable energy solutions, American jobs, and modern infrastructure.

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Blessed are the Peacemakers
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

Emotions have been running high across our great country. Both sides, all sides need to take a breath.

A member of my staff showed me a Facebook squabble taking place within their family – a perfect microcosm of America. A bunch of expletives that can’t be stated here hurled back and forth between family members. I wondered if they would have talked to each other like that face-to-face? Probably not.

Social media has impaired our inhibition to the point that the most outrageous thing we could think actually makes its way onto our phone or computer screens. The vilest words, having never even touched our lips, are there for everyone to see forever, even though they’re later found embarrassing – even to the typist. We’ve been threatened, literally, for our opinions and beliefs. These conversations – these fights: would they make our parents or grandparents proud? Would they be the example we want displayed to our kids? Nope. Unfortunately, many of those expletives will follow the posting of this column, as has been the case for the last several months – proving my point.

It’s time to reset. Resetting means understanding that although our differences may be stark, we’re all Americans. We gain nothing trying to silence or belittle others for their sincerely-held beliefs. If we truly want to make progress on the important issues before us, we must rid ourselves of the “us vs. them” mentality and tone down inflammatory rhetoric and name calling that sows division. Instead, we must listen, contemplate, attempt to understand, persuade, debate, negotiate and ultimately cooperate.

We’re all exhausted by the emotional battle within us, between us and before us. I must admit that emotion has gotten the best of me, too. I’ve been aggravated with how President Trump lashed out at the end of his term and by the attacks on good people like Vice President Mike Pence. I’ve even said some things in the heat of the moment that I would’ve rephrased or withheld altogether.

But at the end of the day, the facts remain. Under no circumstances did Vice President Pence or the Congress have unilateral constitutional authority to “flip” the election. Furthermore, neither of the two objections raised on January 6 provided a single thread of new evidence. And yet, there we were defending the Constitution in the wake of nonstop attacks and false claims. The real irony here is the vast majority of President Trump’s supporters strongly support the Constitution; and yet, many bought into the idea of upending the Constitution because we, myself included, didn’t like the results of the election. I can’t help but anguish over the idea that the violence we witnessed on that fateful day boiled down to roughly 200 disputed votes in Maricopa County, Arizona, which would not have been nearly enough votes to change the outcome of the election. This is supported by decisions in more than 60 court cases as well as a review by the Department of Justice, President Trump’s own Attorney General and by various state officials after conducting audits.

President Trump’s legacy should be that of tax cuts, Supreme Court picks, deregulation, pro-life measures, national security and so many other great policies that unfortunately I fear will be outweighed by his own behavior in the waning days of his term. And, while I understand many of my fellow South Dakotans won’t see it that way – that’s my opinion. Ultimately though, history – not I – will be the judge.

The question now is: where do we go from here? Personally, I intend to continue in my defense of the Constitution, limited government and a strong national defense. I intend to work with the Democrat-controlled White House, Senate and House on ag policy, transportation and defense, to name a few, because those things shouldn’t be partisan in nature. However, I know we’ll have our disagreements. Like many of you, I worry about our constitutional rights such as the right to bear arms, religious freedoms and property rights. I will fight to defend the Constitution and protect these rights which so many of us feel strongly about.

As it pertains to election security and integrity, I believe citizens need their faith in the electoral process restored. There are states whose questionable actions cast doubt on our electoral process. Do we have evidence of widespread voter fraud? No. However, to regain confidence in our elections and provide additional transparency into what really happened during the 2020 general election, we have introduced legislation which establishes a bipartisan advisory committee to make recommendations to state legislatures with improvements to the security, integrity and administration of federal elections. Specifically, the bill would study multiple areas, including election practices adopted in response to COVID-19, practices regarding mail in ballots, absentee ballots, practices that would have allowed improper fraudulent voter registration and how technology played a role in the voting process.

The Constitution mandates that the states, not the federal government, manage elections. For those of us interested in defending the Constitution and states’ rights, we need to be cautious as we navigate these questions. We do not want the federal government, and specifically Congress, running states’ elections.

Democrats have spoken about unity during this inaugural week. I’m hopeful that a point of unity will be prioritizing the importance of credibility in the election process and I intend to have conversations with my colleagues to persuade them to consider this.

In the meantime, blessed are the peacemakers as we work to reset.

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Flexibility and Innovation in Healthcare
By: Governor Kristi Noem 

We’ve learned all kinds of lessons over the past year due to COVID-19. Folks rediscovered the beauty of the outdoors. Hopefully, our kids learned the importance of washing their hands. And we all learned the importance of flexibility and adaptability.

America has made incredible advances in healthcare over this past year. We saw all kinds of innovation because we gave medical professionals the flexibility to do their job. And this year, my administration is bringing forward a number of initiatives to make South Dakota’s healthcare system more innovative, flexible, and affordable.

Let me start by saying that we have excellent healthcare here in South Dakota. Our three major health systems – Avera, Monument, and Sanford – have all done tremendous work, especially in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year as we dealt with the virus, I instituted several executive orders to increase flexibility for South Dakota’s healthcare providers. And now, we’re going to make those changes permanent.

Last year, we suspended restrictions on telehealth so that folks could see a doctor without having to go into the doctor’s office. We saw folks utilize these tech services more than 70,000 times in South Dakota’s Medicaid program alone. Along the way, we realized just how powerful of a tool telehealth can be for innovation in healthcare. In 2021, we’re going to build on these advancements and ensure that telehealth innovation is here to stay.

Additionally, we allowed for recognition of out-of-state medical licenses for people moving to South Dakota. We’ve seen lots of folks move here in recent months, and more are coming. By recognizing their out-of-state licenses, we can immediately hire these folks to work in South Dakota healthcare, where we always have workforce needs.

In both telehealth and license recognition, we know that these flexibilities work. We haven’t heard any major complaints or concerns as to their implementation over these last several months. So we are going to make those executive orders permanent, and this past week I introduced legislation to do just that.

We are going to continue to strengthen South Dakota healthcare by welcoming these successes, building on them, and leaving flexibility for even more innovation into the future.

And I have more proposals coming soon to continue to improve South Dakota healthcare. For example, we know that healthcare can be expensive, and South Dakotans deserve to be able to see those costs up-front so that they know what they’re paying for. In the coming weeks, my team will be introducing a bill to guarantee price transparency for South Dakotans who need to pay for healthcare.

I’ve talked many times about focusing on challenges as an opportunity to innovate and adapt. Our healthcare providers faced unprecedented difficulties this past year. And they proved, time and time again, that they were up to the challenge. In 2021 and into the future, we should continue to build on what we learned this past year. Let’s continue to give our excellent medical professionals the flexibility to thrive.

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In case some members of the legislature might be looking for some people to honor with a resolution (other than themselves) here’s our federal delegation in Washington DC meeting with even more awesome members of the South Dakota National Guard:

Insert eye roll here. Because three House members have banded together to declare themselves the holiest of holies, and introduce a resolution declaring that “there is no higher honor than that which comes from raising one’s right hand and solemnly swearing to faithfully discharge the duties of the office to which one has been elected.“

Pardon me, but what a crock of shit.

I do a lot of work with people running for office, and find most of them to be really good people. Just top shelf, because they’re in it to be public servants. Not because they feel that by their selection at the ballot box, they have been anointed by the lord. That’s why the language in this measure is really kind of offensive.

I think a number of us would place members of the military and other public servants such as law enforcement higher on the pecking order over those serving in elected office. And I think a lot of elected officials would agree. Not that legislators are bad people by any means, but when you’re passing a resolution to declare yourself to be more awesome than health care providers who are exposing themselves to a pandemic that’s actually killing people, it falls a little flat.

Representatives Tom Pischke, Aaron Aylward, and Phil Jensen have put their names to a measure where there’s a lot of self-glorification going on. And they should withdraw this self-serving tripe before they embarrass themselves any further.

Of course, the measure doesn’t end at naked egotism and self-conceit as they honor themselves. It also engages in holier-than-thou declarations “that all members of the House of Representatives and the Senate strive to ensure that their conduct and their attention to the people’s business always brings credit to the legislative institution.”

That sounds like a phrase that someone is going to throw back at them later. Did Phil Jensen show his good conduct as an example before or after his declarations about people’s race and the shape of their skulls?  And there are some who think that Tom Pischke’s time in the legislature was less about the people’s business as opposed to less noble pursuits as well.

Ugh. This legislative session is challenging enough without some of the people we’ve sent to Pierre passing resolutions to massage their own egos.

Rounds Votes to Confirm General Lloyd Austin to be Secretary of Defense

WASHINGTON —U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today voted to confirm General Lloyd Austin to be the Secretary of Defense. Rounds also supported a waiver for Mr. Austin, which is necessary because he is not yet seven years removed from military service. Austin was confirmed by a vote of 93-2

“Mr. Austin will make an excellent Secretary of Defense,” said Rounds. “He has earned praise from his colleagues throughout his military career, from the time he entered the Army in 1975 to working his way up to become a four-star general. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I look forward to working with Mr. Austin on continuing to strengthen our national defense, especially in the cyber realm. We will also be working closely with him as we bring the next-generation B-21 Raider bombers to Ellsworth Air Force Base in the near future.”

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