Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Attorney General Jackley Announces Former State Employee Indicted For Using Family-Use Voucher for Personal Use 

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that a former South Dakota Department of Social Services employee has been charged with using a DSS grocery voucher, intended for families in need, for personal use.

“It is alleged this defendant abused her position by using resources intended to help others for her own personal gain,” said Attorney General Jackley. “The Attorney General’s Office intends to continue to prosecute these cases to regain the public’s trust in state government. I appreciate the Department of Social Services’ cooperation throughout this investigation.”

Amalia Escalante Barrientos, 28, of Brookings is charged with one misdemeanor count of Obtaining Money, Property or Assistance by Fraud from Social Services or Related Programs. The maximum penalty is a one-year sentence in the county jail, a $2,000 fine or both.

An investigation by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) found that the defendant had used the voucher, which is provided by DSS to families the department works with, to purchase groceries for her own personal use. The incident occurred at a Brookings business on Oct. 11, 2024.

The Attorney General’s Office will prosecute the case.

Barrientos has not yet made her initial court appearance. She is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.

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From Twitter, Congressman Dusty Johnson has high praise for Governor Noem:

.@KristiNoem will get the job done as Secretary of Homeland Security. pic.twitter.com/1qnWazkyvo

— Rep. Dusty Johnson (@RepDustyJohnson) January 9, 2025

Johnson Introduces Bill to Repurchase Panama Canal

 Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), a member of the Select Committee on China and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, introduced the Panama Canal Repurchase Act, which would authorize the purchase of the Panama Canal. President Donald Trump has stated his interest in bringing the canal back under American ownership to improve national and economic security.

“President Trump is right to consider repurchasing the Panama Canal,” said Johnson. “China’s interest in and presence around the canal is a cause for concern. America must project strength abroad – owning and operating the Panama Canal might be an important step towards a stronger America and a more secure globe.”

The Panama Canal is of strategic importance to the United States. The commercial importance cannot be overstated – according to the U.S. Department of State, around 72% of all vessel transits through the canal are coming from or destined to a U.S. port. It is also a key transit point for Coast Guard and Department of Defense vessels.

Without access to the Panama Canal, ocean shippers would be forced to travel 8,000 additional miles around South America. More than 10,000 ships use the Panama Canal each year, generating billions of dollars of tolls which would economically benefit America.

China’s growing influence in the Panama Canal region is cause for concern. In 2018, Panama was the first country in Latin America to join the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Belt and Road Initiative, and investments from PRC firms in canal infrastructure has only increased since. Further, PRC companies have managing rights for the two ports on either side of the canal.

Johnson has been a leader in Congress to reform ocean shipping and hold China accountable for their unfair shipping practices. He also is also a leader on legislation to prohibit Chinese LiDAR technology from being used on U.S. infrastructure. LiDAR allows China to surveil and collect highly detailed data of America’s critical infrastructure.

The Panama Canal Repurchase Act is cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Troy Nehls (R-TX), Mike Collins (R-GA), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Barry Moore (R-AL), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Mike Rulli (R-OH), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Randy Weber (R-TX), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Erin Houchin (R-IN), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Aaron Bean (R-FL), Abraham Hamadeh (R-AZ), and Brian Babin (R-TX).

Click here for bill text.

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Remember Anthony Mirzyants who yesterday was attacking House Majority Leader Scott Odenbach because House & Senate Leadership (Rep. Odenbach & Sen Mehlhaff ) are carrying the administrations’ bill on Education Savings Accounts?

Why the hate? It seems he dislikes that it’s not his bill.  Or at least the bill from his employers. You see, Mirzyants is in a snit because he has Rep. Heather Baxter carrying his legislation he was paid to support as a lobbyist for his Ron Paul group, Young Americans for Liberty, and as the lobbyist for a special interest organization, he needs to deliver for his paymasters.

In fact, despite the bills being introduced, even before people are being sworn in, he’s continuing to lob bombs against leadership (and the Governor) as “the insiders and their friends.”

As opposed to the legislation being brought by his employer from out of state.

While you’re contemplating all of this, don’t forget that special interest lobbyist Mirzyants is also the same person who was attacking Senate President Pro Tempore Chris Karr for his committee appointments a little more than a month ago:

It seems that a lot of this is manufactured sturm und drang to try to drum up business. And to provide fodder for the weekly reports he has to send to his superiors to justify them sending a paycheck from Texas to South Dakota.  I’m sure we’ll see plenty more manufactured outrage directed as leadership to justify something going in a report, and to collect names for sending fundraising appeals to.

As opposed to actually having a seat at the table or accomplishing anything.

Senate Bill 49 is getting attention in the news this week as it’s another half-baked bag of goofy from our out of state transplant Senator John “California” Carley.   SB49 attempts to go after CO2 sequestration pipelines, but in the final section of the bill, it goes farther and also attacks wind and solar power production. As noted on KELOland News:

Why are wind farms and solar farms also covered by your proposed ban?

“I personally use and enjoy some of the benefits of renewables like wind and solar,” Carley said. “However, it’s only there in the case of the exercise of eminent domain when a landowner does not want parts of those projects to go through their land, even after being offered a payment. If the landowner is willing to lease their land, they certainly can. These are just current and future Green New Deal ideas that have been raised, and so instead of having to fight to keep land after the fact, we would like to fix the loophole before it becomes an issue.”

Read it all here.

If you want to read that section of the bill for yourself..

Section 5. That a NEW SECTION be added to chapter 49-41B:

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person may not exercise the right of eminent domain to construct a solar energy facility, wind energy facility, or any facility that qualifies for a tax credit pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 45 (August 16, 2022) or 26 U.S.C. § 48 (January 1, 2023).

The problem with Carley’s proposal? As I understand, in the last section Carley is purporting to take away eminent domain rights THAT WIND AND SOLAR DON’T HAVE NOW. 

For God’s sake don’t tell Carley that snipe hunting or sleeping cows that tip over can infringe on a landowner’s rights. Because I’m sure that will be the next bill he tries to bring.

 

 

That was quick.

Ex-Senator Julie Frye Mueller’s buddy Anthony Mirzayants is taking to facebook to attack State Representative Scott Odenbach over Odenbach’s sponsorship of House Bill 1020 establishing education savings accounts.

As noted in the post from Mirzyants…

Scott Odenbach – Your FAKE School Choice Bill is awful. You are completely dropping the ball, and I don’t know why.
YOU ARE INTRODUCING NEEDLESS REGULATION. This is dangerous.
Stop. Take a breather. Withdraw your bill.
Let the REAL School Choice champions handle this.

Just a thought.. maybe they can agree to sit on this and work things out.

For at least a few years…

Thune Previews Senate Agenda, Key Priorities  

“We have a lot of work to do. But the American people have chosen the right team to get it done.”

 Click here to watch the video.  

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

Attorney General Jackley Urges and Supports President-Elect Trump’s Efforts to Secure Southern Border

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined 19 other State Attorneys General in sending a letter to President-elect Trump asking him to secure the southern border when he takes office later this month.

“We support President-elect Trump’s plan to secure the southern border and stop the surge in illegal immigrants into the United States,” said Attorney General Jackley. “A secure southern border will help keep dangerous illegal drugs from entering the nation and eventually into South Dakota.”

Last year, Attorney General Jackley, along with Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, and North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley, argued in North Dakota U.S. Federal Court against a proposed federal rule that would treat certain illegal immigrants as legal citizens. The court later ruled in favor of the 19 states that had challenged the proposed federal rule.

Other Attorney Generals who signed the border security letter are from: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Read the letter here.

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After 33 years with the South Dakota Attorney General’s office long-time Deputy AG Charlie McGuigan is hanging up his hat with State Government and riding off into the sunset. Starting with the AG in 1991, he worked primarily on natural resource issues, Indian Law and legislative issues.

Friends and co-workers are gathering tonight in Pierre at the Fieldhouse to wish him well, as he embarks on bigger and better things.

Congratulations, Charlie!

 

I had mentioned it in an earlier post, and hot off the press, a reader was kind enough to forward State Representative Travis Ismay‘s beg to his fellow legislators for co-sponsorship on his attack against the medical marijuana industry in South Dakota:

Sponsorship Request:

34-20G is part of the marijuana industries plan to exploit the state of South Dakota. This travesty was sold to our state in 2020 as something that would help people and bring in large amounts of revenue to the state. It has clearly been neither. The last two elections have been proof that the people of South Dakota do not want this in their state. I would encourage anyone to please read 34-20 G and see if you can find one thing in this law that is good for the people of South Dakota. This law protects drug dealers (34-20g-2to7). Gives special provisions in custody and visitation rights cases to cardholders (34-20g-21). Forces every municipality in the state to allow for a dispensary (34-20g-59), forces every school in the state to allow for a class 1 drug to be administered in school during school hours by whoever they bought the drug from. (34- 20g-95). The issuance of a medical marijuana card to children under the age of 18 (34-20g-33) and this is my favorite. You don’t need an identification card to defend your use of medical marijuana in court.(34- 20g-53) so basically it doesn’t matter how many restrictions you put on procuring a card, you don’t need one. These are just a few Sections in this law that are asinine.

Also, you have to understand how the marijuana industry sold this to the people to get this on the ballot. All of these sections were in four point font and folded up on one piece of paper so no one could read any of these sections before this was on the ballot. If anyone knew what this Law actually said, they would never have voted for this. The people of South Dakota had this crammed down their throat. Most people don’t know that we already had “medical marijuana” in a prescription form, approved by the FDA, Epidiolex (Cannabidiol), Syndros (dronabinol), Marino! (dronabinol) and Cesamet. I believe that if people knew this, they would not have voted to bring this industry into our state. Please consider supporting and sponsoring this bill if you have any questions, please email me or give me a call 605-490-6010. Thank you, and
God bless you.

The problem with his logic is that the South Dakota Legislature itself acted to place medical marijuana into law while the legal case on the ballot measure was winding through the courts, so the line about 4pt type is more than a bit deceptive. And insinuating that voters are ignorant or had it “crammed down their throat” just isn’t a winning strategy.

Was I in favor of it at the time? No. A fairly significant portion of the electorate disagreed and voted otherwise, and the legislature had decided to be proactive and adhere to the will of the voters.  But 4 years down the line, as I noted during this last election, the industry has gotten through their growing pains and has matured. The state is regulating it and tweaking rules and regulations as needed.  It begs the question “why?”

If we have something that is working and is adequately regulated, why does Rep. Ismay feel the need to throw everything out and contradict the will of the voters because it’s his axe to grind?

We’ll see how this goes.  Stay tuned.