Author: @SoDakCampaigns

On count 1 of the articles of impeachment…

Article I: Crimes Causing the Death of Joseph Boever

S.D. Const., Art. XVI, § 3 provides that the House of Representatives may impeach “state and judicial officers,” for “drunkenness, crimes, corrupt conduct, or malfeasance or misdemeanors in office.” Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg committed crimes causing the death of Joseph Boever, specifically:

(1) On the evening of September 12, 2020, Attorney General Ravnsborg failed to operate his vehicle within its proper lane, crossed outside such lane, diverted his attention from the road, and struck pedestrian and Highmore, South Dakota, resident Joseph Boever;

(2) Joseph Boever died immediately from the collision; and

(3) Attorney General Ravnsborg pleaded no contest and was found guilty of two separate crimes, including illegal lane change, the crime that caused the death of Joseph Boever.

Wherefore, this Article of Impeachment for crimes causing the death of Joseph Boever is hereby adopted, and Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg must face trial for impeachment in the Senate of the State of South Dakota pursuant to S.D. Const., Art. XVI, § 2.

Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg was impeached on the first article on a vote of 24 yes, 9 no, and 2 excused, and removed from office.

As I attempted to pull up the closed captions on the Ravnsborg trial, I found myself stymied, because.. there aren’t any.  Despite the fact that over 20% of the state’s population has some form of a hearing impairment?

There is also federal guidance on this, which brought me to note on Twitter – So, how does @SoDakPB broadcast the Ravnsborg impeachment trial, making it available on the internet, without any closed captioning? The FCC provides a couple of exemptions from closed captioning, such as the ability to claim an “undue burden” and at one time there was an exemption of only being “of local public interest.”

But, if YouTube has software which can do it on the fly nowadays, I’m not sure why public broadcasting would consider it an undue burden. And South Dakota is a big state. If they’re claiming a local exemption, I’d like to see what they mean by “local.”

Given how much of South Dakota’s funding comes from public sources, both State and Federal, and the number of people in the state who have hearing loss, I would think that providing captioning to go along with their coverage of the legislature would be more of a priority.

You can watch here: https://www.sd.net/senate-audio/

Received this letter in the mail this last weekend from the Dave Natvig for AG campaign, so I’m sharing for your consideration:

The South Dakota Fraternal Order of Police issued an endorsement (via the Marty Jackley facebook page) endorsing the former Attorney General to return to the job:

In the middle of moving kids in and out, and across the country over the past couple of weeks, I got a call this morning that my 1889 Pierre for Capital broadside was finally done at the framing shop. One quick trip to Sioux Falls later, and I’ve got it up on the wall as the centerpiece of my collection.

Dang. That’s just nice.   Only issue now is that I need to go to Walmart and buy a pile of command strips so I can reset everything, and get the items back on the wall that I had to pull down to make room.

District 30 election recount schedule, impeachment, GOP Convention and more
by Rep. Tim Goodwin

Greetings!  It’s official.  The recount for District 30 Senate race is as follows: Pennington County Monday, June 27^th at 9am; Custer County Monday, June 27^th at 2pm; Fall River County Tuesday, June 28^th at 9am. All recounts are held at the respective county courthouses with the Auditor’s Office in charge.  All are open to the public.

Also, the property tax summer study is having its first meeting at 10am on June 27^th in room 362 in the State Capitol.

Working backwards chronologically, we are gaveling in at 10am Tuesday, June 21^st in the House of Representatives for a Special Session regarding the impeachment trial of our Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg (pronounced rounsborg).  The Attorney General was impeached on April 12, 2022, by the House of Representatives.  Now the Senate conducts the trial scheduled for June 21 and 22.

This is unprecedented ground as a State Constitutional Officer hasn’t been impeached since statehood November 2^nd of 1889.  The Senate’s job is to conduct the trial to determine if the AG is guilty of the articles of impeachment.  If the Senate decides that he is guilty, then their next job is to pass punishment which could include removal from office.  Since the impeachment, Attorney General Rovnsborg has been suspended from his official duties.

Another event happening soon is the State Republican Convention held this year in Watertown.  The dates are June 23 through 25.  The highlights of the convention will be selection of the Constitutional Officers to be on the ballot in the General Election held November 8, 2022.  There are two hotly contended races among the Republicans.  First is the Attorney General’s race.  Previous Attorney General Marty Jackley is running against David Natvig, the current Director of South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).  The other race is our current Secretary of State Steve Barnett running against Monae Johnson from Rapid City who has worked in the Secretary of State’s office in the past.

The rest of the Constitutional Officers include Lieutenant Governor Larry Rhoden, State Treasurer Josh Haeder, Auditor Rich Sattgast, and Public Utilities Commissioner Chris Nelson.  These each look to be unchallenged.  The remaining Constitutional Officer post is School and Public Lands Commissioner.  Ryan Brunner has served two terms, so is ineligible for re-election.  State Senator Brock Greenfield looks to be the only candidate who is currently running for that post.

Remember, at the State Convention only the delegates are eligible to vote, and they have to be present to vote, meaning no phone-ins or proxy voting.  I will keep you posted!

To the citizens of South Dakota and to the men and women in uniform, in honor of all who served, in respectful memory of all who fell, and in great appreciation to those who serve today, Thank You, for giving me the opportunity to represent you.

Tim R. Goodwin, District 30 Representative and candidate for Senate
Tim.goodwin@sdlegislature.gov

Impeachment is on the agenda this week, as most Senators plan on coming to Pierre for the hearing. I have heard that Julie Frye Mueller is not going to be there as a result of the death of her brother-in-law, but otherwise, most should be participating in this historic proceeding that our state has never faced before.

Senators will have limited passes for the gallery, as they are treating it much like proceedings in Congress or other legislatures, as you can note from this tweet from the Argus’ Joe Sneve..

Seating will be limited in the Senate gallery for the Ravnsborg impeachment trial. So these are being distributed ahead of Tuesday and Wednesday’s proceedings. pic.twitter.com/WNNTtUs3Kn

— Joe Sneve (@Argus_Joe) June 17, 2022

Most hope they can be completed in 2 days, but there are thoughts it could run into Thursday, which would place it right on top of the start of the Republican State Convention.

This is going to be a historic week in South Dakota. Keep on watching.

Record-high inflation and supply chain bottlenecks are driving up prices and hitting South Dakota’s economy particularly hard. While it’s true that supply chain issues and the reopening of economies after COVID shutdowns contributed somewhat to inflationary pressures, a big reason for our current inflation crisis is too much spending on Democrat priorities in Washington. Unfortunately, there is no easy fix for the inflation crisis, but, in addition to stopping wasteful and unnecessary spending, there are actions we can take to lessen the blow.

For more than a year now, foreign-flagged ocean carriers have been playing games with American agriculture exports. Businesses from Strider Bikes in Rapid City to Valley Queen Cheese in Milbank have been experiencing port delays, equipment access issues, and declined bookings for months. These delays have a significantly negative impact on our state’s economy. Last year, more than 2 million pounds of South Dakota lactose was sold and ready to ship, but it sat for months in Valley Queen’s warehouse waiting for an empty container to become available. On top of that, the National Milk Producers Federation estimates that export supply chain challenges cost the U.S. dairy sector nearly $1 billion in the first six months of 2021.

South Dakota farmers and ranchers feed and fuel the world, and consumers and businesses look to them for in-demand agricultural goods. American manufacturers support many of the essential parts and products that fill our homes, businesses, and store shelves. In the last two years, agricultural exporters lost at least 22 percent of foreign sales, yet carriers continue to report record profits, bringing in two-or-three-times the revenue they predicted. Many ag exporters in the state have also been dealing with increased costs to ship goods overseas and the effects of shipping container delays and cancelations. South Dakota businesses – especially small businesses, which have fewer resources to fight supply chain problems – are also struggling to meet the demands of their customers.

After unanimously passing in the U.S. Senate, our bipartisan, bicameral Ocean Shipping Reform Act made its way through the U.S. House of Representatives where it recently passed with strong, bipartisan support. With the help of U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), our critical legislation that will help ease supply chain pressures, particularly at our nation’s ports, is now the law of the land.

The Ocean Shipping Reform Act is the strongest fix to our maritime laws in a generation. The legislation will strengthen the authority of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) by providing it with new tools to help level the playing field for American exporters and counteract anticompetitive behavior. The bill will also help FMC more efficiently resolve disputes between ocean carriers and shippers, while also taking actions at the U.S. Department of Transportation to alleviate strain across the supply chain.

Our legislation will help ease supply chain pressures by addressing unfair ocean carrier practices, speeding up the resolution of disputes over carrier fees, and improving the movement of goods at our nation’s ports. It won’t solve our nation’s inflation crisis, but it should help make life easier for U.S. exporters, importers, and consumers alike. Our bill isn’t a silver bullet, but help is on the way.

Finding common ground in Washington is no easy feat, and we are grateful that the House and Senate came to an agreement on these important reforms to our nation’s shipping laws. The Ocean Shipping Reform Act proves that Congress can still do big things in a bipartisan way. We are proud to show that South Dakotans know how to work across the aisle and deliver meaningful results for our country at a time when we need it the most.

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Family is important. President Ronald Reagan once said, “if the family goes, so goes our civilization.”   

While our society has changed greatly since President Reagan spoke these words, kids still need a father in their lives. There is more than one path to fatherhood. There’s one I would like to highlight this Father’s Day weekend: Foster Fathers.  

Last year, Governor Noem created a new initiative called Stronger Families Together and set a goal of enrolling 300 new foster families every year for five years. The Stronger Families initiative was successful in reaching its goal in our first year, and I am proud to be a part of it.  

I want to thank all the families who have stepped up to provide this support for children and families in crisis. As the Bible says, “Iron sharpens iron.” Foster families do this by providing additional support and encouragement to the parents of the children they are fostering. They provide a safe, loving home for kids to live in while their birth parents work through their struggles. Sometimes, foster families become that forever home for the kids they help.   

Whether you’re a dad, a stepdad, a foster dad, an adopted dad, or even just a father figure in a child’s life, you are providing something that our children cannot buy. You are a protector, a mentor, a disciplinarian, a source of comfort, and whenever called upon, a friendly ear to listen. Their tiny feet find their way through the world by following your footsteps.   

My wife Sandy and I have worked hard as parents, raising our kids to be strong and successful. They are taking those lessons now and applying them to their own families. Just this week, Sandy and I were blessed with our sixth grandchild – a baby girl. There’s nothing more amazing than the day you get promoted to grandpa.    

My father was my hero when I was growing up. If on the day I die, my children have half as much respect and admiration for me as I did for my father, I will consider life a success. For those new fathers who may be short on experience, here are a few quotes from inspiring Americans on what it means to be a father:  

“My father used to say that it’s never too late to do anything you want to do. And he said, ‘You never know what you can accomplish until you try.’” — Michael Jordan  

“The greatest tribute a boy can give to his father is to say, ‘When I group up, I want to be just like my dad.’” — Billy Graham  

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. May God bless you and your families.  

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