Author: @SoDakCampaigns

A Little Bit of Commonsense Goes a Long Way
By Sen. John Thune

“I’ve always thought that when we Americans get up in the morning, when we see bacon, eggs, toast, and milk on our breakfast table, we should give thanks that our farmers are survivors. You are the real miracle workers of the modern world – keepers of an incredible system based on faith, freedom, hard work, productivity, and profit – a system that feeds us and sustains millions of the world’s hungry.”

When President Reagan delivered that message to the American people in 1982, the U.S. agriculture economy was in the throes of a severe recession. South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers are familiar with adversity, and while today’s agriculture economy technically isn’t in a recession, technicalities don’t matter. Times are really tough, and an already sluggish agriculture economy has been accentuated by the hurdles of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Farm and ranch families know I’m in their corner, no matter the circumstances. While the farm bill is one of the best chances to enact meaningful and long-term policy changes, it only comes around every five years, at the earliest. Conditions in farm country can change on a dime, though, which means we don’t have the luxury of sitting around and waiting for the next farm bill to come around. I’m always learning from and listening to South Dakota’s agriculture community and acting when necessary.

In 2019, many producers throughout the Great Plains, including South Dakota, weren’t able to plant their fields due to extreme weather events. Given the reality of a late planting season, many producers turned to cover crops on their prevented plant acres, of which there were nearly 4 million acres in South Dakota alone. While it’s a good option for producers, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Risk Management Agency rule prohibited haying or grazing prevented plant acres prior to November 1 each year without a reduction in producers’ prevented plant payments.

Anyone who’s spent a fall or winter in South Dakota knows that by the time November rolls around, we’ve likely already encountered frost or snow – not exactly the kind of weather that’s conducive to growing crops outdoors. Having a single date for every corner of the country just doesn’t make sense. I’ve repeatedly delivered that message to USDA, and after working with them for several months last year, they moved up the haying and grazing date to September 1, which is far more manageable for our producers.

USDA’s administrative change only applied to 2019, but if the arbitrary, late-in-season date didn’t make sense last year, why does it make sense this year or any year going forward? On March 12, 2020, I introduced the Cover Crop Flexibility Act of 2020 to provide a permanent and common-sense solution to this problem. My bill would eliminate the arbitrary November 1 date restriction and allow producers to hay or graze cover crops on prevented plant acres outside of the primary nesting season, which ends August 1 each year in South Dakota.

Until Congress is able to act on my legislation, I asked USDA to simply extend the change they made in 2019 through the 2020 planting season. While we ran into a bit of resistance at first, we kept pressure on USDA leadership, who ultimately relented.

On August 17, USDA announced it would allow producers with excess moisture and flooding to hay, graze, or chop cover crops on prevented plant acres beginning September 1 in Beadle, Brown, Brule, Campbell, Clark, Codington, Day, Edmunds, Faulk, Hand, Hanson, Hyde, McPherson, Marshall, Potter, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, and Walworth counties.

I’m glad producers were ultimately given a reprieve this year, but the fact that USDA has made this change two years in a row highlights the importance of passing my Cover Crop Flexibility Act. Commonsense should prevail on this issue, and I can assure South Dakota producers that I’ll be pushing for its passage to avoid similar obstacles next year and beyond.

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South Dakotans are Bolstering the American Food Supply Chain
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)
August 20, 2020

During the month of August, Congress traditionally takes an extended break from Washington to spend time at home to hear firsthand from their constituents, and this year is no different. It’s an opportunity for me to travel the state and hear directly from you about the issues you care about. While this year looks a little different – with many events like Dakotafest, county fairs and concerts being canceled, and others being held virtually– I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to visit with a number of South Dakotans in our first couple weeks of August.

Most recently, I was in the Wall area to meet with local ranchers to update them on legislation we’ve been working on to correct some of the ongoing issues plaguing the cattle market. I also stopped by a local meat processing facility and got to meet with Ken Charfauros, who has been the owner of Wall Meat Processing since 2017.

Ken is a veteran of the Air Force. His last duty station was at Ellsworth Air Force Base before retiring after 30 years and 13 deployments post-9/11. While stationed at Ellsworth, he fell in love with the Black Hills and decided to make West River his home. From the moment he and his partner, Janet Niehaus, took over Wall Meat Processing, they sought ways to update the 50-plus year facility and help bring more local beef and pork to the area. Locally-raised meat products are sold right at Wall Meat Processing or can be found at the Red Rock Restaurant a few blocks down the street, a restaurant Ken and Janet also own.

Ken also helped start a program to bring locally-raised and processed beef to school lunch programs, which was launched a couple years ago. It’s an opportunity for our South Dakota students to get high-quality, nutritious meat while also opening up new opportunities for local ranchers. Today, 10 schools participate in the program, including schools in Wall, Kadoka, New Underwood and elsewhere. They’ve had a lot of success in the few years they’ve owned Wall Meat Processing, and during our visit they told me they hope to expand the facility in the near future.

It is processors like Ken who would benefit from legislation I’ve introduced that would pave the way for meat and poultry products that pass state inspection standards to be sold across state lines. It’s important to note that state meat inspection standards are required by law to be “at least equal” to federal inspection standards. This would help to open up new markets for South Dakota’s top quality meat and poultry products at a time when our food supply chain is under stress.

Additionally, South Dakota cattle producers are put at a competitive disadvantage due to unfair labeling requirements in our country. There is a loophole in our laws that allows for beef from overseas to be labeled as a “Product of the U.S.A.” if it undergoes any type of processing here. It’s just not right. It’s unfair to both our hardworking American producers as well as to consumers, who deserve transparency in what they’re buying. I’ve introduced a bill with Senator John Thune to close that loophole so we can make sure only beef that has been born, raised and slaughtered here can have a “Product of the U.S.A.” label. I’m also working on legislation requiring the U.S. Trade Representative to enter into negotiations that would allow for Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling to be reinstated without the threat of tariffs. These common sense proposals will help improve the prices our cattle producers can get for their products.

In order to establish a fair cattle market for producers, real, vigorous price discovery is also needed. I’ve introduced legislation with Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa that would require a minimum of 50 percent of a meat packer’s weekly volume of beef slaughter be purchased on the open or spot market. Our legislation will provide much-needed transparency to the cattle industry to make sure producers are paid fairly for their product.

In the Senate, I’ll continue prioritizing ways to strengthen our food supply chain and support South Dakota producers. As I continue my August travels across the state, I look forward to meeting with more people like Ken, who run small businesses that are vital to their local economies, who are deeply involved in their communities, and who would benefit from less government intrusion and more common sense on federal policies.

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Local Services Matter
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
August 21, 2020

The last several months continue to serve as a reminder of services critical to all Americans. Two of those services have been on the forefront of my mind recently: The United States Postal Service and local newspapers.

Each are important for different reasons – the USPS plays a vital role in delivering medications and other essential goods, and our local newspapers work day in and day out to keep South Dakotans informed of what’s happening both locally and nationally.

In recent weeks, there has been a lot of discussion about the postal service. I want to make one thing clear – I’m a strong supporter of our post offices. I’ve signed onto legislation that would prevent any action to privatize the postal service and supported a resolution stating the USPS should take all appropriate measures to ensure a 6-day mail delivery service. Earlier, this year I voted in favor of a $10 billion loan to the USPS through the CARES Act.

The reality is, however, the postal service has been in trouble for a number of years, and has lost money for the last 13 years. Last year USPS lost almost $9 billion.Congress needs to prioritize ways to fix it, but I’m wary about any drastic changes in service so close to the presidential election and during a pandemic. I do support additional funds being given to the postal service, but it shouldn’t be a blank check, especially considering its revenues are up this year. Congress needs to do more than just throw money at the problem – that’s a cop out Congress utilizes far too often. I’m confident we can maintain a strong postal service even during a pandemic.

Like most industries, local media hasn’t been immune from the financial impact of COVID-19. A slowdown of advertisements and subsequent layoffs continue to threaten our ability to maintain a free press. A free and vibrant press is a necessity for our democracy, which is why along with my Democrat colleague Rep. Collin Peterson, I introduced the Preserving Readership and Information of Newspapers for Tomorrow (PRINT) Act this week.

The PRINT Act would make the cost of print production of local print media eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) much like rent and salaries are included in the program as it is right now. Currently, local media is eligible for the PPP, but printing costs are not forgivable under the program guidelines. This bill will help alleviate some of the burden our print shops are facing.

As Congress continues to debate Coronavirus relief for communities and industries across our nation, we need to keep in mind that local services matter. I’ll continue to remind my colleagues of the importance of these services as I head back to Washington this week.

By the Numbers: South Dakota’s COVID-19 Response

By Governor Kristi Noem 
August 21, 2020

We’re coming up on six months since South Dakota started our fight against COVID-19. I’ve worked hard to provide South Dakotans with the best information possible to make the best decisions for themselves, their loved ones, and – in turn – their communities. And that’s something that I couldn’t do alone; it’s been a team effort since day one.

Nearly every state government agency has been involved in our efforts, but our Department of Health has been particularly stellar in the work that they’ve done. I also need to thank our three major healthcare systems: Avera, Monument, and Sanford. They’ve gone above and beyond and collaborated in ways I’ve never seen before, and the state is far better off for their efforts.

I’m proud of the work we’ve done together, and I wanted to share with you some stats that demonstrate what we’ve accomplished so far:

• We’ve identified over 10,000 cases of COVID-19 and notified over 30,000 close contacts.
• More than 120,000 people have tested negative for COVID-19.
• Our COVID-19 hotline has responded to over 36,000 calls. In addition, the Department of Health’s call center has received over 9,000 calls.
• The COVID.sd.gov website has received almost 7.3 million unique visits since it was launched on January 27^th.
• We’ve distributed over 500,000 N-95 respirators and over 1,000,000 surgical masks from the state stockpile to healthcare providers statewide.
• The Department of Health has hosted over 70 webinars for healthcare professionals, long-term care facilities, and laboratories.
• We’ve tested over 18,500 nursing home and assisted living center residents and staff, as well as almost 1,000 residents and staff of congregate living facilities as part of our mass-testing efforts.
• We’ve assisted all 9 tribes in the state in their mass testing efforts.
• The Department of Health and the Department of Education have hosted ten informational sessions for school superintendents and school nurses and have been hosting daily webinars for schools since August 10^th.
• We’ve provided technical assistance to 195 businesses in the state.
• The Department of Health has conducted 55 hotspot calls with local communities.
• The Department of Health has conducted 152 focused infection control surveys of nursing homes and assisted living centers.
• My office and the Department of Health have hosted over 110 media briefings.

Our fight isn’t over. We will continue to see cases in the months to come. We’ll keep our focus on taking smart steps and exercising personal responsibility to protect the most vulnerable among us. As I’ve told you many times, together, we will get through this. Together, we’re proving that we can.

In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. famously declared “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

I can’t help but contrast that with an editorial appearing today at ArgusLeader.com

The Argus Leader is announcing today that it’s creating new newsroom positions, and announcing that hiring for those positions will be based on the color of people’s skin

To start, after a slew of promotions and beat changes, we are hiring for two reporter positions. That’s an immediate opportunity to diversify our ranks by adding journalists of color. It is also in line with the goal of our parent company, Gannett, to reach parity in staffing between each of its newsrooms and the communities they serve by 2025.

Read that here.

During the period of time I was growing up, equality has always been a noble goal and aspiration. At least it had until recent years, and we now seem to be abandoning the goal of people just being treated equally – looking past race, gender or other factors. We’re setting up such things as safe zones based on a classification, where people are actually being excluded in the name of equality.

That just doesn’t seem very equal.

Maybe it’s generational, and some of us just don’t get the new way of doing things. But, it seems that the Argus is announcing that it’s exactly about a person’s color. And they intend to treat people unequally, and it’s built into their intended hiring practices.

I can’t help but ask that as a nation, are we just giving up on Dr. King’s dream of equality, and a person being judged on the content of their character?

And now we’re just supposed to simply check boxes?

Chatting with a legislator today who had the following observation:

Dakota Free Press is way out of line commenting on Governor Noem’s children and their choice of colleges. It just seems nothing is sacred anymore and that is a major reason why good people don’t consider running for public office. We’ve lost a little more civility and it is very sad.

What this astute gentleman was noting is that Noem Derangement Syndrome seems is at an all time high over at Dakota Free Press, as former Democrat Legislative Candidate Cory Heidelberger has been on a tear lately attacking Governor Kristi Noem’s children (and the Governor herself) because two of her children have decided to attend school out of state, one for a graduate program, and another for their undergrad.

Governor Kristi Noem took her daughter to college yesterday. Kennedy Noem is graduating from nepotism to grad school, seeking her MBA at Belmont University in Nashville.

Read that here.

and…

…after dropping her daughter off at grad school  in Tennessee, Governor Kristi Noem proceeded to render her youngest child ineligible for political office in South Dakota by taking him to an out-of-state college in Missouri.

Read that here.

We already know that Cory is no stranger to crossing in appropriate lines, as evidenced by his weird thing with female political candidates, but Is Cory so desperate to lob bombs that he has to take it out on Governor Noem’s kids?

Kids are going to lead their own life, and make their own choices. While I’m sure Kristi’s kids love their home state deeply, I’m sure they have their own reasons and their own choices for the schools they’ve selected. It may have nothing to do with politics. Or they might be glad to be away from buffoons like Cory while they study.

The important point is that the school they attend is their choice, and they aren’t candidates for anything.

Yes, it’s evidence that we’ve lost a little more civility.  If the Noem kids can take solace in anything, frequent blog commenter grudznick had an observation about the ease with which Heidelberger is triggered:

Tonight’s goat gotten, indeed.

The Argus is reporting tonight there are close to 100,000 absentee voters who have requested ballots for the fall election:

Nearly 20% of South Dakota’s registered voters have already requested an absentee ballot for the November election amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

South Dakota voters can request their absentee ballots now, but county auditors won’t mail them until absentee voting begins on Sept. 18 in the state. Secretary of State Steve Barnett is encouraging residents to return their absentee ballots sooner rather than later to ensure that they reach the county auditor in time to be counted on Nov. 3.

Statewide, 97,000 absentee ballots have already been requested for the general election in November.

Read the entire story here.

100,000. That’s almost as many voters that the GOP has over state Democrats in voter registration numbers.

If you recall, there was a meeting held a little while after the withdrawal of Bill Hines from the District 27 State House contest to replace him with Liz May, who successfully campaigned among the affected GOP County organizations to run to be Hines replacement in the contest.

But.. maybe not as successful as might have been thought.

I had a correspondent this afternoon note that they read the SOS list today, and noticed that “Liz May isn’t there and I thought Kolbeck had achallenger in 13 Senate.”

Well… about that.

According to the Secretary of State this afternoon, Liz May was successful in being nominated to replace Bill HInes as the GOP Candidate. BUT… according to the SOS, “three of the four counties did not fill out the nomination form correctly, so we had to reject it.”

That’s not good. The SOS notes that they have not received a challenge to the ballot placement just yet.

As far as the Kolbeck challenger, the SOS elections office tells me that “The Democrat candidate that was nominated to fill Justyn Hauck’s vacancy in District 13, had both forms filled out incorrectly.  They challenged it in court and the judge ordered our office to place her name on the ballot,” with Elizabeth “Liz” Larson being placed on the ballot today.

And in D25 Senate with Marsha Symens, it’s my understanding that the certification form was mailed in time, and is en route via registered mail, and should be delivered this week.

Stay tuned.

Rounds, Smith and Baldwin Introduce Bipartisan Plan to Invest in Rural Public Transit

Legislation Would Increase Federal Contribution for Certain Rural Transit Projects

 

PIERRE—U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) recently introduced bipartisan legislation to improve public transportation in certain rural communities across the country. The Investments in Rural Transit Act would increase the federal contribution for operating assistance in rural areas with high transit dependency.

“Rural transit plays an important role in the lives of many South Dakotans,” said Rounds. “For those who don’t own a car or cannot drive, rural transit provides a way to get to work, attend medical appointments and visit friends and family. As a large, rural state, our transit operators often have to drive long distances. Our legislation would allow transit operators in extreme need to receive a higher federal share of operating assistance so they can continue to provide necessary services to residents.”

“High-quality, reliable public transit systems are important for Minnesotans who count on them to get to work, school, the doctor and more,” said Smith. “This legislation will support rural public transit in communities that need it most. Thanks to the public transit workers in Minnesota for all that you do for our community. Please stay safe and healthy.”

“In Wisconsin and across the country, limited public transportation options in our rural communities can often be a significant barrier for folks getting to work, going to the store, seeing the doctor, and more,” said Baldwin. “Reliable transit needs support now more than ever, and our bipartisan legislation is about investing in innovative and efficient public transportation so workers and families in our rural communities can get to job hubs, health care services and other important destinations, and keep our Made in Wisconsin economy moving forward.”

The Federal Transit Administration provides grants to support rural public transportation, but it can be difficult for certain rural communities to provide the necessary local contribution to qualify for assistance.

The Investments in Rural Transit Act would increase the federal share to eighty percent for operating assistance in certain areas with high transit dependency. For a transit project to qualify, it must serve a county that meets one of the following criteria:

1. An “area of persistent poverty,” defined by the Census as a county in which at least 20 percent of the population has lived in poverty during the most recent 30-year period.
2. A county with many older Americans, where at least 25 percent of residents are over the age of sixty five.
3. A county with healthcare shortages, defined as a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA).
4. A county with low population density, defined as having no more than 20 people per square mile, based on Census data.

You can read a summary of the bill here.

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From the Republican Governor’s Association, the RGA noted Governor Kristi Noem’s recognition of being one of the most influential South Dakota women of the century by USA Today:

Governor Kristi Noem’s lasting impact on the Mount Rushmore State earned her a spot as one of ten women honored from South Dakota in the USA TODAY Network’s “Women of the Century” list unveiled this month to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.

Governor Noem is widely recognized as a trailblazer, and her election as the first woman governor of South Dakota is just one part of her inspiring story.

and…

Governor Noem is also an innovative policymaker, advancing initiatives to promote responsible spending, minimal taxes and regulations, personal responsibility, and rural America. From her UpSkill program linking workers displaced by COVID-19 to high-demand jobs, to her Connect South Dakota initiative delivering on her campaign promise to expand broadband access, Governor Noem has played a significant role in the fight for a better quality of life for all South Dakotans.

Read the entire story here.