Author: @SoDakCampaigns

NDAA—What’s In, What’s Out—A Breakdown
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
December 17, 2021

Last week, the National Defense Authorization (NDAA) for fiscal year 2022 passed the House with a 363-70 vote. This week it passed the Senate. The annual NDAA includes strong policies for our military and wins for South Dakota’s Ellsworth Air Force Base and the future of the B-21 bomber mission.

One of the biggest wins for the military is a pay raise for our troops. The holiday season is a great time to thank and honor our veterans for their sacrifice for our freedoms, and Congress approving this pay raise is just a small way to show our gratefulness for their service. I am truly thankful to all Americans who have chosen to serve our country.

Also included in final passage of the NDAA is a provision that prohibitsthe Department of Defense from dishonorably discharging servicemembers that refuse the COVD-19 vaccine. Servicemembers may only receive an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions. The NDAA also includes provisions to hold the Biden Administration accountable for its withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The final NDAA also included $15 million for a South Dakota Guard Readiness Center in Sioux Falls and $2.87 billion for B-21 development.

While Congress debated many provisions that I’m sure you heard about in the news, several of those hot topic issues did not make it into the final text of the bill. The “red flag” laws that would allow a judge to issue ex parte protective orders to prohibit firearm possession were not included. Many people were concerned about this policy, as was I, which is why I joined dozens of my Republican colleagues to request this proposal be removed from any final package.

Congress also removed a proposal for women in the Selective Service, or the draft. America has not instituted a draft in over 50 years, and I think you’ll see a push over the next year to do away with the Selective Service all together.

The final text of the NDAA also did not include a requirement for defense contractors to pay a $15 minimum wage. I believe in supporting our workers, but a federal one-size-fits-all approach is not the right answer. We need a proposal that can benefit workers and allow for states and local communities to be in charge while being mindful of any harmful secondary effects of changing wages.

While this was not a perfect bill, there were many provisions I was happy to see included. I have and will continue to support sustained and robust funding for the U.S. Armed Forces to ensure our men and women in uniform have the resources necessary to do their jobs.

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That won’t happen here
By Governor Kristi Noem
December 17, 2021

For generations, South Dakotans have held true to the values that make our state a special place to call home. I spend every day working to keep South Dakota a special place to live and strengthen it for the future. By doing so, South Dakota sets an example for the nation.

Because of our hard work, history, and values, South Dakota has become a popular destination for Americans looking to relocate their families. Tens of thousands have already made the move from across the country.

As we welcome new residents to our neighborhoods, we learn bits and pieces about the places where they have come from. Many have stories about deteriorating cities where respect for law and order has declined and violent crime has increased. Others talk about school systems that promote division and revisionist history instead of a true and honest accounting of history.

We reassure ourselves and our new friends by telling them, “That can’t happen here.”

Those may be very destructive words in a thriving society. As the saying goes, “complacency breeds contempt.” We cannot take for granted the blessings of life in South Dakota.

Can it happen here? Yes, but not if we remain vigilant. The response we should all have is “that won’t happen here.” And then we need to take action to make that a reality.

We’ve seen the news coverage about other states shutting down churches, punishing students and faculty for praying in school, or taking away fairness for women in athletic events. That won’t happen here.

This week, I announced two priority pieces of legislation: restoring protections for prayer in school and protecting girls’ sports.

In this legislative session, I am calling on lawmakers to pass a bill allowing for a minute of silent reflection in schools. I believe every student deserves the opportunity to begin their day with a quick prayer. I know this will be a beneficial practice for students and teachers.

The bill allows for a student to pray during this time but does not force them to do so. Instead, the student is free to choose how to use this time to prepare themselves for a successful day of learning.

The second bill I unveiled this week will ensure that only female athletes, based on their biological sex, shall participate in any team sport or athletic event designated as being for females, women, or girls. This would apply to both K-12 schools and colleges.

Ronald Reagan made a great point when he called on Americans “to teach our children the values and the virtues handed down to us by our families, to have the courage to defend those values and the willingness to sacrifice for them.”

It’s not enough to say it cannot happen here. I am taking action every day to make sure bad policies do not find a home here in South Dakota. I hope you all will join me.

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I think one of them escaped, so only two of the three US Senate candidates who won’t get on ballot are going to be at a Hermosa candidate meeting next week:

Republican US Senate Candidates Mark Mowry (accompanied by his hat) and Bruce Whalen will be giving people a chance to “be an informed voter and asking them questions in person.”

No word on where Patrick Schubert is that day.

The Summit Carbon Capture pipeline is making local news across the state as the company behind it speaks with local groups and county officials in an effort to remove carbon, as well as to create jobs and economic development across the area.

A pipeline project that would move liquid carbon dioxide from ethanol plants to underground storage in North Dakota is in the early stages.

Summit Carbon Solutions wants to build the line from Iowa and Nebraska through South Dakota to its destination in central North Dakota.

Pirolli says they are talking to landowners along the proposed route.

Read and listen to the story from WNAX here.

In addition to representatives of the company talking to farmers & landowners this week, Dan Lederman (whom you also know as chair of the SDGOP) was in Watertown talking with the Codington County Commission about the economic impact to the Watertown area:

“So the economic impact.. we’re talking about a $4.5 Billion dollar project.. and what it does for the local communities is a total of 14,000 – 17,000 jobs. And unlike a lot of pipelines where most of those jobs are going to be in construction, this would have a lot more people that would be involved after the fact, that would be ongoing jobs for Codington County. We’re looking for having ongoing operational jobs anywhere from 220 to 307 for the capture & compression and 128-156 to manage the pipeline.”

Read (and listen to) the entire story here.

According to a recent story in Ag Week, there are 31 ethanol plants that have already signed up along the 2000 miles of pipeline planned.

There are news reports today surrounding the gathering that Congressional hopeful Taffy Howard is attending this week in Georgia, which gives a little more context to the recent photos of her with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows:

Cumming Republican Sen. Greg Dolezal, chair of the new Georgia Freedom Caucus, said the goal is to promote conservative values in state legislatures around the country.

and..

Behind him were about 40 state legislators from Wyoming, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Indiana, South Dakota, Mississippi, Arizona, Iowa, Illinois, Texas, Alaska, Idaho and Nevada.

and..

Singleton said the new caucus is following the national group’s lead and not publishing a list of members, though they are free to reveal that they belong to the caucus.

Read the article here.

If you go look at the picture accompanying the article, the picture appears to have two South Dakota legislators hiding in the back;  Taffy Howard who notes her attandance on her facebook page, and State Senator Phil Jensen, who was recently cited by Rolling Stone as also being a member of the Oath Keepers group.

As further noted in the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Back to the drawing board for Democrats.

As I’d reported a couple of weeks ago, State Senator Troy Heinert is confirming to the media that he’s not running for Governor:

Democratic South Dakota Senate Minority Leader Troy Heinert is announcing plans to join the private sector after serving his term in the legislature, passing on a run for Governor.

Heinert accepted a position as Executive Director of the Intertribal Buffalo Council.

“I’m termed out of the Senate anyway, I wasn’t going to run for the House. So it was: run for Governor, US Senator, or the US House. This position came before me, I really believe in its mission and its cause.

Read the entire story here at Dakota News Now.

Disgorgement

“the act of giving up something (such as profits illegally obtained) on demand or by legal compulsion.”
– Black’s Law Dictionary

What does disgorgement have to do with the Democrat’s latest FEC Report? Because the FEC required them to “disgorge” some of the funds they should not have obtained as determined by a FEC audit:

And the rest of the recently filed FEC Report has equally interesting tidbits, which you can read for yourself:

SDDP 12 21 Fec Report by Pat Powers on Scribd

Biggest takeaways from the latest report are that Democrats raised $64,961 in this report, but spent $71,371.

Should I mention that “raised” might be a loose term? Because the Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund gave them a $15,000 donation, and the Democrat National Committee gave them a check for $37,000.   Why the big cash movement to the local Democrats?

A portion of the $15k from the Grassroots fund is most likely their welfare check from the national party to keep the doors open. And the $37,000 from the DNC was likely for another big expense this month – the $40,000 fine from the Federal Elections Commission that the SDDP had to cough up in addition to their disgorgement of funds:

WHOOF! That had to sting, especially for the SDDP, who finds their ending cash in hand at nearly $6500 less than the previous month at $18,629.52

This is not trending in the right direction for the South Dakota Democrat Party at a time when they should be trying to get ready for candidate recruitment.

Thune: Reckless Tax-and-Spending Spree Highlights Democrats’ Big-Government Vision for the Future  

“Government should create the conditions in which freedom, opportunity, and prosperity can flourish – not attempt to secure particular outcomes or dictate the paths Americans should take.”

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

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today discussed how the radical proposals in the Democrats’ reckless tax-and-spending spree highlight the massive difference between the two parties when it comes to their vision for the future of America. Thune noted that preserving liberty is a fundamental purpose of government, and the Democrats’ policies would transfer some of Americans’ decision-making power over to politicians and Washington bureaucrats.

State Senator Tim Johns announced today that after a number of years in office as circuit court judge and in the state legislature, he will not be seeking another term in the State Senate.

As he reflected on his many years of service, he had some thoughts about what legislators and others should bring to the table:

“I was proud of it all, frankly,” he said. “The question I’ve always asked is, is there a problem and do we need to address it? I’ve got a Libertarian bent to me and I don’t think we should have any more laws than what we absolutely need to govern us. That’s been kind of a guiding principle for me. Let’s stay out of the things we don’t need to be in.”

Read the entire story here.

Congressman Dusty Johnson sent an update out today on Second Amendment issues currently before Congress, including measures to deem the firearm industry essential during emergencies, and to limit government interference with firearm innovation.

As received in my mailbox: