From my e-mail box:
Pat,
Tonight at 8pm ET (and again at 10pm ET), Newsmax will be airing a special town hall with Governor Noem from the Reagan Ranch in Santa Barbara, California.
She’ll be sitting down with Rob Schmitt for a wide-ranging conversation and we hope you’ll tune in.
You can either watch online, or on your TV or streaming device.
– Team Noem
Thune: Democrats’ Massive Government Expansion Jeopardizes Individual Liberties
“Republicans oppose Democrats’ tax-and-spending spree because it spends an irresponsible amount of money, but more than that, we oppose it because it moves us further and further away from the American idea of limited government.”
Click here or on the picture above to watch the video.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today called out Democrats for pursuing an irresponsible and reckless tax-and-spending spree that would significantly increase already high inflation and raise taxes on South Dakota families. Thune emphasized that Democrats’ massive government expansion would stifle economic growth and jeopardize individual liberty.
Flags at Half-Staff in Honor of Former Legislator Robert Weber
PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol from sunrise until sundown on Wednesday, September 29 in honor of former State Representative Robert Weber. Weber served as state representative from 1973 to 2000.
A Mass of Christian burial for Weber will be held on Wednesday, September 29, at 10:30 am at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Clear Lake, SD.
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Yes, I read it too, so you don’t have to spam the other posts. There’s a big to do in the media over an age discrimination lawsuit that was settled, with allegations from the media that the Governor was too-involved.
I probably look at it with different eyes. I worked in the same office as Sherry Bren long, long ago when I worked at the Division of Insurance at the Department of Commerce in the mid-90’s, and she was ‘the person’ in the Real Estate Appraiser office. Very nice lady.
Having worked in Real Estate myself over the last decade plus (maybe going back at some point), I also have a few observations about real estate appraisers. If you need a loan, your real estate appraisal can be one of the biggest time bottlenecks for closing. Sometimes you can get them in 2 weeks. Sometimes 30 days. They probably need more people in the industry.
Becoming a real estate appraiser is a very long process, basically an apprenticeship, where you have to go work for someone for quite some time before you can hang your own shingle.
Related to what was allegedly expressed by the Sec. of Labor in the story, it well may be a profession that’s a little behind the times. I don’t know enough about the number of people in line to be an appraiser or the process to say it is, or it isn’t.
If the Governor was made aware of what she saw as unnecessary bottlenecks and hoops, I can see her acting in a manner exactly as Bill Janklow would have and summoning the state employee to a meeting.
Frankly, I don’t know what was said in meetings, so from my perspective, I don’t have any opinion to express beyond that it’s tough to become an appraiser, and we always seemed to need more of them.
Months later, DOL and Sherry Bren parted ways, she thought it was unfair and age-based discrimination, they fought it out and settled. And that brings us to today.
I doubt I’m going to change any minds, and you probably won’t change my experiences. But that’s my 2 cents worth.
South Dakota’s decennial redistricting process seems to have been proceeding in an orderly and cordial manner to this point. Mostly.
“Shady politics?” Did I say it was cordial?
District 16 State Representative Kevin Jensen has been on facebook in recent weeks loudly protesting legislative redistricting, and going so far to attack others and refer to the process as shady politics. Why? Because of how it affects his legislative district, for one.
If you read into the comment section of Jensen’s public Facebook post, Jensen characterizes it as some evil plan to do away with conservative incumbents…
…and according to him, his district – District 16 – is ‘perfect’ the way it is. And all this shady political redistricting talk is being driven by some of those in Senate Leadership.
The problem with Jensen’s demands to preserve his existing District, is that there is more to South Dakota than his district. And his argument that it pits “4 conservative incumbent representatives and at least one new candidate who has announced, and 2 incumbent senators against each other in the primary” is beyond ridiculous.
I was floored when I read him saying we’re now supposed to worry about “at least one new candidate who has announced.” We supposedly have to base the state’s legislative map for the next decade in part on someone who has yet to collect 1 signature?
Never mind the fact that we also somehow can’t have candidates who might have to run against each other in the primary?
I’m sure many legislators would like to keep things exactly the way they are, as well as set them up for their friends who just announced for office, but that part is not in the state constitution which dictates “Legislative districts shall consist of compact, contiguous territory and shall have population as nearly equal as is practicable, based on the last preceding federal census.”
There will be candidates who plan on running who have to shift gears because things change, and there will be existing officeholders who have to run against each other. Try not to be shocked, but legislators who are currently in office will run against other legislators who are currently in office. It’s a called a primary election. And from what I hear, we have a few of those.
Some of this may come to a head tonight at the Sioux Falls legislative redistricting meeting tonight at 6 o’clock at the HUB Building at Southeast Technical College (HUB303, 2001 N. Career Avenue) in Sioux Falls, and you never know, it could end up being a little heated. You can find the agenda here.
Stay tuned, because there is more definitely coming on this.
From KELOland news, the Attorney General’s office is announcing that the official AG opinion for Amendment C, which proposes to raise the vote threshold for initiated Constitutional Amendments will be coming in November:
Bormann said he’s been informed that the attorney general intends to put out the draft explanation for Amendment C on November 2, one day after the public-comment period law takes effect. The new law says the attorney general must issue a draft, accept any public comments, and then issue a final version.
and..
Absentee voting for the June 2022 primary begins Tuesday, April 22. That is four weeks before May 16, the date that Ravnsborg has interpreted as the legal deadline for the attorney general to deliver the official statement.
Schoenbeck, a lawyer, contends that Amendment C if passed would apply to two Medicaid-expansion measures that are circulating for signatures from registered voters. Their sponsors hope to qualify them for the November 2022 ballot. They face a 5 p.m. CT deadline on November 8, 2021, to be submitted to the secretary of state.
KELOland was reporting that a group of legislators intend to introduce a resolution during the next legislative session regarding COVID mandates from the federal government:
The group plans to introduce a concurrent resolution urging that any attempt by the Biden Administration to implement mandates on businesses be overturned.
The group will have to wait until January, since the State Constitution bans them from bringing the resolution during either of the special sessions coming up in November.
The South Dakota Constitution is pretty specific on special sessions where it notes that “The petition of request shall state the purposes of the session, and only business encompassed by those purposes may be transacted.”
My hope is that when the legislature meets next year to ban any mandates on businesses from the federal government, that they make special note to also include a ban on COVID mandates on businesses from the state legislature.
(Because it’s come up recently, you know).
SECRETARY BARNETT TO VISIT SPEARFISH AND RAPID CITY
PIERRE – Secretary of State Steve Barnett will be in Spearfish and Rapid City, on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, to raise awareness for National Voter Registration Day. Secretary Barnett will be at Black Hills State University in the Student Union from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. where he will be joined by staff from the Lawrence County Auditor’s office.
Secretary Barnett will also be on the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Campus at the Surbeck Center from 3:30-5:30 p.m. where he will be joined by staff from the Pennington County Auditor’s office.
“Voter participation is the foundation of our democracy and our office strives to provide our citizens with the tools and information necessary to register and engage in our civic processes,” stated Secretary Barnett. “Our state has a great history of civic engagement that continues today with 635,672 South Dakota residents currently registered to vote. I would encourage every eligible South Dakota resident who is not yet registered to complete the process and ensure your voice can be heard.”
Since first being observed in 2012, National Voter Registration Day has sought to educate the public on the process and importance of registering to vote. Organizations and volunteers will be joining in non- partisan outreach programs to provide voter registration information across the country. In 2020, over 1.5 million voters across all 50 states used National Voter Registration Day to register to vote.
Voter registration in South Dakota is conducted by each county auditor and municipal finance officer. In addition, you may also register to vote at one of the following locations:
Voter registration information can be found on the Secretary of State’s website at www.sdsos.gov. A voter registration form can be downloaded from the website and returned to your county auditor. The deadline for voter registration in South Dakota is 15 days prior to any election you wish to vote in.
Secretary Barnett is an Aberdeen native serving his first term as Secretary of State. Prior to being elected secretary, Barnett served as State Auditor from 2011 to 2019.
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South Dakotans Know Best
By Sen. John Thune
In Washington, Democrats are doing everything they can to expand the power of the federal government – incremental steps toward achieving their broader goal of giving Washington, D.C., more power over South Dakota and our way of life. I know that the last thing South Dakotans want are more rules and regulations coming from out-of-touch Washington bureaucrats, and I don’t blame them.
This summer, Democrats held votes on legislation that would put the federal government – instead of states – in charge of our elections. Their so-called “For the People Act” would create a pathway for a massive federal takeover of our electoral systems by undermining state voter ID laws, spending taxpayer dollars on political campaigns, and imposing troubling new burdens on free speech. Fortunately, these votes failed, and I proudly opposed this federal power grab. Let me be clear: there is absolutely zero legitimate reason to have the federal government dictating states’ election policies.
The excuse Democrats are using to bully states and push their partisan federal election legislation is that they think it will strengthen their precarious hold on power and improve their chances of winning future elections. My message to them is that attempting to stack the deck will not work. And South Dakota election officials are doing just fine without having their every move dictated by Washington bureaucrats. South Dakota had the highest number of ballots cast in its history in the 2020 election. If anything, other states could learn a thing or two from the way we run our elections.
Unfortunately, the Democrats’ federal power grab doesn’t stop there. They are attempting to pass legislation that would preempt virtually all state restrictions on abortion. Their so-called Women’s Health Protection Act would eliminate just about any abortion restriction adopted by states across the country, including those in South Dakota. Throughout my time in public service, not once have I seen such a radical, anti-life piece of legislation that would make on-demand abortions part of the federal law.
These are just two examples of a very concerning pattern by Washington Democrats. They continue to assume the federal government can fashion a one-size-fits-all solution to any problem, real or perceived. Instead of focusing on issues like national security and border security – real problems that demand real solutions – they are simply trying to find more ways to give the federal government more power over individuals and states.
The federal government has too much power as it is, and the policies that Democrats are attempting to advance double down on a divisive, government-knows-best approach. It’s disappointing that rather than fulfilling their promise to unify the nation, Democrats continue to pursue a partisan agenda at the expense of states. As a conservative, I’ve always believed in a limited but effective federal government. Government that is closer to those who are governed is more responsive and more accountable. While Democrats clearly disagree, I’ll never stop fighting for the principles of freedom, personal responsibility, and hard work that define what it means to be a South Dakotan.
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The Case of the MMIW
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
September 24, 2021
If you turned on the news this week or scrolled through social media, it is likely that you came across the tragic story of 22-year-old Gabby Petito whose body was found in Wyoming this week. A little less than two weeks ago, Petito’s family filed a missing person’s report when her fiancé returned home to Florida from a cross-country road trip without her.
Unfortunately, Gabby’s tragic story is not unique. Thousands of people go missing each year, and many cases go unsolved, leaving grieving loved ones with unanswered questions, a lack of closure, and no justice.
Across our nation, a disproportionate number of indigenous women and girls go missing or are murdered. In South Dakota alone, 65% of missing persons are Native Americans despite making up only 9% of the population. Of the 103 persons currently missing in the state, one-third are indigenous women.
A growing movement marked by a red handprint is the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement, a group dedicated to spreading awareness, providing support to families, and demanding justice for these women and girls.
The statistics are startling. On some reservations, Native American women are murdered at a rate more than 10 times the national average. Many cases go unsolved due to a lack of resources, underreporting, poor data collection, and jurisdictional difficulties between tribal, local and state police.
Last year, I was proud to see the Savanna’s Act signed into law. It took years to get this legislation across the finish line and because of it, the Department of Justice is now required to assess and develop law enforcement and justice protocols to address cases involving missing or murdered indigenous people. The Savanna’s Act was named after Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a member of the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe who was violently murdered in 2017.
Our nation is making strides but there’s more to be done. In 2019, President Trump signed an executive order to form The Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary, established a Missing and Murdered Unit, an interagency agency team aimed at collaboratively combating this tragic crisis.
As a Member of Congress, I am committed to supporting indigenous women and girls and working to end this horrible problem plaguing our indigenous communities.
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