Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Let’s Get It Done
By Rep. Dusty Johnson

As of April 13^th, nearly eight thousand Paycheck Protection Program loan applications were approved in South Dakota alone. Our state has seen $1.15 billion go out to businesses facing devastating losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While America is facing a crisis, we can hold onto hope. The CARES Act was focused on ensuring our businesses are still there when we come out on the other side of this pandemic.

I’ve heard from dozens of local businesses and employees who are utilizing the Paycheck Protection Program as a lifeline for their business. Josh from Spearfish let my office know a local business was able to retain their five employees because of the forgivable loan program, and Erica from Mitchell reached out to tell me her small family business kept their twenty employees because of the loan they received. The bill wasn’t perfect, but when I hear stories like these, it drives home the fact that it was needed. The price of action is high, but the price of inaction is higher.

For weeks, I’ve been focused on simplifying the program. I fought for guidance for independent contractors and sole proprietorships who wouldn’t normally be eligible. Moving forward, lenders will be able to more confidently consider these businesses for Paycheck Protection Program support.

It’s plain and simple. This program is saving jobs. But as of today, because of such high demand, the funds have run dry. We need to replenish the bucket. The president has asked for an additional $250 billion to be added to this program. I support that effort. If we think about this program from a long-term perspective, it’s far better to keep people on payroll now, with jobs to go back to, than add them to the unemployment rolls.

Our state – our nation, really – is facing unprecedented unemployment numbers. South Dakotans who have never applied for assistance in their lives are being forced to turn in an application. This situation is unlike anything we’ve ever faced, and we don’t want to create a long-term problem. Unfortunately, approval of the additional funds the president has requested is being held up in Congress.

There are folks who will be forced to close their doors for good if Congress doesn’t extend the Paycheck Protection Program immediately. It’s not something either side should play politics over – let’s get it done.

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Governor Noem Announces National Guard Site Locations to Fight COVID-19

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced that the South Dakota National Guard had selected locations in Sioux Falls and Rapid City to assist in the COVID-19 response.

“South Dakota is ready to respond to the future peak of COVID-19 cases,” Noem said. “We’re thankful for the National Guard’s hard work to help us surge our medical bed space capacity, fight COVID-19, and keep South Dakotans safe.”

The Sioux Falls Alternate Care Facility will be located at the South Dakota National Guard Regional Training Institute. This facility is located at 801 West National Guard Drive. The facility will provide an additional 100 medical bed capacity to the Sioux Falls area. The South Dakota National Guard will work in conjunction with Sioux Falls area healthcare organizations to provide medical care at the Alternate Care Facility.

The Rapid City Alternate Care Facility will be located at the South Dakota National Guard Headquarters at Camp Rapid. This facility is located at 2823 West Main St. in Rapid City. The facility will provide 100-200 additional medical bed capacity to Monument Health’s ability to serve the Rapid City area. The South Dakota National Guard is working closely with Monument to provide medical care at the Alternate Care Facility.

To learn more South Dakota’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, visit COVID.sd.gov.

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Had a note dropped to me today which brings up a pretty good question in reference to US Senate Candidate Dan Ahlers’ campaign finance report:

“I was intrigued by your article that stated Aaron Matson is providing services to Ahlers’ campaign. “

(Clipped this from the report I posted – pp)

“Aaron is currently employed full time with the U.S. Census Bureau – a federal agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.  The Hatch Act has some pretty clear boundaries in regard to federal employees and their partisan activities.”

(Clipped this from twitter as well – pp)

Hm..  Well, that’s an interesting point about Matson, the former State Dem Party Communications Director and candidate for office.   In fact, I did a little digging into the Hatch act for federal employees, and it does spell out a lot of do’s and dont’s.

It talks about volunteering for less restricted employees is ok.. but fundraising is a no-no.. Admittedly, it doesn’t really address a federal employee being paid for work for a campaign.  So, I can’t even venture a guess whether US Department of Commerce/US Census employees are allowed to be paid workers for a US Senate campaign.

But then again, everyone involved is a Democrat. So I’m sure it’s ok.

Governor Noem Signs Executive Order to Fight COVID-19

PIERRE, S.D. – Yesterday, Governor Kristi Noem signed an executive order to continue South Dakota’s fight against the spread of COVID-19.

The new Executive Order (2020-16) removes barrier to licensure for healthcare professionals, facilitates telehealth, and relaxes other regulations to help with the COVID-19 response.

To learn more about executive orders to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit COVID.sd.gov.

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From Facebook:

State Board of Elections member Rick Knobe notes “Circulating petitions as an Independent for the District 25 Senate seat. District 25 is Northern Minnehaha County including some of East and Southeast Sioux Falls. I need signatures from District 25 voters to get on the ballot.”

Secretary of State live registration data…

Yeah…. Last time I checked, District 9 is not District 25.

(Update – I was told that he did register an address in the District ..  but if it bears out, this only gets better. I’ll wait for it to be updated, and then I’ll spill).

Gov. Noem Orders Flags at Half-Staff to Honor Late Rep. Bob Glanzer

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem today ordered that flags be flown at half-staff in honor of the late State Representative Bob Glanzer from sunrise until sundown on Monday, April 20, 2020, the day of his funeral.

“I was very sorry to hear of Bob Glanzer’s passing. Bob was a man of true integrity and someone I greatly respected,”Governor Noem said. “He epitomized what it means to be a true statesman and worked tirelessly for the people of Beadle and Kingsbury counties as well as for our entire state. Bryon and I will miss him dearly, and we extend our deepest sympathies to Penny and his entire family.”

Glanzer, 74, was a state representative from District 22, which is Beadle and Kingsbury counties.  He had been serving in the state House since 2017. Please direct all questions to Ian.Fury@state.sd.us.

WHAT: Gov. Noem orders flags flown at half-staff in honor of late Rep. Bob Glanzer
WHEN: Monday, April 20, 2020 from sunrise until sundown

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It sounds like there are members of the Sioux Falls City Council who are not in agreement with Mayor Paul Tenhaken that you can issue a strict (and potentially troublesome) stay at home order to keep people shut in for the next three weeks:

As confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the Sioux Falls area hit nearly 1,000 this week, TenHaken formally called for new restrictions that would make it a crime for people in Sioux Falls to move about the city for reasons deemed non-essential.

and..

Among councilors, the conversation centered on what Greg Neitzert and Christine Erickson said is contradicting language in the proposal. The ordinance draft submitted for consideration says non-essential workers are not to go to work, while later a section specifically says businesses are encouraged to remain open.

and..

TenHaken said the reason that language is included is to urge businesses to find alternative means to provide goods and services without operating out of a brick-and-mortar facility.

But that explanation didn’t sway councilors.

“If you don’t have customers, and you don’t have employees, you don’t have business. Period,” Erickson said.

Read the entire story here.

And Christine Erickson is extremely correct.

I look at myself. I work out of the house. I have suppliers in Sioux Falls that work in massive buildings, so social distancing isn’t just easy, it’s the norm.  I work and order remotely, but there can come times where I have to pick up product.  If it becomes a crime for those businesses to operate, or for me to back a truck up and load boxes as I pick them up, I’ll get my supplies elsewhere, and drive through Sioux Falls.  Which means my revenue goes elsewhere, and those businesses are deprived of the income.

Frankly, when Mayor TenHaken says that they’re urging “alternative means to provide goods and services without operating out of a brick-and-mortar facility,” I’m left shaking my head because there are some goods that ONLY come out of a brick and mortar facility.  It’s not like people are going to use things like a printing press in their #@% garage.

And if you can’t get product in Sioux Falls, I know I’ll just go elsewhere.

I might not be as harsh on the Mayor as my guest columnist on the topic, but Paul needs to realize that not everything can be done electronically via e-mail, and someone has to do the work. Maybe that’s not the intent of the ordinance, but if that’s the case, they’d better get much more specific, fast.

It’s not much use turning cities into police states and going overboard as you claim to be protecting society if you destroy it in the process.

US Senator Mike Rounds has filed his 1st quarter FEC report for 2020. And he’s offering a fairly tough hill for his opponents to climb.

Rounds April 2020 Fec by Pat Powers on Scribd

Rounds for Senate is noting $282,756.50 raised during the first quarter, against $206,297.49 spent. Leaving the first term US Senator $1,889,290.67 cash on hand in his committee (not counting joint groups, etc.) to get through the next few months.

Apparently, this postcard hit the mail in SF Today from Theresa Stehly:

“Stand up for Stehly.”  Hm. That would not have been my first choice as a slogan. Why? There was someone else who already used it:

As noted in politico:

…George Wallace, whose slogan, “Stand Up for America!” barely hid his real agenda: to roll back the clock on racial progress.

Yeah. If I was Theresa, I don’t know if I would be adopting the slogan of one of the Country’s last segregationist presidential candidates as my own.   Just sayin’.

From KELOland News, the Republican and Democrat Senate Caucuses have appointed a committee to look into allegations of misconduct that were made against two of the leaders of the State Senate:

Political party caucuses have chosen nine members of the state Senate to investigate a complaint that two top Republican senators were intoxicated while conducting official business at the Capitol during the final working day of the 2020 session of the South Dakota Legislature.

and..

The Executive Board set a June 30 deadline for the investigative panel to submit its report. The board is scheduled to meet by teleconference at 10 a.m. CT Monday, April 20. An agenda hadn’t been posted as of 9 a.m. CT Wednesday.

Read it all here.