Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Governor Noem Declares State of Emergency for Drought and Fire Conditions

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Governor Noem Declares State of Emergency for Drought and Fire Conditions

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem signed Executive Order 2021-07, which declares a state of emergency through June 1, 2021, due to severe drought and dangerous fire conditions.

This executive order is in response to the numerous fire incidents occurring throughout the state. The order will allow the state to provide greater assistance to the response efforts of local and volunteer firefighters. Governor Noem has spent the past two days overseeing the response to the Schroeder Fire outside Rapid City while monitoring other fire incidents.

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Release: Westerman, Johnson, Noem Discuss Natural Resources Issues in South Dakota

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Westerman, Johnson, Noem Discuss Natural Resources Issues in South Dakota

WASHINGTON – Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) joined U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Gov. Kristi Noem to learn about the natural resources issues facing South Dakota.

“I want to thank Congressman Johnson for inviting me to South Dakota and Governor Noem for joining us to meet with the Forest Service and discuss solutions to improve vital sawmill infrastructure around the Black Hills National Forest,” Westerman said. “This is critical to maintain the forest’s health and resiliency to fires, disease and insects like the Mountain Pine Beetle. Congressman Johnson and I also spoke with employees of Mount Rushmore Forest Products, a mill that is set to close due to steep reductions in timber supplies from the Black Hills National Forest. These workers will lose their jobs, paychecks and ability to provide for their families. Our visits with these mill employees and several South Dakota ranchers were powerful reminders of how federal policies are life changing for rural communities. I look forward to taking what we learned back to Congress to craft thoughtful, innovative legislation and fight for rural Americans across the country.”

“This morning Ranking Member Westerman and I sat down with two timber professionals who’ve lost their jobs because of the mill closure,” Johnson said. “They are husbands, fathers and people who care about their community. It was among the most powerful experiences I’ve had in Congress. These men want to protect the other timber jobs in the Black Hills and they want to be good stewards of our incredible forest. I’m thankful for the time we had with them, mill owner Jim Neiman and leaders at the US Forest Service to brainstorm new approaches to keeping timber harvest levels at a level that will serve both the forest and the timber industry.”

Background

Westerman and Johnson began their visit last night by hosting a dinner with South Dakota ranchers, learning more about grazing and ranching issues on both public and private lands in the region.

Westerman and Johnson continued their visit with a tour of Mount Rushmore Forest products in Hill City, S.D., a family-owned lumber mill that is closing soon due to the U.S. Forest Service’s decision to scale back logging in the Black Hills. They wrapped up the day by meeting with Noem and the new Forest Supervisor for the Black Hills National Forest.

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Lora Hubbel continues to claim she’s running for Governor.

@SoDakCampaigns

Former Independent/Constitution Party Member/Republican Lora Hubbel is back at it again and posted this video to social media yesterday, claiming she’s going to be running for Governor.

I notice she’s noncommittal about what party, but by gosh, she’s running.

(We’ll see if she can raise more than $100 this time.)

And whether she can get on the ballot, unlike the last time she tried. Getting on the ballot usually helps.

South Dakota Leading the Nation in GDP Growth

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South Dakota Leading the Nation in GDP Growth

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota’s economy is growing faster than any state in the nation, according to last Friday’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) release from the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). South Dakota grew at an annual rate of 9.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020, more than double the national growth rate of 4.3 percent. Texas had the second highest growth rate at 7.5 percent.

“South Dakota is open for business,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “Because of the unique approach that we took to the virus, we’ve set our economy up for tremendous growth, both in the short-term and long into the future. Our real estate market is booming as families and businesses look to move to a state that preserves our way of life and respects freedom and personal responsibility.”

Click here to read the full BEA report.

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HB 1217 Style and Form veto resisted 67-2.. Where does the legislature go from here?

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This morning, the House of Representatives rejected the Governor’s Style and form changes to the measure on a 67-2 vote, with only Rep’s Tidemann and Anderson joining the Governor’s position on the vote.

The question remaining is now, is where does the legislature go from here?

The Governor has been pretty clear about what she believes, which seems to indicate little interest in being any outside group’s legislative guinea pig for testing out legislation and the resulting boycotts and lawsuits.  And as far as her style and form rescissions, she took a pretty hard swipe at the parts that expanded government.

And she apparently underlined that position with an official full veto after it went back to her.

So, now the ball is back in the House’s court.

Stand by.

KELO reporting House may reject Noem veto.

@SoDakCampaigns

From KELOLAND news comes a report that the Speaker of the House is at loggerheads with Governor Noem on her recommended style and form changes to HB 1217, and will be telling the House to reject them:

Noem’s changes aim to drop college athletes from those potentially impacted by the bill. She also seeks to drop a requirement that a student’s biological sex is verified every school year.

In a statement, Gosch said “I will be recommending that the House of Representatives rejects Governor Noem’s proposal as unconstitutional.”

Read it all here.