Author: Pat Powers

Preserving our Veterans Town
By Governor Kristi Noem 

The US Supreme Court has held that campaign donations are protected political speech. And today the Sioux Falls City Ethics panel agreed when asked if office holders could endorse and donate to candidates of their choosing. As noted by the Sioux Falls Argus Leader:

Public office holders in Sioux Falls have no restrictions for political activity that the general public doesn’t have.

“This is an election process and campaigns cost money. How do you fund a campaign? People should have the right to contribute to a candidate, to support a candidate, to proclaim their support for a candidate,” said Jack Marsh, chairman of the Board of Ethics. “And I don’t know why the elected members of City Council should have any less right of free speech, within the bounds of the law, than anybody else.”

Read the entire story here.

And let freedom ring.

Johnson Commends USDA Plan to Move Forward with Labeling Changes 

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) commended U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Purdue who stated, in response to committee questioning by Johnson, that USDA was considering new Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) labeling standards for beef.

Currently, beef that is not raised or slaughtered in the United States can still be labeled “Product of the USA.” At this week’s hearing before the House Agriculture Committee, Secretary Purdue said USDA is exploring a new “Slaughtered and Processed in the USA” label. Beef products processed and packaged outside of the United States would not be eligible for the new label.

“Our current labeling standards aren’t honest with consumers, and Americans deserve better,” said Johnson. “The approach described by Secretary Purdue this week is a much fairer and more accurate way to label beef. I look forward to following USDA’s efforts toward greater transparency.”

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I was posting earlier about a libertarian candidate running for office. In fact, I had even grabbed a screenshot of it to send to someone..

but as I am finding out tonight… that is has now disappeared from the page.  And there are actually no Libertarians running.

Ok… what’s going on here? This is the second error on Secretary of State’s candidate listing.

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem and the South Dakota Department of Health (SDDOH) today hosted a web discussion with more than 600 South Dakota health professionals to highlight statewide efforts to prepare for COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus.

“There is a low risk for South Dakotans to become infected with coronavirus,” said Noem. “Regardless, we are prepared. We have the right people and plans in place to handle this situation in the event it is detected in our state.”

“For the general public, the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is low,” said Kim Malsam-Rysdon, Secretary of Health. “However, we know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. South Dakotans can help stop the spread of germs by washing hands often, covering coughs and sneezes, cleaning surfaces regularly, and staying home if you are sick.”

To proactively protect and prepare South Dakota for coronavirus, Noem and SDDOH has:

• Commissioned an agency taskforce for coordination and planning with partners and other state agencies;
• Developed an action plan for information management, incident management, and monitoring for persons at risk of infection;
• Communicated regularly with healthcare providers across the state, especially as it relates to coordinating with the CDC;
• Developed capacity at the State Public Health Laboratory to test for virus that causes COVID-19; and
• Launched a COVID-19 website to keep South Dakotans up-to-date on current situations.

Earlier this week, Noem joined Vice President Mike Pence and governors from across the nation for a discussion on the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force. Noem also visited the State Health Lab and spoke with the state team charged with preparing for the virus. 

To date, there are no cases of COVID-19 in South Dakota. To learn more about the state’s efforts surrounding coronavirus, visit the Department of Health website.

Download photos of Noem’s phone call with Vice President Pence here and her visit to the State Health Lab here.

Thune: 5G Technology Will Require Safe, Secure Infrastructure

“If we lead the world in implementing 5G, we will have the chance to set standards for 5G deployment – including, most importantly, network security standards.”

Click here or on the picture above to watch Thune’s speech.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, today discussed the security measures that need to be taken to ensure that 5G infrastructure is deployed and used in a secure manner. There are inherent risks with any technology, but because 5G will mean a greater number of connected devices, the risks are even higher. This morning, Thune introducedbipartisan legislation to ensure U.S. communications infrastructure security is a clear negotiating objective of our country’s trade policy.

Thune Supports Bipartisan Legislation to Help Combat Coronavirus Outbreak

“Like many Americans, the Senate is closely watching the coronavirus outbreak, and I am glad that we have taken swift and bipartisan action to address it.” 

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement after the Senate overwhelmingly approved bipartisan legislation to help combat the coronavirus by dedicating federal resources to research and development efforts and tools that will help medical professionals across the country treat this disease and address the outbreak.

“Like many Americans, the Senate is closely watching the coronavirus outbreak, and I am glad that we have taken swift and bipartisan action to address it,” said Thune. “This critical legislation will provide funding to help medical professionals get the tools they need to address the outbreak, and it invests in important research and development projects that are already underway. While the coronavirus should not be taken lightly, there are several common-sense steps to avoid transmission, including by washing your hands regularly and covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze. I encourage anyone looking for the latest information about the coronavirus to visit www.CDC.gov and be aware of any local updates from state or community leaders.”

Thune addressed the coronavirus, particularly as it relates to air travel in the United States, yesterday during a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing, which can been seen here. 

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 – Important Update: Rep. Zikmund IS running for Senate – 

Apparently, the whole impetus for this post is based on a clerical error.

I just had a note from the Secretary of State’s office confirming that State Representative Larry Zikmund IS running for State Senate. And that the SOS website noting he was running for the House was an ‘Oops.’

The SOS office reached out and noted “An election division staff selected the house race instead of the senate race when adding him to to the candidate list.” and they “want to confirm that Rep. Zikmund is running for state senate not state house.”

So, I’ve got to go update this in a couple of places. And it’s game on in the D14 Republican Senate race!

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Original post:

Plans change.  And running for the Legislature involves strategy as much as anything.

Nowhere is that more apparent than in District 14 where after noting his his interest in running for the State Senate a while back, today State Representative Larry Zikmund filed his paperwork to instead run for another term of office in the State House of Representatives.

This sets up a House primary election between Zikmund, former State Representative Tom Holmes, and Brad Lindwurm who had earlier declared his candidacy for the office in November, as well as others who may enter the race in the next few weeks.

With former ELCA Bishop Dave Zellmer having filed a statement of candidacy for State Senate a week ago, the stage was set for a significant primary between he and Zikmund. But, by remaining in his current seat, the incumbent Zikmund is the power player in a House primary instead of facing a difficult and potentially uncertain challenge to Zellmer, who is well known across the state.

We’re just a little less than 4 weeks until the deadline for filing signatures with the Secretary of State to run for the Legislature. I’m sure we’ll see many more chess moves before the deadline arrives.

Stay tuned!

Yesterday, Alexander Martin, a candidate running for District 20 State Senate as a Libertarian filed paperwork with the Secretary of State to kick off his race. Currently, Democrats only have 4 candidates total who have filed for the State Legislature.  (Just FYI, GOP is at 74 and counting)

When Libertarians have one quarter of the number of people who have filed for office that Democrats do…   That’s probably not a good sign for the Democrat Party.