Author: Pat Powers

One of the writers at the National Review magazine posted a article today which had some strong words for the State Senate Health & Human Services Committee for their rejection of House Bill 1057:

The Cowardly Republicans of South Dakota
By MADELEINE KEARNS

When presented with evidence, senators put their fat heads between their legs.

For proof that Republicans can be just as lazy, self-serving, and cowardly as Democrats, look no farther than the South Dakota Senate.

As reported by my colleague Tobias Hoonhout, this week Republican senators Duhamel, Rusch, Steinhauer, and Soholt of the Health and Human Services Committee all joined the 5–2 majority that effectively killed a bill designed to make it easier for gender-confused minors to attain financial compensation later in life — should they realize, before age 38, that the doctors who stunted their puberty, destroyed their fertility, and permanently impaired their sexual function had failed to meet the acceptable standards of (what are we calling it these days?) health care.

Read the entire story here.

Well, that’s kind of harsh. And maybe a bit unnecessary.  The bigger fight will be on the Senate floor, where we might see more fireworks on the measure as it’s anticipated that the bill will be ‘smoked out’ of committee, which will require a motion from the floor of the Senate.

A ‘smoke out’ is a procedure in which a third of state senators have to vote to direct the committee to bring the bill to the floor, which if supported, the bill will typically be sent from the committee with a ‘no recommendation’ vote.

The call to demand this procedural measure will be the first true test of whether the bill can survive a hearing in the full Senate.  We’ll know that soon enough with the smoke out motion possibly happening as soon as today when the Senate meets at 1pm.

Noem, Art Leaders Announce Inaugural Governor’s Student Art Competition

Governor Kristi Noem today announced the South Dakota Governor’s Student Art Competition, a new program to promote visual art among students in South Dakota.

“The arts play a significant role in growing South Dakota’s economy and enhancing our way of life,” said Noem. “This year, I am excited to launch the first annual Governor’s Student Art Competition that will recognize and encourage budding artists in our state.”

“I am very excited to be a part of the investment the governor is making in cultivating the next generation of South Dakota artists,” said District 26 Representative Rebecca Reimer. “I look forward to experiencing all the works of art that are yet to be created and the stories they will tell.”

“This is a great opportunity for our young people to be able to showcase their talent, and we are able to look at the world through their eyes,” said Senate Minority Leader Troy Heinert. “I’d like to thank Governor Noem for bringing this initiative forward.”

“I was only seven years old when I entered and won my first art contest, which propelled me into an incredible self-discovery,” said Bria Neff, a 7th grade student artist from Sioux Falls. “Art gives children the gift of imagination that will color their world with possibilities.”

“I want to thank Governor Noem for prioritizing this program and putting student artists in the spotlight,” said Dale Lamphere, South Dakota Artist Laureate. “I hope this program shows our promising young students that South Dakota is a great place to live and work as an artist.”

“Without artists, we wouldn’t have Mount Rushmore or Crazy Horse. We wouldn’t have the Redlin Art Center or the Dignity Statue. The Faulkton murals wouldn’t exist, and people wouldn’t have the opportunity to admire the beauty that is the Arc of Dreams. South Dakota is a canvas that inspires creativity, and I’m thrilled to use this competition to encourage our students to pursue art right here in South Dakota,” concluded Noem.

This spring, the South Dakota Arts Council will distribute program information to schools throughout the state, and submissions will be accepted in the fall. More information on logistics and criteria will be announced in the coming months.

Contributing millions of dollars to local revenues each year, the arts play a significant role in South Dakota’s economy. South Dakota is home to more than 1,300 arts-related businesses that employ nearly 6,500 people.

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One of the fiscal questions that’s been out there for the upcoming state budget to be voted on by the South Dakota State Legislature regards how much will be out there for education in terms of what the state provides to local school districts via state aid to education.

The South Dakota Department of Education recently provided a snapshot of this funding over the past decade. And South Dakota has not only kept pace with inflation since 2011, state funding for education has outpaced inflation, even including the 2011 budget cuts.

With the state being 32nd in funding per student nationally, yet teacher salaries for the state are at 47th, it really does put the question about how much the state pays towards teacher salaries back on Districts.

If South Dakota is putting in state aid to education at the rate of 32nd in the nation, but school districts are paying teachers at 47th, the problem might not be the rate at which the state provides aid to education.

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From YouTube, US Senator Mike Rounds and his wife Jean have a video update out on the former first lady’s cancer treatment

Did anyone else catch this in the Rapid City Journal this morning? Apparently a measure has been introduced – and actually passed out of committee – to hide the election results of the November election from South Dakota taxpayers until the middle of December:

The number of votes cast in the general election for president would remain a secret until the Electoral College does its work, according to a bill that was endorsed Monday morning by the Senate State Affairs Committee.

and..

Passing SB103 would protect the Electoral College, according to Stalzer.

“This is a small way we can slow down, delay or even prevent the National Popular Vote (Interstate Compact) from undoing what the founders so carefully put together,” Stalzer said.

Read that here.

No.  Absolutely not.    I’m shocked that anyone would even consider limiting open government and the public’s right to know in this manner.  Are we that far gone that we choose to live in fear by hiding information from the voters who cast the ballots?

While the news story doesn’t mention it, the electoral college meets the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December.  The bill literally calls for the results of the South Dakota election to be hidden for over a month.

If we’re that scared of the National Popular Vote scheme – which I agree is a concept exceedingly harmful to our state – we already have a remedy. The court system. We can certainly bring a lawsuit to contest the act as unconstitutional, as it most certainly would be contested.

If we believe the National Popular Vote scheme is wrong, you don’t correct the problem with an even bigger wrong – violating people’s basic right to know the results of an election they just participated in.

Two wrongs don’t make a right.  And in this case, this is a non-solution that just ends up stripping taxpayers of rights. 

At the risk of getting boring with the political pins, I had another recent purchase show up today – a pin I’d bought at an online auction that I hadn’t seen before for my South Dakota related presidential pins:

A spectacular Goldwater/South Dakota State Specific flasher pin, which I’ve never seen before. It’s in beautiful shape, it wasn’t expensive, and it’s a fun addition to my collection.

Noem Orders Capitol Flags at Half-Staff to Honor Former Legislator

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem has ordered flags at the South Dakota State Capitol to be flown at half-staff from 8 a.m. until sunset on Saturday, February 8, 2020, to honor the life of Bernie Christenson, a former state leader and legislator.

Christenson was a dedicated public servant, serving 20 years in the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, where he worked as a special agent, training coordinator, and assistant director. Under Governor Richard F. Kneip, Christenson helped create the South Dakota Retirement System, later serving as chairman of its board of trustees.

Christenson served in the South Dakota State House of Representatives from 1985 to 1987.  In 1987, at the request of Governor George S. Mickelson, he resigned from the legislature to serve as the founding executive director of the South Dakota Community Foundation, a role he held until his retirement in 2003.​

Christenson also served for years as a part-time state pilot, flying with every governor since Frank Farrar.

A memorial service for Christenson will be held at 10:30 a.m. on February 8 at First United Methodist Church in Pierre.

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