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The Denver Post has an article published this morning that tells an all-too familiar tale that we’e talked about in South Dakota about the relative ease of getting measures placed on the ballot, creating an overstuffed ballot.

And contained therein, there’s an interesting notation about discussions to bring back a discussion over whether South Dakota needs to update our initiative and referendum process to keep from continuing to be a laboratory state for social engineers to try to play their craft:

Faced with the daunting battle to procure the necessary signatures, most citizen-led initiatives wither and die long before election day. Still, the relative ease — at least compared with other states — of bringing ideas directly to the electorate has once again raised the issue of how accessible the ballot should be and whether Colorado needs to tighten a procedure that some contend already caters only to well-heeled interests.

and…

In all, Colorado could have as many as nine citizen initiatives on the ballot, with two having met the signature requirements and seven more still being reviewed. Voters will definitely be heard on the issues of the ColoradoCare universal health care initiative as Amendment 69, and the minimum wage, likely as Amendment 70.

and…

Although Colorado traditionally has been active in the initiative process, and this could rank among the busier years, some states also have a robust ballot in the 2016 general election. California has 15 citizen initiatives to consider, plus another two through the referendum process. South Dakota has a total of 10 measures on the ballot, seven of them citizens’ initiatives.

Underhill notes that California sought to curb frivolous initiative efforts by imposing a $2,000 filing fee (Colorado has none). And from the NCSL’s annual Legislative Summit last week in Chicago, she said some South Dakota legislators are considering ways to make the process more stringent.

Read it all here.

Bonus notation – the picture accompanying the article has Emmett Reistroffer turning in petitions for public marijuana consumption zones in Denver.

This discussion continues to come up, and isn’t going away anytime soon when you have outside groups such as out-of-state liberal think thanks pouring money into Slick Rick Weiland’s coffers to promote ballot measures on this years’ ballot, and others pouring cash in Steve Hildebrand’s attack on short term lending, among others.

It’s a problem that’s been long evident in South Dakota, and certainly one we’ve been covering as far back as JAIL for Judges. And there’s no easy answers. How do you address problems in South Dakota’s long tradition of initiative and referendum without infringing upon citizen rights?

Can you put up a no trespassing sign to out-of-staters? How exactly would you accomplish that?

Do you impose bans on money originating from out of state being spent on such measures, or place extended disclosure requirements on those funds?  Do you increase the number of signatures required?  Do you restrict signature collection by geography, to make sure there’s a proportional number of citizens calling for a measure, as opposed to people hitting Sioux Falls and Rapid City to throw something on the ballot?

Lots of questions, but few answers on what type of restrictions that South Dakotans would find palatable, or even desirable.

For Brookings County Republicans, it appears that State Representative Mark Mickelson and Attorney General Marty Jackley will be bookending the weekend with dual appearances in the County.

First, Mickelson is the featured speaker for the Brookings County GOP Summer Picnic on Thursday night. And then Marty follows as the featured speaker with the Brookings County monthly GOP Noon Luncheon:

 Make sure you catch them both – I’m sure it will be worth it!

District 8 State Senate Candidate Jordan Youngberg continues to gain steam in his campaign with a fundraiser coming up this Thursday night featuring Governor Dennis Daugaard and Attorney General Marty Jackley at the Hillside Resort in Wentworth, located on the southeast side of Lake Madison.

The resort was just featured in the Argus Leader in a big story a couple of weeks back, so if you wanted to check it out, here’s your chance!

During a time in which his opponent, incumbent Senator Scott Parsley, is silent and content to sit on his laurels, Youngberg continues to impress by putting in a strong effort.    And that’s not talk coming from the campaign. I’m hearing this from people outside of the district, as they talk to individuals (not politicos) in the area communities.

And you can’t argue with Youngberg’s efforts. He’s already out and about knocking on doors asking people for their vote, and he’s put up nearly 100 large highway signs across the District in spots provided by supporters, with little sign of slowing down.

Whether he’s ultimately successful or not is still 80 or so days away, but it’s a good example for other candidates to be following. It takes that kind of effort to give yourself a fighting chance at the ballot box.  Campaigns are about name identification first and foremost, and if you’re out there doing the work, knocking on doors, putting up signs, and getting your name and face in front of people, it all adds up.

Agree or disagree with the man, you can’t help but appreciate the amount of work he’s putting in. And in my mind, that’s what makes what I call “a good campaigner” – the kind of person who can take a race from “leaning Democrat” into “Strong GOP” by election day.

If you’re out and about in the Lake Madison area on Thursday night, make a point to stop by the Hillside Resort and listen to what Jordan has to say, and support his campaign.

You won’t regret it.

A few notes tonight from the South Dakota Trump campaign. First, a press release that was just issued….

Neal Tapio to be announced as State Director of South Dakota for the Trump Pence Campaign

Watertown, SD — Today, Neal Tapio, district 5 candidate for State Senate, has agreed to become the Trump Pence State Director for South Dakota.

Tapio has extensive involvement in government and politics that complements his 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur and business owner. He has worked as a aide to Senator Larry Pressler and was the campaign manager for US House candidate Larry Diedrich. He has been a general contractor, publisher and currently is the owner of NT Sales and Leasing, Inc. of Watertown.

Most recently, he won the Republican primary for district 5 (Watertown) state Senate. He will be unopposed in the November election.

I’m excited to head up the Trump Campaign in South Dakota. Our goal is to engage every Trump supporter and get them involved in this campaign. Although South Dakota is not a battleground state, we believe volunteers can make a difference in the battleground states of Iowa and Colorado. We are asking every committed Trump fan to get involved. The stakes have never been higher. ”

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Second, and more importantly, Neal is looking to put word into deed, put a cadre of Trump troops into action, and spread the word across South Dakota about the campaign. He tells me tonight that he’s looking for good volunteers, and those who are willing to donate their time to the cause can call him at 605-880-7449, or e-mail him at [email protected].

They have a lot of ground to cover in the remaining short weeks until the November election, and he’s looking for solid workers who want to Stop Hillary from setting up camp in the White House.

If that describes you, give a call to 605-880-7449, or drop a note to [email protected], today.

Freight Rail: South Dakota Depends On It
By Sen. John Thune

It doesn’t matter if you’re the farmer in the field who harvests the crops, the manufacturer in the factory who makes the goods, or the consumer at home who relies on the food and energy that’s produced, everyone in the United States benefits from efficient and reliable freight rail. It’s especially important to South Dakota because the state’s economy literally depends on it. And since three times as many rail carloads leave South Dakota compared to those that end up here, there’s a heavy reliance on freight rail to get all of our South Dakota-made products to markets around the country and the world. More products in the hands of consumers means our farmers, ranchers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs have more opportunities to create jobs and grow their businesses.

In order to keep all of the trains running on time, we have to ensure that if and when there are disruptions in our nation’s rail system, all is being done to respond in the most efficient, effective, and timely way possible. Doing so requires a trustworthy and dependable federal agency at the helm. The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has answered that call since 1996, but it hasn’t been without its challenges. In order to get this federal agency where it needs to be, I introduced first-of-their-kind reforms that were adopted on a broad bipartisan basis by my colleagues in the House and Senate and were signed into law late last year.

To get a sense for how these reforms are being implemented, I recently brought the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the committee I’ve chaired for the last 19 months, directly to South Dakota. Not only was the committee’s field hearing in Sioux Falls a good opportunity to track these ongoing reforms, but we were able to examine ways in which the new law could benefit South Dakota businesses too. And who better to hear from than the people who are directly impacted by the STB’s decisions?

I was thankful that representatives from POET, the Missouri River Energy Services, the South Dakota Corn Growers, and CHS, Inc., spent part of their day sharing their stories with us. As a result, I’m convinced now more than ever the reforms we made to the STB are having a positive effect, but don’t take my word for it. Dan Mack, the vice president of transportation and terminal operations at CHS, told the committee that “The rail industry has changed a great deal over the past twenty years, and this law is helping to modernize the STB to better reflect this new reality.”

The new law expedites rate review timelines and expands voluntary arbitration to better serve as an alternative to lawsuits, which will greatly improve the way rate cases are handled. It also increases proactive problem-solving and accountability by giving the STB the authority to launch investigations on its own. It makes the board’s activities more transparent and accountable by requiring them to track and report on service issues, and it creates a more functional and more collaborative board by expanding it from three to five members. Taken as a whole, America’s freight rail industry is in a much better position to deliver on the ever-expanding needs of the busy and hard-working people who call the USA home.  ‎

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Aviation Connects South Dakotans to the World
By Senator Mike Rounds

 

National Aviation Day is observed annually on August 19th to celebrate the history and promote the development of aviation. It coincides with the birthday of Orville Wright who, along with his brother Wilbur, pioneered powered flight more than 100 years ago. I took an early interest in aviation, receiving my pilot’s license at the age of 17. Today, aviation allows us to travel more frequently and with relative ease to all corners of the world.

As a large, rural state with a sparse population, many of us rely on regional airline service for flight travel. In fact, 90 percent of South Dakota’s commercial service comes from the regional airline industry. It is an essential service for our rural communities. Unfortunately, regional airline service in places like Huron, Watertown, Aberdeen and Pierre have struggled in recent years. Delays, canceled flights and fewer flight options have made it more difficult for residents to fly in and out of these communities.

Understanding how important regional airline service is to our state, I have been working to solve the problem of decreased air service to our smaller towns.  One important issue is the pilot shortage currently affecting our regional airlines. In 2010, Congress passed new mandatory minimum flight hour requirements for airline pilots. The new regulation raised the number of flight hours required to serve as a copilot from 250 to 1500, a 600 percent increase. This increase has created a significant barrier to entry to the airline industry for aspiring pilots, and in turn has made it very hard for carriers like Great Lakes Airlines, a regional carrier serving South Dakota, to fill open pilot positions.

While increasing flight hour minimums was well-intended, these new laws were not aligned with the expert recommendations from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB). Now, six years later, thanks to critical research at places like South Dakota State University, we are in a position to offer a better and safer alternative based on empirical data. These entities have conducted peer-reviewed studies that consistently show the best pilots are the ones who receive the best training, not the ones with simply the most flight hours.

Earlier this year, I introduced an amendment to the FAA reauthorization bill to address these issues. My amendment seeks to increase the qualified pilot pool for regional airlines by creating new, state-of-the art, FAA-certified safety courses that would count toward minimum pilot flight hour requirements. It also strengthens pilot training and airline safety by putting pilots through rigorous, simulator-based training programs, all while maintaining the high standards that Congress put in place for the Airline Pilot Transport Certificate. By simulating more real-world crisis scenarios and attending more industry specific training, I believe our pilots would be even better prepared to respond in the event of an emergency.

Today, air travel is the safest it has ever been and more people are flying than ever before. Our travel possibilities are endless, as long as we have pilots to fly us. I will continue working toward a solution that reconnects the broken pilot pipeline while continuing to maintain the highest standards of safety in aviation. And, I will continue working on behalf of those who live in smaller communities to keep our regional airports thriving.

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Thank a Farmer
By Rep. Kristi Noem

On Capitol Hill where very few people were “farm kids” and even fewer actually pursued farming or ranching as a career, the personal impact of agriculture can get lost. But as I like to remind people, while not everyone farms, we all eat.

Earlier this month at the Sioux Empire Fair’s annual Ag Appreciation Lunch in Sioux Falls, I had the opportunity to say thanks by serving a meal to those who feed the world.  Not only do these producers grow the food our families consume, they provide the backbone to South Dakota’s economy and a layer of security for our country, as we never want to become too reliant on foreign nations to feed us.  It is for these reasons that I fight so hard to make sure agriculture policy provides a strong safety net for our food supply without imposing unnecessary costs and regulations on producers.

The last farm bill was the most reformed we’ve seen in my lifetime.  Many of the programs now work more efficiently and with greater accountability to taxpayers, but we are always looking at ways to improve them.  While we continue to monitor the legislation’s implementation, preliminary work has already begun for the next farm bill with formal hearings likely kicking off next year.

For my part, I’ve been working closely with Ag Committee Chairman Conaway to ensure he’s aware of how current programs are playing out in South Dakota.  I’m also working with Ag Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson and Rep. Kevin Cramer on legislation we hope to have included in the next farm bill that would help alleviate the problematic wetland determinations backlog.  Producers can’t make certain improvements to their land until they’ve been given the OK that changes won’t impact protected wetlands.  We need to ensure we are protecting our land and habitat, but producers shouldn’t have to wait years for a decision. Our legislation makes a series of reforms – including requiring that producers get an answer within a few months of a request.

Overzealous regulators are also a challenge for producers. One of the most concerning regulations we’re fighting against today is the EPA’s controversial Waters of the U.S. rule.  This could be one of the largest federal land grabs our generation has seen with penalties rising to more than $30,000 per violation per day.  We’re working through both the legislative and judicial system to reverse course and we’ve had some successes – especially after a Federal Appellate Court issued a temporary suspension.

Tax reform is another area that is incredibly important to our agriculture community.  This Congress, I gained a position on the committee that major tax reform measures must go through.  Moreover, I’m one of only 14 Members of Congress – and the only one with a deep background in agriculture – to serve on the committee’s specialized tax policy panel.  That’s important because for the first time in a long time, there is real momentum behind this issue and we need to get it right.

Late last year, we made the Section 179 tax deduction permanent, giving farmers and other small businesses more certainty on investments into their operations.  Now, we’re looking at broader efforts to help both small businesses and individuals.  We’re fighting to make the tax code more simple, more fair, and better at promoting healthy economic growth. I’m truly humbled to give agriculture a voice at this table.

Whether we’re talking tax policy, regulatory issues, or the farm bill, I stand up every day in support of South Dakota farmers and ranchers.  I’m proud to explain what the industry is – and isn’t – and to keep unnecessary regulations away from operations.  Most of all, I’m grateful to represent a state whose economy is still rooted in agriculture.

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Rail and the South Dakota Way Of Life
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

We never had a new car, when I was growing up, but we always spent what was necessary to maintain our car, and keep it in dependable running condition. New isn’t necessarily better, but the old must be maintained, and sometimes improved, if we want to depend upon it. I’ve never forgotten the lessons I learned about the importance of maintenance.

I am sure many South Dakotans have similar stories they could tell about lessons learned from working the land or raising livestock. Even if you didn’t grow up on a ranch or farm yourself, chances are you have parents, grandparents, cousins or friends who did. As a state with such a large ag industry, agriculture defines us. It has instilled in us values like persistence, honesty and courage.

It is thanks to our farmers and ranchers that the way of life which imparts these values endures. It is also, in part, thanks to rail.

 Because we are a state with a small population, our farmers and ranchers produce much more than we can consume in South Dakota. The success of our agricultural operations depends upon our producers’ ability to get their products to market. They need efficient, cost-effective options.

That’s where rail comes in. South Dakota’s producers rely a great deal on railroads to deliver their grain to out-of-state markets. One of the state’s most relied upon railroads is the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern, which spans the state from Belle Fourche to Tracy, Minnesota. Since purchasing the line in 2014, Genessee & Wyoming has worked hard to improve rail service to customers along the line.

Through a public-private partnership with the state, RCP&E has just finished constructing two passing sidings: a 10,061-foot siding near Huron and a 7,450-foot siding near Aurora. These sidings allow trains to pass head-to-head, rather than each train waiting for another to arrive. The sidings have already increased the speed with which RCP&E can deliver South Dakota grain to market.

In 2017, RCP&E expects to begin construction of a new 7,000-foot siding near Philip, which will offer additional capacity to West River shippers. This is made possible in part by a TIGER grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Due to upgrades like these, and RCP&E’s commitment to the future, companies that rely on this stretch of rail have had the confidence to locate facilities on the line, or upgrade existing facilities.  For example, the GCC Dakota cement plant in Rapid City has undertaken a $90 million expansion.  As another example, Novita located its $60 million animal protein plant on the line near Aurora.

In addition to these infrastructure investments, in July, the RCP&E secured an agreement with the Union Pacific Railroad to interchange rail traffic at Union Pacific’s Mankato, Minnesota, property. This agreement means RCP&E shippers will now have access to three Class I railroads. This will increase competition for South Dakota grain, as our grain shippers now can ship goods across the vast majority of our national rail network.

We can all be proud of the progress made on one of our state’s most important lines. Good rail service can make all the difference for our producers. Investments like these signal to farmers, ranchers and businesses that they can rely on this line well into the future. Like that old car when I was growing up, this old rail line, built a century ago, is being maintained, and now improved, because we depend upon it.

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Attorney General’s Office to Review Officer Involved Shooting in Aberdeen

PIERRE, S.D – Attorney General Marty Jackley confirms that the Division of Criminal Investigation, at the request of the Aberdeen Police Department, is investigating the officer involved shooting that occurred Sunday, August 14, 2016, at approximately 12:10 a.m.

Aberdeen Police Department responded to a disturbance call at a residence located at 324 Marshall Street, resulting in an Aberdeen Police Officer firing his duty weapon at the subject.

The male subject identified as Ehkhu Hser Poe, 21, Aberdeen, was transported to a hospital where he was being treated for his injuries.

At the completion of the investigation, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation will issue a case report and shooting summation to be reviewed by the Attorney General and States Attorney for a final determination on the officer’s action. The release of the summary is anticipated within 30 days.
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I’d say he was “so young” 12 years ago, but weren’t we all!