From the SDSU collegian, One of this year’s legislative interns has a insightful column as to why South Dakota had to repeal initiated measure 22. Well worth your read:
There is displeasure with the passing of House Bill 1069, which effectively repeals Initiated Measure 22. As an intern in Pierre, I had the benefit of seeing all sides of the issue as they were presented, and I’m so thankful our legislators repealed IM-22.
Random people from Massachusetts brought IM-22 forward, and used $1.7 million of out-of-state money to campaign for the measure, while only $600,000 of out-of-state money was brought in opposition of the measure, according to the Secretary of State’s website.
Law requires all donations more than $100 be reported to the Secretary’s Office, which includes the money from lobbyists to politicians and campaigns. One of the main arguments of IM-22 was to stop lobbyists from “secretly giving money to politicians,” which is already a law.
IM-22 was a 35-page mess. The Legislative Research Council told authors of the measure of mistakes: a date and reference correction in Section 39, removal of Section 42 because it’s already in statute and that the measure was likely to be found unconstitutional. They did not move to fix these issues.
The SDGOP went through some structural changes in light of new leadership this week, as GOP ED Ryan Budmayr announced his departure from the state’s dominant political party in a letter that went out to the South Dakota Republican Central Committee:
At the state party’s website at SouthDakotaGOP.com, a press release was posted yesterday about the changes, along with an indication from new party chairman Dan Lederman that the party is immediately looking to hire two new positions as part of a restructuring:
“This week, the Republican State Central Committee discussed restructuring and re-prioritizing the GOP’s central office towards the activities of party building, volunteer coordination, communication, and ramping up our operations for what we view as the biggest election in nearly a decade,” Lederman said.
The Communications Director will be responsible for developing, implementing and supervising the Party’s communications program and messaging, including press and public relations, earned media, paid media, publications, advertising, and support to the State Central Committee, Executive Board, and county parties.
The Finance Director will work with the party’s Executive Board to develop a comprehensive fund-raising program each year, including Direct Mail, Telemarketing, events, and other fundraising opportunities.
Hiring on Communication and Finance staff might be an indication that the central committee intends the GOP to return to a more traditional structure as they once had a decade or so before with dedicated personnel handling communication and direct mail/event duties.
Despite Dem’s having an anemic presence in elected office, they’ve been pushing letters to the editor and press releases hard over the past cycle with dedicated staff. This may be a signal that the GOP is ready to take the fight to the streets as well as the ballot box.
Thune Reintroduces Bill to Eliminate Government Competition With Private Industry
“Not only could this bill save hard-working taxpayers money, but it could also give the economy a necessary shot in the arm.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today reintroduced legislation that would require federal agencies to rely on the private sector when providing goods and services that are readily available. Thune’s legislation, the Freedom from Government Competition Act, would ensure private enterprises that provide services that are replicated by the federal government have the ability to compete for the opportunity to deliver those federally provided services.
Thune’s legislation would codify the “Yellow Pages” test, which says that if the federal government is doing something that can be found in the Yellow Pages, the product or service should be subject to market competition to ensure better value for the taxpayer.
“If a local small business can provide the same type of good or service that’s being provided by the federal government and they can do it cheaper and more efficiently, why wouldn’t we allow them to compete for those services?” said Thune. “By preventing fair competition, we’re hamstringing private industries and giving a boost to federal agencies that have essentially closed the door to a large portion of the market for certain services. Not only could this bill save hard-working taxpayers money, but it could also give the economy a necessary shot in the arm. I hope we can move this common-sense legislation as soon as possible.”
Thune’s legislation does not mandate the privatization of any specific federal service and would protect those activities that are inherently governmental, such as certain national defense and homeland security functions, prosecutions, foreign policy, and activities to bind the United States to take or not to take some action by contract, policy, regulation, authorization, or order.
Rep. John J. “Jimmy” Duncan (R-Tenn.) is sponsoring the companion bill, which was also reintroduced today, in the U.S. House of Representatives.
I was out this week with my wife for dinner, since our stove had been disconnected for several days for a flooring installation. That, and I didn’t want a microwave chicken patty like the kids got stuck with.
In addition to avoiding the microwave, we were also celebrating a big, big job change for her. This week, my wife announced her acceptance of a position at the end of the summer where she will be joining Augustana University as a faculty member, teaching in the field of special education to undergraduate and graduate students.
In concept, it had been a while in coming, as she is set to become “Dr. Powers” this coming December. As she was getting her doctorate, she’d been thinking about what she was going to do with those extra letters behind her name. The move to Augie also made a lot of sense, as she contemplated what the next phase of her professional career was going to be. So, she applied and took the plunge.
She was hired. And simultaneously, my USD bound daughter has switched collegiate gears once again, and is back looking at Augustana. (I’m about ready to give up on her becoming a Jackrabbit, and record a black mark on her permanent record of where she ranks among her siblings as my favorite.)
And of course, fate being what it is, right when my wife was in the process of accepting her job, Augustana U announced who their new president was going to be. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.
Um.. Really? So, my wife’s new big boss is going to be someone who I actively crusaded against in the field of politics? (Awkward.)
I’m starting to wonder if South Dakota might just be a little too small!
From the Argus Leader, The University of South Dakota Student Senate is apparently setting themselves up to demand that the University willfully deny any inquiries into students’ immigration status, and to declare itself a sanctuary campus where illegal aliens will be shielded:
Student leaders at the University of South Dakota this week debated a measure to make the school a “sanctuary campus.”
The USD Student Government Association passed a resolution Tuesday night urging university administrators to create a policy to protect undocumented students.
Only three USD students are undocumented, said administrator Scott Pohlson, but the resolution’s sponsor Josh Arens hopes the measure is a way for administrators to hear student concerns over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
and..
The student government resolution asks USD to assign a contact person to handle all inquiries of a student’s citizenship status.
It recommends that the school create a series of informational sessions to educate students on their rights in regards to federal immigration agents.
It would also prohibit campus security from inquiring about a student’s immigration status, enforcing immigration laws or working with federal agencies including ICE and CBP.
Students who were detained or deported would also be able to continue their education at USD online, according to the resolution.
The main hangup is the provision prohibiting campus security from enforcing immigration laws, Pohlson said.
Thune Begins Farm Bill Rollout, Introduces New Income Protection Program for Farmers
“I know what it takes to get these farm bills across the finish line, and I know the hard-working farmers and ranchers who will be affected once we do.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a long-time member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today unveiled the Soil Health and Income Protection Program (SHIPP), the first of many individual farm bill proposals he will introduce over the next few weeks and months. SHIPP is a new voluntary income protection program for farmers that is designed for today’s production agriculture and soil health needs. It would provide participating farmers with a short-term acreage conserving use program, which unlike the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), would require a commitment of only three to five years.
“I’ve written three farm bills during my time in Congress, having served on both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees,” said Thune. “The 2018 farm bill will be my fourth. I know what it takes to get these farm bills across the finish line, and I know the hard-working farmers and ranchers who will be affected once we do. That’s why over the next several weeks, I’ll be rolling out incremental farm bill proposals that will cover most titles of the farm bill.
“The first proposal I’m unveiling would create a new voluntary farm bill program that would provide a short-term option to conserve acreage while protecting farm income. Unlike CRP, which requires a long-term commitment of 10 to 15 years, SHIPP would require only a three-to-five-year commitment. SHIPP would give farmers the flexibility they need to enroll their least productive acreage in this new program in return for a rental payment and additional crop insurance assistance.”
“Sen. Thune’s new farm bill program has the potential to be a helpful tool for farmers in today’s agriculture economy that has been bogged down by low commodity prices and numerous challenges in meeting the cost of production for most crops,” said Scott VanderWal, president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau. “SHIPP provides a common-sense, voluntary alternative to spending money on expensive seed, fertilizer, and chemicals on our least productive land.”
SHIPP Highlights:
Participation is voluntary.
Operator chooses the land to be enrolled in SHIPP on each Farm Service Agency (FSA) Farm Serial Number (FSN).
Both the landowner and the operator must sign the SHIPP contract.
A one-time sign-up will be held, beginning with the first crop year after the next farm bill has been enacted.
Land is enrolled in SHIPP for three, four, or five years.
A maximum of 15 percent of the cropland on a FSN may be enrolled in SHIPP, and to be eligible for SHIPP, land must have been planted or considered planted to a commodity crop for three consecutive years prior to enrollment.
One base acre for each acre enrolled in SHIPP will be suspended and returned to the SHIPP-enrolled farm after a SHIPP contract expires or is terminated.
Acres must be planted to a low-cost perennial conserving use cover at enrollee’s expense.
Acres may be harvested for seed after nesting and brood rearing period, but cannot be insured (25 percent reduction in rental payment if harvested for seed).
Annual SHIPP payment rate shall be one-half of the CRP general sign-up rental per acre rate for the county.
Premium discount for insured crops planted in a crop insurance unit each year shall be increased by 2 percent if the unit contains acres enrolled in SHIPP.
SHIPP acres may be hayed or grazed outside the nesting and brood-rearing period established for the county, with adequate stubble height left standing to protect the soil, as determined by the State Technical Committee.
At the outset, socially disadvantaged and military veteran SHIPP enrollees would receive 75 percent of the CRP general sign-up rental rate, a 3 percent increase in crop insurance premium discounts, and no deduction in payment for harvesting grass seed on acres enrolled in SHIPP.
For additional information on Sen. Thune’s commitment to agriculture and other issues that are important to South Dakota, please visit www.thune.senate.gov.
Sioux Falls resident Michael Wyland of Non-Profit quarterly has an interesting article on that website about how the Mid Central Educational Coop’s attempts to drag State Representative Kyle Schoenfish’s Accounting firm into a lawsuit filed against the Coop is primarily smoke and mirrors, and not one that’s likely to work:
In response to the unfolding lawsuit, MCEC has taken the unusual step of filing papers with the state court asking that the education cooperative’s auditors be held liable of any damages resulting from the class action lawsuit.
and.
The filing goes on to say if MCEC is found to be at fault in the class action, “such fault is slight in comparison to the fault of Schoenfish & Co., Inc.”
Blaming the auditors is highly unlikely to be successful for at least three reasons. First, audits are not designed to uncover criminal activity such as embezzlement. Second, audits are dependent upon management’s representations of the organization’s finances. If management misrepresents the finances with skill, the auditors won’t know it. Third, the auditors in this case noted material weaknesses in MCEC’s financial controls as well as missing or incomplete management reports expected of federal grantees. The 2014 audit prepared for MCEC included a note from the auditors that it was the eighth year material weaknesses had been reported to the MCEC board of directors.
The tragedy of GEAR UP is more than the deaths of six people and the alleged embezzlement of millions of dollars. The real damage done to Alyssa Black Bear, Kelsey Walking Eagle-Espinoza, and other Native American plaintiffs likely to join the class action is in the misadministration of the GEAR UP program from its inception in 2005 through the following decade.
From Facebook, Cynthia Mickelson announced today that she is taking the plunge and joining her husband Mark (Speaker of the House) Mickelson in running for office:
Thune, Gov. Daugaard Participate in Hearing on Infrastructure
“Eliminating unnecessary hurdles, while maintaining an emphasis on safety improvements, can lead to a better use of both public and private dollars.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today led a hearing entitled, “Connecting America: Improving Access to Infrastructure for Communities Across the Country.” Gov. Dennis Daugaard testified at the hearing, which examined the challenges of connecting Americans, particularly in rural communities, to transportation and information networks.
Thune questioned Daugaard about existing programs under the FAST Act, which passed the Senate in December 2015, and how theycompared to new policy designs or a project–specific approach.
“This week, the Republican State Central Committee discussed restructuring and re-prioritizing the GOP’s central office towards the activities of party building, volunteer coordination, communication, and ramping up our operations for what we view as the biggest election in nearly a decade,” Lederman said.
Thune Reintroduces Bill to Eliminate Government Competition With Private Industry
