Category: Uncategorized

The American Bison Memorialized as National Icon
By Senator Mike Rounds

Few things symbolize South Dakota and the West better than the American bison. The tough, stoic mammal has played an integral part in the history of North America. While their numbers have dwindled from an estimated 60 million when Columbus landed in America to less than 500,000 today, they remain an important symbol of the American West, including South Dakota. That’s why, in the middle of Senate votes, committee meetings and meetings with constituents, I was pleased to learn the president signed legislation recognizing the bison as the national mammal.

In South Dakota, we learn from a very young age about the role the American bison has played in our state’s history, especially for our Native American citizens. Bison—or Tatanka in the Lakota language – are sacred animals for many Native American tribes. Tribes used nearly every part of the bison for food, shelter, clothing and tools, and expressed their gratitude for the animal through songs, artwork and in their oral storytelling tradition.  Additionally, the bison represents the spirit, and the way in which Native Americans lived their lives. So central to Native Americans’ lives were the Tatanka, tribes followed them as they roamed the Great Plains during their migration.

As we all know, the tens of millions of bison roamed freely before settlers came to the West, overhunting them to the brink of extinction in the 1800s. James “Scotty” Philip, a South Dakota settler and rancher, purchased five bison calves from Pete Dupree after one of the last big bison hunts, and is credited with saving them from extinction. He received unclaimed land from the U.S. government along the Missouri River north of Fort Pierre to be used as a buffalo pasture. There Philip was able to grow the herd and help strengthen the diminishing bison population in the United States. Bison from his herd were distributed to State and National Park systems and other wildlife refuges all over the country.

The Bronx Zoo and Yellowstone National Park also cultivated bison herds in dedicated bison preserves in the early 1900s, and released them to the western plains area. They donated 14 bison to Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, and those bison helped populate more herds across the country. Today, conservation efforts continue. The InterTribal Buffalo Council, founded in 1991 in the Black Hills, led an effort to repopulate the bison herds. Made up of 58 tribes in 19 states, the InterTribal Buffalo Council continues to work toward reestablishing buffalo herds on Indian lands.

Today, there are more bison in South Dakota than any other state. The 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture estimated more than 33,000 roaming throughout our state. Additionally, Custer State Park is home to one of the largest publicly-owned herds in the world at approximately 1,300 heads. This is the herd that is vaccinated, branded and checked on each year at the famous Buffalo Roundup that takes place annually. People from all over the world flock to our state to get a glimpse of these majestic mammals.

The bison is an inspiring symbol of America’s strength and resilience, and is revered as sacred by many Native American tribes, whose rich culture and history plays such an important role in South Dakota. It is fitting and appropriate that the bison be adopted as the national mammal of the United States. I’m pleased to see the bison join the American Bald Eagle—which can often be seen nesting in South Dakota—as one of our national symbols.

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Addressing the Opioid Epidemic
By Rep. Kristi Noem

It could start with a headache.  Or perhaps an injury from sports or even a military deployment.  Maybe it was a surgery and the prescription pain medication was supposed to be used only for a short time.  Eventually, however, the medicine you relied on to heal became the drug that made you sick.

Nationwide, around 15 million Americans abuse prescription drugs annually, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.  Drugs like hydrocodone, oxycodone, and morphine – which as a category are called opioids – are frequently prescribed by doctors and some are even common in medicine cabinets and on bathroom counters across South Dakota.  If they are abused or happen to fall into the wrong hands, they can be fatal.

In 2013 alone, the latest year where reliable data is available, 32 South Dakotans died from opioid overdoses.  Nationwide, we lose one person to a drug overdose almost every 12 minutes.

Earlier this month, I voted to advance a series of bills that combat the opioid epidemic and help heal those suffering most.  It was a bipartisan effort that I’m incredibly proud of.

One of the bills, which I helped lead on, specifically addressed opioid addiction in mothers who are pregnant or just had their babies.  The number of infants born to mothers dependent on drugs nearly quadrupled from 2004 to 2013.  In South Dakota, there were more than 200 reported cases of opiate use by new moms between 2009 and 2013, according to a presentation given at SDSU in coordination with the South Dakota Department of Health.

The bill I cosponsored improved the support offered for counseling, pediatric health care, prenatal and postpartum health care, and parental training.  It also created a pilot program for state substance abuse agencies to figure out ways to bridge the gaps in service for pregnant and postpartum women who are addicted to drugs.

In addition to these provisions, I helped pass legislation to get first responders better access to the training and equipment needed for administering new medicines that can reverse opioid overdoses on the spot.  This is a goal the South Dakota legislature has been working toward as well, passing legislation in recent years to help give first responders and family members better access to these life-saving antidotes.  I’m hopeful our efforts on the federal level can support what’s already being done in the state.

Treating only the symptoms will not cure the problem though.  Approximately three-fourths of the world’s opioid prescription drugs are prescribed in the U.S. – even though we only comprise about 5 percent of the world’s population.  If this legislation becomes law, it would bring together federal agencies, state medical boards, health care professionals, and experts from pain and addiction-recovery communities, challenging them to come up with better practices to manage acute and chronic pain.

The Senate has also acted on a bipartisan legislative package to fight opioid addiction. With two strong bills on the table, the House and Senate will be coming together to work out the differences before getting it to the President to sign.  There’s momentum on both sides to get this done, so I’m optimistic new provisions will take effect soon.

No state – no community – is immune from opioid addictions. Whether in Sioux Falls, Pierre or Pine Ridge, families are struggling with it.  But while it is a chronic disease, it doesn’t have to be terminal.  I’m hopeful new federal resources will be available soon.  Still, to overcome the epidemic, all of us need to play a role.  If you or a family member is concerned about the use or abuse of prescription pain medication, please talk to your doctor immediately.  Help is out there.

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A New Addition To Peter Norbeck’s Park
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

Peter Norbeck was a very accomplished public servant. He served South Dakota as a legislator, lt. governor, governor and United States senator from 1909 to 1936. Of all things he achieved, he is most remembered as the “father of Custer State Park.”

Norbeck worked for 20 years to create Custer State Park, which is among the largest state parks in the United States. He designed many of the park’s roads. Thinking of the people who would travel to the area, Norbeck chose the route for Iron Mountain Road. Instead of the shortest route of 9 miles, he created a 16-mile road with fantastic views of Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills. He even helped construct fences at the park.

A marker placed at the Peter Norbeck Wildlife Preserve sums him up in this way: “His was the heritage of cold, strong lands; his the pioneer vision which saw far ahead, far beyond. He felt the strong heart throb of his beloved people commanding him to do greatly and be great. In these mountains he found a wilderness for them and labored to preserve its beauty unspoiled for them and for their children’s children. He is still present in every mile of road that he built, in the noble pines and towering rocks he loved, and in the hearts of the multitudes who will enjoy them.”

When he spoke at the First National Conference on State Parks in 1921, Peter Norbeck observed, “Parks are not merely picnicking places. They are rich store houses of memories and reveries. They are bearers of wonderful talks to him who will listen, a solace to the aged and an inspiration to the young.”

Likewise, Custer State Park is so much more than a picnicking place. Each year nearly 2 million people from all over the world come to see the buffalo, drive the wildlife loop, hike Lover’s Leap, fish on Legion Lake, and swim and kayak up at Sylvan. This 72,000-acre getaway destination is a place where memories are made.

With so many things to do and see, first-time visitors – and even seasoned guests – need a guide. Last week we celebrated the opening of a new state-of-the-art visitor center that will serve as that guide.

Visitors won’t be able to miss the new facility as they come into the park. They’ll be able to start at the visitor center to find out about the layout of the park, the many activity options and even where the buffalo are in the park at any given time. They’ll also have the chance to stop in the new state-of-the-art theater to watch a 20-minute introductory film called “Spirit of Tatanka” which is narrated by Academy Award winner Kevin Costner.

Establishing the Custer State Park visitor center took time, hard work and finances. An exemplary public-private relationship made this building a reality. In 2013 the Legislature approved my proposal to allocate $1.5 million for the visitor center. I am grateful to the legislators and taxpayers who saw this as a priority. I am also grateful to the private groups and individuals who contributed a total of $3.5 million for this project.

Whether you are well acquainted with Custer State Park or you have never been, I invite you to come to the park this summer and check out the new visitor center. It’s truly an addition the father of Custer State Park would be proud of.

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Attorney General Jackley’s Response to President Obama’s School Bathroom Mandate

PIERRE, S.D. – The President of the United States, through the U.S. Department of Education, today issued a letter that has established a requirement that every public school district in the country allow transgender students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that match the student’s chosen gender identity and further threatening federal civil rights litigation and education funding withholdings.

“President Obama does not have the legal authority to mandate South Dakota schools and parents to require our children to share locker rooms and bathrooms with children of the opposite sex. While there are opportunities for state lawmakers and school districts to address the transgender issue in a nondiscriminatory manner, this mandate and threat of lawsuits and withholding of education funding for children is not a proper approach. Likewise, any harassment that targets a student based on transgender identity is not appropriate nor permissible under the law. I am and will continue discussing the federal mandate and the proper action with other State Attorneys General,” said Jackley.

Noem Introduces Biodiesel Tax Credit Extension

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Kristi Noem today introduced the Biodiesel Tax Incentive Reform and Extension Act of 2016.  This legislation would extend the $1-per-gallon tax credit for biodiesel through the end of 2019 and reform the credit so it is only used for fuel produced in the U.S.

“South Dakota can play a meaningful role in fueling our future,” said Noem.  “Increased energy independence is essential to strengthening both economic opportunities and our long-term national security needs.  By continuing our commitment to renewable fuels like biodiesel, we can reduce our reliance on foreign fuels from volatile areas of the world and put that energy back into our own economy.”

“The South Dakota Soybean Association applauds Representative Noem for her leadership on introducing this significant legislation,” said Jerry Schmitz, farmer from Vermillion and president of the South Dakota Soybean Association.  “Shifting from a blender’s credit to a producer’s credit will eliminate the ability of foreign producers to claim the biodiesel credit, thus maximizing the added value of domestic production, U.S. jobs, and the economic impact for U.S. soybean farmers and our rural communities.”

Rep. Noem introduced similar legislation in 2015, and an extension of the credit was included in a year-end tax deal (more information).

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District 30 State House Candidate Richard Mounce joined Roger Solum in placing an ad at SDWC to encourage people to visit his website for his State House Race.

Please click on the link on the right hand side of the page, and take a look around.

And if it needs to be mentioned, I’d encourage you to visit our long list of advertisers, and check out their websites, such as United States Senator John Thune, Americans for Prosperity SD Chapter, Congresswoman Kristi Noem, the fine barristers at Redstone Law Firm, as well as my own Dakota Campaign Store, one of the State’s largest suppliers of campaign materials.

And if you might be interested, we do have other advertising spots available. Drop a note to the webmaster for more information!

(And we still have a new advertiser coming in June!)

 

I had a nice note this AM from outgoing State Senator Ried Holien who has decided to throw his hat in the ring for South Dakota Republican Party National Committeeman:

I wanted to let you know that I will be running to be the next National Committeeman representing South Dakota at the RNC. Dana Randall is not seeking another term, and I had many people call and urge me to go for the position.

After much thought, I decided to run. I stepped away from my State Senator position mainly because it demanded I lived in Pierre for several months in a row. That was not working with my young family. This new job, if I’m fortunate enough to get it, does have some travel, but not for the solid block of time. I could handle that. Plus, I am still very interested in politics, and I love the Republican Party and wanted to continue to serve in some capacity. Being National Committeeman would allow me to stay active and hopefully build a stronger GOP both in South Dakota and nationally.

At this time I do not know of anyone else running for the position. Thanks for being such a great source on South Dakota politics.

So, Is US Senator John Thune justified in calling for a review of how Facebook does business? Well, there’s an interesting report out today, complete with leaked papers from Facebook itself:

The documents, given to the Guardian, come amid growing concerns over how
Facebook decides what is news for its users. This week the company was accused of an editorial bias against conservative news organizations, prompting calls for a congressional inquiry from the US Senate commerce committee chair, John Thune.

The boilerplate about its news operations provided to customers by the company suggests that much of its news gathering is determined by machines: “The topics you see are based on a number of factors including engagement, timeliness, Pages you’ve liked and your location,” says a page devoted to the question “How does Facebook determine what topics are trending?”

But the documents show that the company relies heavily on the intervention of a small editorial team to determine what makes its “trending module” headlines – the list of news topics that shows up on the side of the browser window on Facebook’s desktop version. The company backed away from a pure-algorithm approach in 2014 after criticism that it had not included enough coverage of unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, in users’ feeds.

The guidelines show human intervention – and therefore editorial decisions – at almost every stage of Facebook’s trending news operation, a team that at one time was as few as 12 people:

A team of news editors working in shifts around the clock was instructed on how to “inject” stories into the trending topics module, and how to “blacklist” topics for removal for up to a day over reasons including “doesn’t represent a real-world event”, left to the discretion of the editors.

Read the entire report here.

Please join us for a special
Dinner and Discussion with Caleb Bonham,
who is one of the founding partners and the president of D/CO Consulting in Denver, Colorado and the editor-in-chief of the nationally renowned news outlet Campus Reform.  He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel, and his work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Associated Press and on TheBlaze.

Caleb uses his platform to lend an encouraging perspective on faith, politics, and the truth of what is occurring at our nation’s institutions of higher education.

Day and Date:              Monday, May 16, 2016

Place:                            The Sheraton Sioux Falls

Address:                     1211 Northwest Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD 57104

Time:                           6:00 – 8:00 P.M.

Tickets:                       include a buffet dinner – $5 for adults – free for students*

Please purchase tickets at http://siouxfallsdinner.eventbrite.com or contact Chad Krier at (605) 370-2778 or ckrier@afphq.org for more information.

*Students need to contact Chad Krier for their free tickets.

State Senate Candidate Roger Solum was nice enough to drop an ad at SDWC to encourage people to visit his new website for his State Senate primary campaign.

Please click on the link on the left hand side of the page, and take a look around.

And as always, I’d encourage you to visit our long list of advertisers, and check out their websites, such as United States Senator John Thune, Americans for Prosperity SD Chapter, Congresswoman Kristi Noem, the fine barristers at Redstone Law Firm, as well as my own Dakota Campaign Store, one of the State’s largest suppliers of campaign materials.

And if you might be interested, we do have other advertising spots available. Drop a note to the webmaster for more information!

(And Bonus, we have a new advertiser coming in June already!)