Category: Uncategorized

Protecting Against West Nile Virus
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

It used to be mosquitoes weren’t much cause for concern. We considered them a nuisance, but otherwise mostly harmless. It wasn’t until 13 years ago when West Nile Virus emerged in South Dakota that the nuisance became a formidable health concern.

Just weeks ago, at the end of June, the South Dakota Department of Health reported the state’s first West Nile case of the year in Brown County. Though there has only been one human case reported thus far, mosquito pools in two counties have tested positive for the virus. History tells us the peak transmission for West Nile in South Dakota is in August – so we can expect to see more cases.

There is no vaccine or specific anti-viral treatment for people who become infected with West Nile. Mild symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, rash and stomach sickness. Less than one percent of those who contract the illness develop serious neurological infections which can be fatal. Still, of 2,168 human cases reported in South Dakota since 2002, 677 individuals have been hospitalized and 32 people have died.

From the first detections of West Nile in South Dakota the state has worked closely with local mosquito control programs, offering educational opportunities and funding support. Over the years the state has provided cities, counties and tribes with more than $6 million in either direct funding or control chemicals. Just a week ago the Department awarded $490,000 in grants to 180 programs across the state to help control mosquitoes and reduce the threat of West Nile.

There are a number of ways to protect yourself from contracting the virus. Use mosquito repellent. Wear long sleeves and pants outside. Limit your time outdoors from dusk to midnight when mosquitoes are most active. Get rid of any standing water in your yard. And support local mosquito control efforts.

Those who are over 50, pregnant women, transplant patients, and individuals with diabetes, high blood pressure, or a history of alcohol abuse should take extra precautions because they may be at greater risk of developing severe symptoms.

The spread of West Nile isn’t inevitable. Let’s do what we can this summer to protect ourselves and others from this harmful virus.

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Hang on! I’m on my way home from yesterday’s awesome Twins game where we had plenty of fun.

What do you do if you don’t like the educational funding task force’s focus?  If you’re Elizabeth May and Phil Jensen, you demand a special session, and ominously warn legislators they’ll be on a list!

The legislators — state Sen. Phil Jensen and state Reps. Elizabeth May, Lance Russell, Lynne DiSanto, Chip Campbell and Sam Marty — are criticizing a Blue Ribbon Task Force appointed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard to help resolve the funding crisis that is keeping teacher salaries low.

At a press conference Thursday in Rapid City, the six said they have been shut out of the task force’s deliberations because their priority is eliminating Common Core from South Dakota education standards. Russell also used the conference to propose possible solutions to the fiscal squeeze.

And…

The group wants a special legislative session to discuss Common Core, which South Dakota adopted in 2010. Common Core outlines specific standards in English language arts, math, history and social studies, science and technical subjects.

And…

May said the group is also working to create a website on which South Dakota residents can see how their representatives voted on the issue. 

“We are not any less elected than the members of the Blue Ribbon Task Force,” May said. “Legislators are elected to lead, and we don’t agree with the way the Blue Ribbon Task Force was set up.”

Read it all here.

Ugh. Are they still perseverating on common core not being part of a study on funding and salaries? Really?

Did they not read the group’s mission statement? According to the Blue Ribbon Task Force’s website:

This task-force will reevaluate the current funding formula, collect and analyze data, engage with stakeholders, and seek public input. The task-force will then make recommendations to the 2016 State Legislature for reform.

We need to understand where teacher shortages are occurring and what can be done to address them. We need to ask why 12 states can spend less per student than South Dakota, yet pay their teachers more. We need to ask why, even as we hear growing concerns about teacher salaries, many schools’ reserve funds are increasing. These questions need to be answered with hard data, not anecdotes or opinion surveys.

Read that here.

The task force is focused on funding and teacher pay. Not curriculum standards that are already argued about ad nauseum already during session.

And who cares if they’re going to have a list of who votes on a special session? I’d be watching it to see who wants to waste taxpayer dollars on a special session.

As a parent with 4 kids left to be educated in the K-12 system, my vote is to let the task force do it’s job.

And really, what’s the hurry? There will be plenty of time to review the task force’s results AND fight about common core next January.

Rounds Selected for Key Defense Committee Role

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has been appointed as a conferee to the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Conference Committee. The NDAA is the major defense legislation considered by Congress each year. The Conference Committee is tasked with reconciling differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. Last month the NDAA passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support and included a number of Rounds’ provisions.

 “I’m pleased to be a member of the NDAA Conference Committee,” said Rounds. “Enactment of the NDAA is essential to give our troops the resources they need. As a member of the Conference Committee, I will work with my colleagues to provide our Armed Forces with the tools necessary to accomplish their demanding and dangerous missions at a time of rising threats around the world.”    

 Other Senate conferees include Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the ranking Democratic member of the Armed Services Committee, James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

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From KELOland:

Annette Bosworth tells KELOLAND News the state board that oversees medical licenses asked her to surrender her license.

and..

According to papers served to her attorney Wednesday, a hearing is set for July 31st.

Read it all here.

It’s not Bosworth’s first rodeo with the state Medical Board.

Do you think she stands a chance of keeping it (her license to practice medicine) at this point?

From the Brookings Register, it appears Mike Rounds’ staff is setting up monthly meetings for my little town on the prairie:

County commission director Stacy Steffensen sought direction from Brookings County commissioners Tuesday to a request for space for a traveling help desk for Sen. Mike Rounds.

This was brought up during Steffensen’s report to the board, not as an item to be voted on. The request came from a series of back-and-forth emails with T.J. Nelson, the constituent services representative to Rounds.

Nelson wanted to use a conference room for the help desk, which would meet on the first Tuesday of each month for an hour. These meetings would serve as a chance for constituents who are having issues with a federal agency to meet with representatives for Rounds.

Read it all here.

Thune Urges USDA to Allocate Additional SAFE CRP Acres for South Dakota
State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) Will Protect Marginal Land
and Boost Pheasant Habitat

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase acreage allocations for SAFE, a continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) initiative, to the maximum extent possible in South Dakota and other states with SAFE allocations at or near 100 percent enrolled. Boosting SAFE acres will help ensure the CRP does not fall substantially below the 2014 farm bill’s allowable acreage caps.

USDA developed the South Dakota Pheasants SAFE initiative to provide habitat for species of economic significance, like the ring-necked pheasant in South Dakota, which provides more than $220 million annually to the state’s economy. SAFE also provides farmers with an alternative to placing expensive inputs and growing crops on marginal lands.

“One of the most effective approaches to encourage additional CRP enrollment, in addition to a general CRP signup I requested and you announced would be held beginning December 1, would be for USDA to immediately increase SAFE allocations,” Thune wrote to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “SAFE has been a popular and effective continuous signup CRP initiative in South Dakota as well as other states. I strongly encourage you to consider increasing SAFE allocations to the maximum extent possible in all states in which SAFE initiatives are at or near 100 percent enrolled.”

Full text of the letter can be found below:

Secretary Tom Vilsack
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, D.C. 20250

Dear Secretary Vilsack:

During the 30 years since authorization in the 1985 Farm Bill, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has evolved into a proven effective multi-purpose management tool for landowners, farm operators, and conservationists. CRP enrollment has been dropping, and without timely proactive action from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the 2014 Farm Bill’s CRP enrollment acreage goals Congress intended for 2015 and future years will not be met.

Even though the 2014 Farm Bill lowered the CRP acreage cap to 26 million acres in 2015 and 25 million acres in 2016, with a current enrollment of 24.3 million acres, and with 1.9 million acres enrolled in CRP contracts that expire on September 30, I am very concerned that CRP enrollment will fall far below the allowable acreage cap.

One of the most effective approaches to encourage additional CRP enrollment, in addition to a general CRP signup I requested and you announced would be held beginning December 1, would be for USDA to immediately increase State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) allocations. SAFE has been a popular and effective continuous signup CRP initiative in South Dakota as well as other states. I strongly encourage you to consider increasing SAFE allocations to the maximum extent possible in all states in which SAFE initiatives are at or near 100 percent enrolled.

Pheasant hunting and related activities annually contribute more than $220 million to South Dakota’s economy and the decline of acres enrolled in CRP the past few years in the state has had a direct negative impact on our state’s pheasant population.

The South Dakota Pheasants SAFE initiative has resulted in increased CRP enrollment in the state; however, often the state’s SAFE allocation is oversubscribed.

The 2015 wheat harvest will begin shortly in South Dakota. With input costs increasing and market prices dramatically lower than in previous years, I would like to make sure that at this time after harvest when farmers and landowners explore more viable economic alternatives to producing crops on marginal land that adequate CRP SAFE acre availability will ensure that SAFE is an available option.

Please consider my request to take expeditious action to increase CRP SAFE allocations in South Dakota and all other states that need higher allocations.

Sincerely,

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Discussing need for Right-to-Life organizations to become involved in judicial elections. pic.twitter.com/yO0s9wbeNl

— Fred Deutsch (@FredDeutsch) July 8, 2015

Thune’s Office Now Accepting Fall Internship Applications

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) is currently seeking intelligent, hard-working college students to serve as fall interns in his Senate offices located in Aberdeen, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, and Washington, D.C.

Interns in Thune’s state offices will participate in constituent service and state outreach activities, while students in the Washington, D.C., office will have the opportunity to witness the legislative process, give Capitol building tours, and attend Senate votes, hearings, and press conferences. Both in-state and Washington, D.C., internships will allow students to work closely with constituents, sharpen their research and writing skills, and learn a multitude of valuable office skills.

“Students who intern in a Senate office have a unique opportunity to experience our democratic process with a front-row seat to the action,” said Thune. “Interns gain valuable knowledge about both state and national issues and an understanding of the inner workings of a Senate office. I encourage all college students to consider applying for this rewarding experience.”

Thune is chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; chairman of the Senate Republican Conference; and a member of the Senate Committee on Finance and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

College students who are interested in interning in Senator Thune’s Washington, D.C., office should submit a resume and cover letter by Thursday, August 6, 2015, to:

Senator John Thune
Attn: Justin Bergeson
511 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

By fax to: 202-228-5429
Or by email to:
[email protected]

College students who are interested in interning in Senator Thune’s Aberdeen, Rapid City, or Sioux Falls offices should submit a resume and cover letter by Thursday, August 6, 2015, to:

Senator John Thune
Attn: Robin Long
5015 South Bur Oak
Sioux Falls, SD 57108

Or by email to:
[email protected]

For more information, please call 202-224-2321.

 

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Attorney General Jackley Calls on Congress to Preserve Authority to Enforce State Data Breach and Data Security Laws

PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty Jackley and 46 other State and Territorial Attorneys General have asked Congress to recognize the importance of maintaining states’ authority to enforce data breach and data security laws, and their ability to enact laws to address future data security risks.

“South Dakota citizens will always be faced with the challenge of monitoring their personal identifying information. States must be able to protect their consumers and respond to these changes in technology and data collection,” said Jackley.

The letter points out a number of concerns with federal preemption of state data breach and security laws, including:

• Data breaches and identity theft continue to cause significant harm to consumers. Since 2005, nearly 5,000 data breaches have compromised more than 815 million records containing sensitive information about consumers – primarily financial account information, Social Security numbers or medical information. Full-blown identity theft involving the use of a Social Security number can cost a consumer $5,100 on

• Data security vulnerabilities are too common. States frequently encounter circumstances where data breach incidents result from the failure by data collectors to reasonably protect the sensitive data entrusted to them by consumers, putting consumers’ personal information at unnecessary Many of these breaches could have been prevented if the data collector had taken reasonable steps to secure consumers’ data.

• States play an important role responding to data breaches and identity theft. The States have been at the frontlines in helping consumers deal with the repercussions of a data breach, providing important assistance to consumers who have been impacted by data breaches or who suffer identity theft or fraud as a result, and investigating the causes of data breaches to determine whether the data collector experiencing the breach had reasonable data security in place. Forty- seven states now have laws requiring data collectors to notify consumers when their personal information has been compromised by a data breach, and a number of states have also passed laws requiring companies to adopt reasonable data security

The letter urges Congress to preserve existing protections under state law, ensure that states can continue to enforce breach notification requirements under their own state laws and enact new laws to respond to new data security threats, and to not hinder states that are helping their residents by preempting state data breach and security laws.

To view the letter, please click on the link: http://atg.sd.gov/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=wgQf7tM2hWI%3d&tabid=442