(Good advice – I’ve gotten this text twice this week! – pp)
Attorney General Jackley Warns Consumers Again Of Toll Road Text Message Scam
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley warns consumers that a familiar text message scam, where people are ordered to pay a tax for traveling on South Dakota’s roads and bridges, has been reported again in the state.
“The Toll Road Text Message scam preys on a person’s honesty,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Several citizens have been scammed into sending money after being threatened with fines or other penalties for not paying an overdue, phony toll.”
Scam toll road text messages have been reported statewide this week. Attorney General Jackley’s Consumer Protection Division said the toll road text message, first seen in South Dakota earlier this year, does not say what state the toll is from, and the amount is not displayed until the consumer opens the link.
South Dakota’s Department of Transportation, on its website, reminds the public that all South Dakota state-owned roads and bridges are toll free.
The Consumer Protection Division also offers these other tips to consumers:
*** Question why an unfamiliar text message has your number.
*** Do not click onto suspicious links or accept downloads.
*** Do not give into high pressured tactics to resolve “the issue.” Stop, take a moment, and review all information.
*** Find the official number of the agency that supposedly messaged you and call to confirm the information.
*** Don’t provide money or personal information via telephone or internet to an individual or organization that you don’t know or haven’t verified.
*** Be wary of any caller who tells you not to tell anyone else about the call.
*** Talk to someone you trust before you provide money or personal information to someone who contacts you.
Consumers who believe they may have been a victim of this, or any other scam should contact the Attorney General’s Office’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or at https://consumer.sd.gov/, You may be helping someone else out by reporting what you’ve encountered.
In addition to House Leadership forcing a prison construction project do-over after $50 million had already been spent on the Lincoln County site, there’s another pressure campaign that should come to mind.
It isn’t just Pepperidge Farms that remembers, but so does former State Senator Erin Tobin:
“The potential construction costs of these recommendations (not including the demolition of SDSP) are expected to be between $1.9 to $2.1 billion,” according to the report, which calls for building up to three different prison complexes over the next decade, putting the blame squarely on the state’s incarceration rates.
Don’t forget what happened the last legislative session, and who spearheaded the death of that bill:
A legislative maneuver meant to secure funding and continue discussion on an $825 million men’s prison failed by two votes Friday in the South Dakota House of Representatives.
The vote on House Bill 1025 was 34-35, with one member absent and a majority of 36 votes required for passage. The House could vote on whether to reopen debate when lawmakers return to Pierre next week.
The vote throws the future of the massive prison project into question, and could chart a path to easing some of the state’s financial strain in a year where lawmakers are pondering cuts and swatting back funding requests.
and..
Lems was the first to speak against the amended version of the bill. She rattled off questions about the prison’s rural location and a pending lawsuit over that location, unknown costs for roads and ongoing operations, and on a price tag she sees as too high.
and..
House Speaker Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, said some of the unspent prison money could ultimately be placed into the prison fund, where it earns interest.
As opposed to getting a darn prison built with the plan already in motion, House leadership and their allies killed moving the project forward. Aaanndd… now we find out that because of the delays and fooling around, it’s likely going to cost taxpayers another billion… with a B.
Weren’t some of them complaining that it was somehow “a ritz-carlton” prison? I know Logan Manhart parroted that line. Well, come to find out it was more of a Motel 6 prison, and they’ve caused the cost to double.
State Representative Taylor Rehfeldt, who pushed for the funding to move forward this past winter session was very prescient:
Republican Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt, who requested the reconsideration, said questions have been answered. She said it’s “very clear” South Dakota needs a new prison. She said it “absolutely” will be expensive at $825 million and said it “probably” would be more if delayed, regardless where the location is.
Project Prison Reset Task Force Shares Consultant Report
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, the Project Prison Reset task force shared the completed consultant report by Arrington Watkins. You can find the consultant report here.
“This new third-party report confirms what our task force concluded: that the state penitentiary in Sioux Falls has reached the end of its useful life,” said Lt. Governor Tony Venhuizen, who chairs the task force. “The report also found that our system is overcrowded and requires a new facility and, absent changes in law, we can expect this problem to get even worse over time.”
Arrington Watkins’ report specifically analyzed the state of our current system, including the South Dakota State Penitentiary, the Jameson Prison Annex, and the Sioux Falls Minimum Center. The consultant will evaluate potential sites for a new prison in the second phase.
The task force was announced by Governor Larry Rhoden in February. You can find information about past Project Prison Reset meetings here.
Gov. Rhoden Signs Hours of Service Waiver to Bring Relief for Fuel Supply
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden signed Executive Order 2025-05 granting an hours of service waiver for certain liquid products being transported through South Dakota.
The 14-day order exempts delivery of gasoline, or gasoline blends, diesel, fuel oil, ethanol, propane, jet fuel, and biodiesel from federal motor carrier regulations regarding drivers’ hours of service. The waiver will address supply shortages being reported in the state by businesses and residents.
Although hours of service have been temporarily suspended for commercial deliveries, companies may not require or allow fatigued drivers to make deliveries. All other road safety and vehicle compliance regulations still apply.
The executive order is consistent with other states in the region, including Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas, who currently have similar waivers in effect. The executive order expires at midnight on May 29, 2025.
I just had someone asking me for a political pin which I was digging for, and I came across this from one of the least memorable campaigns in state history, the official Mark Mowry for US Senate 2022 bumper sticker:
I don’t seem to recall that he did very well in that primary election. (Probably because he too was getting his slogan from Hobby Lobby).
Attorney General Jackley Announces Former State Government Employee Sentenced in Department of Revenue Fraud Case
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that a former state Department of Revenue employee has been sentenced on a misdemeanor count of Misprison of a Felony.
Danielle Degenstein, 52, of Pierre entered her guilty plea Tuesday in Hughes County Circuit Court. She was granted a suspended imposition of sentence with one year in jail suspended, one year of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, and court costs.
“This defendant violated the public’s trust by not reporting a coworker’s criminal activity,” said Attorney General Jackley. “I will continue to lead the effort to protect our taxpayers and maintain transparency in bringing forth violations of the public’s trust.”
Degenstein was investigated for knowing, and not reporting, that a Department of Revenue employee forged a power of attorney document for that employee’s financial gain.
The case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). The Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case.
Senator Mike Rounds WEEKLY ROUND[S] UP: April 28-May 11, 2025 by US Senator Mike Rounds
Welcome back to another edition of the Weekly Round[s] Up. It has been a busy couple of weeks back in DC after the Easter holiday. However, we’ve had 31 South Dakota groups visit DC over the past two weeks, bringing a bit of home to Capitol Hill and a bright spot in our busy days! In addition to those meetings, I’ve been attending hearings, voting on President Trump’s nominees on the floor and sitting in on classified briefings. I even had the opportunity to introduce a couple of nominees at their Senate confirmation hearings over the past two weeks! More on this and the rest of my schedule in my Weekly Round[s] Up:
South Dakota groups I met with: Over 30 – South Dakota Telecom Association; South Dakota members of the Association of Nurse Anesthetists; the South Dakota Snowmobile Association; South Dakota members of the American College of Physicians Services; South Dakota Rural Electric Association; the Independent Insurance Agents of South Dakota; Barry Dunn, President of South Dakota State University; South Dakota Emergency Nurses Association; the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce; South Dakota tribal students partaking in the Native Youth Policy Summit Expo; Benjamin Ostebee, South Dakota’s representative for the National Community Pharmacists Association; South Dakota Emergency Nurses Association; members of the South Dakota Education Association; Charles and Heather Maude and their two children, Lyle and Kennedy; virtual meeting with Chamberlain High School’s AP Government class; Teonna Randle, who represented South Dakota at the national Poetry Out Loud competition (and placed second overall!); leaders from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe; the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations; members of Northern Great Plains Joint Venture; the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, including President Justin Tupper of St. Onge; South Dakota members of the Association of American Railroads; members of the South Dakota Farmers Union; leaders from the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe; South Dakota members of the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association; leaders from Thrivent; South Dakota members of the American Kidney Fund; South Dakota Concerned Women for America; South Dakota Dairy Producers; and Associated General Contractors of South Dakota.
South Dakota towns represented: Aberdeen, Bison, Box Elder, Brandon, Brookings, Burbank, Caputa, Chamberlain, Custer, Dakota Dunes, Dell Rapids, De Smet, Flandreau, Freeman, Gettysburg, Groton, Hermosa, Highmore, Hot Springs, Huron, Ipswich, Kimball, Lake Andes, Madison, Milbank, Mission, Mitchell, North Sioux City, Parade, Pierre, Plankinton, Rapid City, Reliance, Salem, Seneca, Sioux Falls, St. Onge, Tea, Vermillion, Watertown, Wessington Springs, Winner, Woonsocket and Wall.
Other meetings: Dr. Robert Kadlec, nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Deterrence, Chemical, and Biological Defense Policy and Programs; Michael Obadal, nominee for Under Secretary for the Army; Adam Telle, nominee for Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works;Professor Lars-Hendrik Röller, Chairman of the Berlin Global Dialogue; Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs; Pious Jung, CEO of CJ America; spoke at a fireside chat for the Hill & Valley Forum; attended the SeedAI Breakfast for AI Policy Practitioners; Thomas Tull, founder of Tulco LLC; Christopher Eisgruber, President of Princeton University; Katie Sutton, nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy; Ambassador Khazar Ibrahim, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the United States; Bishop Zaidan of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Sean Callahan, CEO of Catholic Relief Services; Scott Donnelly, CEO of Textron; Binalf Andualem, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to the United States; members of National Grid Renewables; King Abdullah II of Jordan; Paul Hudson, CEO of Sanofi; members of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association; Salim Ramji, CEO of Vanguard; and Michael Powers, nominee for Deputy Undersecretary of Defense.
I spoke at a breakfast hosted by The Hill about artificial intelligence.
Hearings: I attended nine hearings over the past two weeks. Five were in the Senate Armed Services Committee, three were in the Senate Committee on Appropriations and one was for the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. During the Banking Committee hearing, I spoke about the importance of reauthorizing and reforming the National Flood Insurance Program. Watch that clip here. In addition, I introduced my friend and former advisor Katie Sutton at her nomination hearing to serve as the next Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, which you can watch a clip of here.
I also had the honor of introducing Luke Lindberg of South Dakota during his nomination hearing at the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. He’ll do a great job as Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. You can watch a clip of my introduction here.
Classified briefings: 3 – two were for the Select Committee on Intelligence. I attended one classified briefing as part of my work as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Cybersecurity.
Votes taken: 29 votes over two weeks – most of these were on additional nominees to executive positions. While the confirmation of these nominees may not grab headlines like the cabinet-level nominees, everyone being confirmed right now is critical to the Trump administration and the work they’re doing for the American people.
My staff in South Dakota visited: Aberdeen, Belle Fourche, Gregory, Lower Brule, Spearfish, Sturgis, Wagner and Winner.
Steps taken: 52,890 steps or 26.31 miles during week one; 58,202 steps or 29.03 miles during week two.
Video of the week: I joined Fox Business to discuss the budget reconciliation and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:
