From Breitbart comes a story on South Dakota Senator and Majority Leader John Thune that the senate is moving at a rapid pace to confirm the entire cabinet for President Donald Trump:
“At the moment at least, and this is despite the Democrat delays and stalling, the Senate is currently confirming nominees at double the pace of 2017 and 2021,” Thune told Breitbart News late Wednesday morning. “As of this morning, we’ve confirmed 11 and this afternoon we’ll vote on Scott Turner’s nomination, which will be the 12th confirmed Cabinet-level nominee. On this day in President Trump’s first term and in President Biden’s term for that matter, they only had six Cabinet nominees in place so, you know, Senate Democrats have slow-walked the process unfortunately and they’re choosing to do this the hard way and dragging it out but I think Senate Republicans have demonstrated we are serious about getting the president’s nominees confirmed as quickly as possible.”
and
“In most cases we’ve been able to grind the Democrats’ resistance down and we’re going to continue grinding until the president’s cabinet is in place and as you saw this week as you pointed out there were a couple of markups coming out of committee this week with Tulsi Gabbard getting reported out of the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Senate Finance Committee reported out RFK,” Thune said.
State Senator Steve Kolbeck is bringing back the conversation about sports betting via mobile app – this time with the state’s taxes on mobile phone sports betting to go towards property tax relief.
This voluntary tax might be the only proposal that doesn’t involve a tax shift bill.
What are your thoughts – would a new sin tax for allowing sports betting via your cell phone be a vaild source of revenue for South Dakota Property Tax relief?
The Dakota Scout is repotting that Phil Jensen is claiming his actions to defund the Huron School District were related to “a tip” he got from a Huron parent, despite representing a district hundreds of miles away:
The bombastic lawmaker, who is no stranger to throwing himself into controversy across his long legislative career, said he withdrew the bill. Its origin came from a tip he got from a Huron parent, who said that biological boys were using girls’ restrooms in the district.
and..
Jensen’s decision to pull the bill came after a meeting with House leadership Wednesday morning. In addition to pulling the bill, he’s agreed to step down as the vice-chair of the House’s Education Committee after being asked to do so.
Attorney General Jackley Announces Former Prison Employee Sentenced To Prison For Sexual Contact with Prison Inmate
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that a former state prison employee has been sentenced to 90 days in prison after earlier pleading guilty to one count of a Prohibited Sexual Act Between a Prison Employee and Prisoner.
Cassandra Jelsma, 36, was sentenced Tuesday in Bon Homme County Circuit Court. She also received a sentence of two years in prison, which was suspended.
“This behavior is unacceptable and reflects poorly on the vast majority of good employees who work in our correctional facilities,” said Attorney General Jackley.
The incident happened between Nov. 1, 2022, and June 22, 2023, with an inmate at the Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield. The defendant was a prison employee at the time.
South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and the South Dakota Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General investigated the case. The South Dakota Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case.
Remember yesterday when I pointed out one of the many stupid bills being introduced this session, this one from Rep. Kaley Nolz from Mitchell which would have discouraged hiring women and minorities in law enforcement and risked running afoul of the EEOC?
The bill notes in part:
(8) Except as required by federal law:
(a) Advance or adopt any policy or procedure designed to influence the composition of the law enforcement agency’s workforce on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin; or
Whaaat? “Except as required by federal law?” That portion of the bill seems to be less about DEI practices, and more about inching towards an EEOC violation. And yes, there are still federal laws on hiring women and minorities.
Awful legislation. So, that was yesterday. And, then, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, something changed overnight when no one was looking.
Wait.. Representative Nolz is no longer on the bill at all. Not even as a sponsor, much less priming the legislation. Instead the new prime sponsor is Disc Jockey and State Representative Dylan Jordan, who doesn’t like good legislation or seat belts.
Does that mean this wasn’t legislation that she felt strongly about and had strong convictions that this was a needed change in South Dakota Law?
Or maybe it’s just someone’s boiler plate from a special interest group that they just swapped out whoever was going to push it try to use it as a talking point in the next election?
The controversy regarding Phil Jensen’s sponsorship of a bill to strip the Huron School District of funds is supposedly rising to the level where House Leadership may address it.
What I’m hearing is that something is going on, as this has the potential to really bite the caucus in the tail.
Aside from the fact it’s a ridiculous act, I’m being told various reasons as to why the bill was brought, none of which have been confirmed by the author yet.
One source is saying it’s a shared transgender bathroom issue that Phil was trying to use the power of the purse to go after the district, others are saying that it might be because of multiculturalism at the school that he doesn’t like. But again, that’s all rumor and conjecture and not confirmed.
I do note that the District is one of – if not the most culturally diverse school district in the state…
The question is what is House Leadership going to say, and more importantly, what are they going to do? Are they going to slap him on the wrist and say “bad Phil,” or are they going to censure him? They should remove him from office, but I doubt the House has the intestinal fortitude to do that, since there is at least 1 member of leadership who was at the Doeden rally featuring alleged Black Nazi Mark Robinson.
Interesting post from our former Governor, and very timely, as there was a recent show from Co2 idiot/’shock jock in a cowboy hat’ Trent Loos, that I don’t even want to post here, as he flat out referred to our former Governor using a term that no media professional would use and most women would find offensive.
I think if someone has an issue with Kristi they just cheapen themselves by trying to make it about her hair, wardrobe or being a woman. If you disagree with her, disagree with her actions, but trying to belittle her because of her gender says you’ve already lost the argument.
Hearing chatter that Rep. Phil Jensen was a bit in and out of House Education today. There seems to be something going on (related to his Huron School District funding ban) perhaps?
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) was named to the Select Committee of Strategic Competition Between the United States and Chinese Communist Party, more commonly referred to as the “Select Committee on China.” Johnson was a member of the Select Committee last Congress.
“China poses many unique threats to America’s food security and national security,” said Johnson. “Their attempts to influence America and grow their presence around the world should be a growing concern to many. I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue this important work with the Select Committee to get tough on China.”
Johnson has been actively opposed to China’s influence in America. He leads legislation to protect U.S. infrastructure from China, make it harder for China to buy American farmland, crack down on the China-caused fentanyl crisis, safeguard ocean shipping from Chinese malpractice, and more.
“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) represents the most significant national and economic security threat of our time, and I am proud to continue leading the Select Committee as we build on the essential bipartisan work of the 118th Congress,” said Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI). “With the appointment of this exceptional group of members, we are strengthening our efforts to combat the CCP’s growing influence around the world and protect our freedom and way of life. I am grateful to Speaker Johnson for his support and partnership, and I am confident that, together, we will advance policies that keep the United States strong and secure as we confront China’s increasing challenges to our national security.”
Background:
The House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party is responsible for assessing the threats to the economy and national security posed by the government of China and proposing plans to ensure a strong American future.
State Representative Rebecca Reimer has a bill in the system this year that’s actually a good idea.
House Bill 1094 allows school buses to have video recorders on board – if the district or bus company chooses – which can be used in evidence of people who don’t follow the law in stopping when the STOP arm is extended and the flashing red lights are going, removing any doubt whether someone is violating that very important safety rule that schools are faced with daily as they transport kids. Here’s the meat and ‘taters of the act:
Section 2. That a NEW SECTION be added to chapter 32-32:
If any school bus, as defined in § 32-32-1, is transporting students enrolled in a school district in this state and is equipped with an external video system capable of recording traffic activity around the bus, any recording from that video system is discoverable and may be entered into evidence in any civil or criminal action.
No district or bus company is required to install an external video system under this Act.
In my mind, this is not just reasonable legislation, but very necessary. Why? Because I witnessed it almost daily with my own daughter. I have a special needs daughter who was transported by bus to her program with the Brookings School District daily, to and from my house on a fairly busy street – 2 schools up the street, and the street is a major artery in town, and everyone tends to be a little lead footed. And honestly, people are terrible about stopping.
Several times I week I would witness people just sailing by on the opposite side of the street when the red lights were flashing and the stop sign extended, whether because they were inattentive, ignorant, or just didn’t care. The school bus would honk at them, and that was about all they could do, because the police can’t be everywhere.
This bill actually allows the buses to document the violation, and for schools to present evidence to the state’s attorney for a prosecution decision so people possibly get the hint to not put kids in danger. It’s actually useful. And here’s how the vote went yesterday:
After passing unanimously in House Judiciary, 19 House members voted against protecting school kids from getting ran over by idiots.
Voted to Run over kids (Nays): Auch, Aylward, Baxter, Garcia, Gosch, Hunt, Ismay, Jensen (Phil), Jordan, Lems, Manhart, May, Mulally, Odenbach, Randolph, Reder, Schaefbauer, Sjaarda, and Soye. 19 legislators actually voted against protecting kids who are just trying to get on the darn bus to go to school.
Isn’t protecting the fragile little minds of our kids equally important with them not being crushed under the wheels of a vehicle while getting on or off of the school bus?
I’ll leave you with a couple of videos:
Nationally, it happens more than 90,000 times a day. Putting a camera on a bus to capture when it happens for a local prosecutor to act is not an unreasonable thing.
