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WEEKLY ROUND[S] UP MARCH 11-17, 2024

Welcome to another edition of the Weekly Round[s] Up! We’re gearing up for another busy week before heading back to South Dakota for our Easter in-state work period. Our next deadline is Friday to finish up our appropriations for this fiscal year. As we work on those, we kept busy with meetings, hearings and votes this past week. I also hosted an event in Washington to commemorate the congressional charter for the National American Indian Veterans and honored Vietnam era veterans in Sisseton with Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pins. More on all of this and more in this week’s Weekly Round[s] Up: 

South Dakotans I met with: Representatives from South Dakota Impact Aid Schools; and Ann and Lily Garner with the South Dakota Fibromyalgia Network. I also went to Sisseton last Friday to honor nearly 100 Vietnam era veterans with Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pins.

Visited with South Dakotans from: Batesland, Box Elder, Chamberlain, Custer, Dupree, Eagle Butte, Flandreau, Lake Andes, Mission, Mitchell, Pierre, Sioux Falls, Sisseton, Timber Lake, Wagner, Wall and Winner.

Other meetings: Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s Ambassador to the United States and François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry; Tom Rosenbaum, President of the California Institute of Technology; President Andrzej Duda of Poland; General Laura Richardson, Commander of U.S. Southern Command; and Ted Pick, CEO of Morgan Stanley. I also attended our Senate Bible Study, where we studied Acts 2:32-33.

This past week, we had our Senate Republican retreat. Early in each year, we all gather to spend a day having discussions on the upcoming year and what we’re hoping to accomplish. While I see my colleagues for lunch most days and around Capitol Hill all the time, it’s nice to spend a day together uninterrupted to focus on what matters: getting our country back on track.

National American Indian Veterans: This past week, I hosted a ceremony to commemorate the granting of a congressional charter to the National American Indian Veterans organization as part of the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act. We had several guests from across the nation, including Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs Denis McDonough and National NAIV Commander Don Loudner. Don is a Korean War Era veteran and a member of the Hunkpati Sioux Tribe based in South Dakota. You can read more about this ceremony here, and watch the ceremony in its entirety here.

Votes taken: 8 – these were on nominations to judge positions in Illinois, Virginia, Rhode Island and Maryland and executive branch positions at the Department of State.

Hearings: I attended three hearings this week. In the Senate Banking Committee, we had a hearing on examining legislation to address affordable housing. I had the opportunity to question our witnesses on my Rural Housing Service Reform Act. You can watch a clip of that here. We also had one of our few open hearings in the Select Committee on Intelligence, where I questioned FBI Director Christopher Wray on foreign nationals purchasing American farmland. Last, we had a nominations hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee with General Gregory Guillot and General Laura Richardson, both of whom I met with earlier. See the full clip of that hearing here.

Classified briefings: I had one classified briefing with the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee.

My staff in South Dakota visited: Aberdeen, Belle Fourche, Sioux Falls and Sisseton.

Steps taken this past week: 64,999 steps or 32.01 miles

Video of the week: I joined CNN’s Dana Bash on State of the Union this past Sunday to discuss legislation moving through Congress that could potentially ban TikTok, as well as Israel and the 2024 election:

Gov. Noem Signs Budget into Law 

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem signed HB 1259 and SB 52 into law, which make up the budget for the State of South Dakota for the remainder of fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2025.

“This is a budget that prioritizes the people of South Dakota, not government projects,” said Governor Noem. “I was proud to work with legislators on both sides of the aisle to create a balanced budget that focuses on the core functions of state government.”

Governor Noem also signed SB 51, which revises property tax levies for school districts and to revise the state aid to general and special education formulas.

Governor Noem has signed 233 bills into law this legislative session and VETOED none. There are no bills awaiting action by the governor.

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If you’re a podcast listener and haven’t caught it yet, Jake & Murdoc at Dakota Town Hall had myself and State Rep. Tony Venhuizen on for their “2024 Billies,” their first annual awards for the best (and the worst) moments of the 2024 State Legislative Session. Check it out today!

Gov. Noem Signs Indigent Legal Commission into Law 

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem signed HB 1057, which creates the Commission on Indigent Legal Services and Office of Indigent Legal Services, into law.

“A strong criminal justice system supports our American way of life. It upholds the rights of our people. That includes the Sixth Amendment right to legal counsel,” said Governor Noem. “The Commission on Indigent Legal Services will oversee a statewide appellate defender office to handle criminal appeals, child abuse and neglect appeals, and habeas appeals. This office would also provide training and mentorship to rural attorneys.”

Governor Noem has appointed Larry Long of Sioux Falls, Heather Lammers Bogard of Rapid City, and Dick Travis of Sioux Falls to serve on the Commission on Indigent Legal Services.

Governor Noem has signed 230 bills into law this legislative session.

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Former State Representative Keri Weems, who was originally appointed by Governor Mike Rounds on January 14, 2003, to fill the vacancy of Mike Jaspers, and returned twice more to run to represent her district before declining another term of office, has decided to again run for the South Dakota legislature.

This time she’s running for the seat being vacated by Chris Karr, who is running for the open seat in District 11 Senate.

Again, always good to see quality candidates stepping up to run for office. 

A South Dakota judge isn’t messing around when it comes to a lawsuit that former State Democrat Party official Bret Healy has filed against family members over a land dispute that has drug on and on. After one case was heard in federal court last year, and eventually dismissed, the latest battle in court finds Healy and his attorney being spanked ever harder by the South Dakota court system for their lawsuits:

State Circuit Judge Patrick Smith issued a sanction of $240,000 against the plaintiff in the cases, Bret Healy, for violations of a South Dakota law that bars court filings “for any improper purpose, such as to harass or to cause unnecessary delay or needless increase in the cost of litigation.”

The judge also ordered a $10,000 sanction against Healy’s attorney, Tucker Volesky. The judge stated that he was “duty bound” to report Volesky to the South Dakota Disciplinary Board of the State Bar and ordered that Volesky comply with any directive issued by the board.

and..

“Past sanctions have had no effect on Bret Healy, despite totaling over $120,000.00. Mr. Volesky has not been deterred or counseled his client on the wisdom of pursing frivolous actions. It is the intent of this Court to impress upon Mr. Healy that his actions have consequences and should not continue, and the finding of this Court that the doubling of his past sanctions will do so.”

Read the entire story here.

I get the impression that the courts are growing weary of the continued lawsuits.

Well, it’s not as if I make candidates say this stuff.

Fresh off of his claims last night that he’s the author of many pieces of legislation, this morning, District 8 State Senate Candidate Rick Weible was telling the Brookings County Commission that his life is in danger, because he claims he’s an election software expert, and because he hacked into a laptop with some election software, the US does not want things to be known.. 

But don’t take my word for it.. get it from the horse’s mouth.. start at about 5:50:

“The fact is that I’ve now shown you this piece of evidence, I understand that my life is at risk, and that the United States does not want this to be known that this software is available on the dark web..”

Why do I think there’s going to be a pillow guy mini-cyber conference being called for? (Are we going to have to start referring to Rick as the couch-pillow guy?)

DARYL CHRISTENSEN ANNOUNCES BID FOR HOUSE IN DISTRICT 9

Hartford, South Dakota– Daryl Christensen has announced his intent to seek election to represent District 9 in the South Dakota State House of Representatives.

Daryl served District 9 in the SD House of Representatives in the early 2000’s. Since that time, his career path, family and local service opportunities have given him much satisfaction but his passion for government service has never left him. Christensen states, “My desire and the reasons that compel me to seek to return to serving District 9 have not lessened but multiplied as we’ve added three sons-in-law and nine grandchildren in that time! The future is even more evident as I look at my grandchildren. I want to be part of the conversation and make a difference in sound policy decisions that will allow them to experience all that South Dakota affords when it comes to opportunities and quality of living. “

Christensen brings a wide range of business experience and expertise to the position as he has worked both privately and corporately in business development throughout the United States. Coming from a rural background, he understands agriculture and the value of the agricultural community that is the backbone of this state. Having owned businesses and worked many years in the building industry, he knows the economic impact that development has on how we live and work in our communities.

Christensen states, “I will bring a straight forward, common sense approach to tackling issues and policy making. I will listen and work to represent the people of District 9 in a responsible manner along with sharing the bigger vision of bettering South Dakota.”

Gov. Noem Opposes Biden Admin’s Rule Change for Registered Apprenticeship Programs 

PIERRE, S.D. – Yesterday, Governor Kristi Noem sent a letter to Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su opposing the Biden Administration’s rule change for Registered Apprenticeship Programs. You can read the full letter here.

“Your proposed rule change would bog down efforts to expand Registered Apprenticeships with more than 800 pages of red tape,” wrote Governor Noem. “South Dakota has thrived because we cut red tape – we do not add it; we encourage workers to develop new skills – we do not put roadblocks in their way; we help businesses by providing the flexibility to navigate their individual circumstances – we do not hamper them with mandates and one-size-fits-all ‘solutions.’”

In the letter, Governor Noem calls on the US Department of Labor to go back to the drawing board before this proposed rule destroys the very blue-collar jobs that it is meant to assist.

Governor Noem has three primary concerns with this rule:

1. The minimum-hours requirement strips important flexibility from our businesses and will punish high-performing apprentices and businesses;
2. The proposed rule includes irrelevant – indeed harmful – mandates in the area of so-called “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) that have nothing to do with workforce success; and,
3. The proposal also requires businesses to provide identical benefits to apprentices that they provide to their full-time employees.

“Workers from around the nation have responded to South Dakota’s aggressive approach to apprenticeships by packing up and moving their families to join our winning workforce,” continued Governor Noem. “This rule would undermine that progress and devastate our state and nation’s blue-collar workers and small businesses.”

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Yesterday was filled with a lot of Republican activity.  I attended the local GOP monthly lunch, where I listened to Public Utilities Commissioner Kristie Fiegen give an interesting talk on South Dakota’s energy mix, with far more being generated in renewable sources than we actually consume here – which is good news for our state’s economy as the nation becomes more insistent on those sources being renewable.

Public Utilities Commissioner Kristie Fiegen addresses Brookings County GOP luncheon. @kristiefiegen @SDGOP pic.twitter.com/1TYk1meaK1

— South Dakota War College (@SoDakCampaigns) March 18, 2024

But.. it may also pose challenges for us in the future, as some of these sources don’t work so well in the deep winter when we’re living in an arctic hell of our own choosing. Seriously, it can get chilly here. Find out more on our energy mix LIVE at SPP.org, which Commissioner Fiegen drilled into our heads yesterday.

At the Lunch, they reminded us of the GOP Women’s forum that evening, with a number of candidates speaking.. which, except for being Mr. Mom, I didn’t have much going on in the evening. I had to run to WalMart, because my 10 year old printer finally died, but I wanted to hear what they had to say. So I attended, and just got something on the way via Amazon.

And I’m glad I did.  While it wasn’t an eye opener with a couple of these candidates, it was an exclamation point which yelled – “HOLY BUCKETS, there are a couple of people we REALLY don’t want to elect to office.”

First off, District 7 Legislative Candidate Jeff Struwe went further into depth from his diatribe at last weekend’s GOP meeting, where he declared he wanted to “take porn books” out of schools (those porn books including Diary of Anne Frank, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Glass Menagerie, etc.).   Last night, literally his entire speech was him explaining that he got involved in politics because of “Moms for Liberty,” but because the School Board didn’t do what he wanted, he feels the need to replace the entire Brookings School Board. And because it would take too long over several election cycles to replace them all, he just decided that running for the legislature was faster than running for school board:

Apparently we should all be excited for the nanny-state zealots to take over.

After we heard from Jeff, who wants to run to force his will on us all, we got to hear from snake-oil salesman and Elkton resident Rick Weible, who is running against the Senate Majority Leader in District 8.

And according to Weible, he would have you believe that the only reason Secretary of State Monae Johnson won was because of him (ignoring her complete disavowal of him), and that – working with South Dakota Canvassing – he’s personally responsible for writing 99 bills, with over 60 bills that made it through both Houses of the legislature, and 14 that were signed by the Governor:

I can’t help but call shenanigans on this claim. He didn’t offer which bills they were. He didn’t say how they were passed into law or who sponsored him. He just threw some numbers at the crowd, and expected us to believe them because he was holding a microphone in his hand. 

I’m guessing there would be a number of legislators who would disagree… or at the least would completely deny that they fronted a Weible bill. It’s literally like he just pulled random numbers out of the air and told the crowd in attendance I did that.

Because lacking the legislators standing up and personally giving him credit, there’s a lot of smoke being blown here.

We also heard from Justin McNeal, candidate for Congress who moved to South Dakota in 2021. He had flyers talking about how his grandparents lived in the state, so he’s connected with South Dakota.  Congressman Dusty Johnson’s campaign Representative Hayley Halverson appeared on the Congressman’s behalf, as Dusty was delivering & pinning medals to Vietnam War era Veterans in another town and could not attend.

All in all, it was a good event, and well worth attending in April when many of the GOP candidates who will actually win the election in Districts 7 & 8 will be in attendance.

Versus those we heard from last night, Struwe & Weible, whom we should sprint away from.