The Argus Leader is reporting this evening that the announced Democrat Candidate for Governor, Robert Arnold, referred to two of the Republican candidates running for the nomination next June as neo-nazis in a speech today:
Arnold told the crowd he felt initially hopeless after Donald Trump was elected in November, because he knew Republicans “were going to steal our country and sell it to billionaires.”
But Arnold said he felt motivated to run after South Dakota House Speaker Jon Hansen and Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden — whom he called “neo-nazis” in his speech — filed to run for governor.
And as it was just pointed out to me, 2% Jon Hansen isn’t exactly pure as the driven snow, and was one of the voices against clarifying antisemitism as an unfair or discriminatory practice, leading an effort to kill it in committee and voting against it on the house floor.
I suppose if a candidate is going to paint with this kind of broad brush, there’s a chance that some people are going to guess they got their clothes a little spattered.
Johnson’s Landmark Digital Asset Framework Legislation Passes House
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act passed the U.S. House by a 294-134 vote. The CLARITY Act would establish a clear regulatory framework for digital assets in the United States, protect consumers and investors, and keep innovation in America.
U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Chairman of the Agriculture subcommittee on digital assets, introduced this legislation in May along with Committee on Agriculture Chairman G.T. Thompson (R-PA), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), Committee on Financial Services Chairman French Hill (R-AR), and Financial Services subcommittee on digital assets Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI). The CLARITY Act passed the House Agriculture Committee and House Financial Services Committee with bipartisan support in June.
“If America doesn’t lead in digital asset development, we risk losing innovation to Europe or our adversary China,” said Johnson. “Our CLARITY Act puts in place a strong, commonsense framework to give developers and consumers the certainty they need to thrive in the United States. I’m grateful for the work of my colleagues who helped get this bill across the finish line in the House and I am hopeful the Senate acts soon – there is no time to waste.”
“Today’s bipartisan passage of the CLARITY Act marks a historic step forward in delivering clear rules of the road for America’s digital asset ecosystem,” said Chairman Thompson. “This bill delivers on President Trump’s goal of making the United States the crypto capital of the world by providing the regulatory certainty needed to foster innovation, safeguard consumers, and ensure America leads in the next generation of financial technology.”
“At present, there is no established market structure to protect consumers or provide clear rules of the road for businesses and innovators. It’s the wild, wild west! Congress must deliver market structure legislation that brings clarity,” said Rep. Don Davis (D-NC), Ranking Member of the Agriculture subcommittee on digital assets. “Millions of Americans are holding cryptocurrency, using it in financial transactions, or using other digital tokens as part of new, innovative technologies and services. There must be consumer protections, and the United States must lead.”
Click here or the image above for Johnson’s floor remarks
The CLARITY Act will:
Establish clear regulatory lanes between the two market regulators: Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Digital asset developers will have a clear pathway to raise funds under the SEC’s jurisdiction.
Market participants will have a trusted pathway to trade digital commodities through intermediaries and exchanges overseen by the CFTC.
Protect consumers by requiring developers to provide accurate, relevant disclosures, including information relating to the digital asset project’s operation, ownership, and structure.
Background:
Digital assets and related blockchain technology have the potential to form the foundation of the next generation of internet innovation.
However, regulation-by-enforcement and ongoing regulatory ambiguity have stifled innovative potential while leaving consumers unprotected.
Click here for the text of the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act.
“By refocusing available Medicaid dollars on those this program was originally intended to serve, we will make vulnerable Americans more secure – and ensure that this program will continue to be available to Americans in need long into the future.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:
South Dakota Attorney General Jackley, SD News Media Association Release Updated Open Meeting Laws Guide
PIERRE, S.D. – An updated Open Meetings Law Guide, which includes revisions made by the 2025 South Dakota Legislature, has been released by South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley and the South Dakota NewsMedia Association (SDNA).
The guide is designed to explain the state’s meeting laws and is intended to fulfill the Attorney General’s obligation to annually provide an explanation of the state’s open meeting laws.
“Open meeting laws create transparent government,” said Attorney General Jackley. “This brochure provides guidelines to the media,government agencies, and the public.”
This year’s State Legislature approved two major changes to the State’s Open Meeting Laws.
Senate Bill 74 created the obligation for public bodies to annually review the state open meetings laws by reviewing an explanation prepared by the Attorney General. House Bill 1059 changed the definition of an official meeting to make clear that electronic communications between a quorum of a public body constitute an official meeting. Both laws took effect July 1.
“We appreciate the support these bills received from legislators, the Attorney General, and Gov. Rhoden,” said SDNA Executive Director David Bordewyk. “Citizens have the right to know what is happening within their local governments.”
Attorney General Jackley Announces Clark Man Indicted For First Degree Murder In Death of His Mother
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces a Clark man has been indicted on First-Degree Murder in the death of his mother.
Bowen Fladland, 34, was indicted by a Clark County Grand Jury on Wednesday. The next hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. July 21.
The defendant is accused in the July 5 murder of his mother, 70-year-old Marlene Fladland, at a Clark residence.
South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is leading the investigation with the assistance of the Clark Police Department. The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office and the Clark County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The defendant is being held on a $500,000 cash bond in the Codington County Jail. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if found guilty. He is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.
Johnson, Peters Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Digitize the Permitting Process
The ePermit Act would digitize the permitting process across the federal government
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Scott Peters (D-CA) introduced the bipartisan ePermit Act to digitize the United States permitting process, reducing processing time for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews.
In April, President Trump published a memorandum to emphasize the importance of modernizing permitting technology. In May, President Trump launched a Permitting Technology Action Plan directing federal agencies to make maximum use of technology in the environmental review and permitting process. The ePermit Act builds on the recommendations from the Administration and provides legislative clarity and direction on how agencies should implement such an electronic permitting system.
“The government, industries, and citizens all agree that it takes too long to build in America,” said Johnson. “Completing the permitting process by paper is an archaic waste of time. Digitizing the system will speed up the process, save federal dollars, and cut down delays. Making this commonsense change will unleash investment in American communities and workers.”
“Our permitting system is old, complicated, and slow—if we want to build the roads, bridges, broadband, and clean energy of the future, we need to modernize and streamline the permit process,” said Peters. “Our bipartisan ePermit Act builds on the efforts of the last two Administrations and brings our permitting process into the 21st century. I look forward to working with Representative Johnson to pass this commonsense bill into law.”
Background:
The current permitting process has failed to ensure project permitting is on-time and on-task. Oftentimes, the root causes of delays in the environmental review process have little to do with questions about environmental protection and a lot to do with failure to embrace modern technology and move on from legacy bureaucratic approaches, like paper forms.
Congress must address the root causes for delays, which include compiling and reviewing lengthy paper documents, a lack of accessibility and transparency – leading to misunderstanding, conflicts, and all too often, protracted litigation – and continued reliance on outdated technologies and processes for interagency review and comment.
The ePermit Act would address these root causes by establishing a framework for agencies to implement a digital permitting system and unified portal.
Attorney General Jackley Praises Presidential Signing of HALT Fentanyl Act
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley praises President Trump’s signing of the national HALT Fentanyl Act which the Attorney General says is a necessary step in dealing with the nation’s Fentanyl Crisis.
Attorney General Jackley was a guest Wednesday at the White House for the signing of the legislation which Congress passed last month. Attorney General Jackley had been one of 25 Attorneys General that urged passage of the legislation.
“Too many South Dakota families continue to suffer from the impacts of Fentanyl,” said Attorney General Jackley. “We need to aggressively address this crisis to save lives and better protect South Dakota communities.”
The HALT Fentanyl Act closes a loophole for copycat fentanyl which are lab-created drugs that are made to work around U.S. law. The copycats are often more harmful than prescription Fentanyl. The HALT Fentanyl Act permanently classifies illicit Fentanyl knockoffs, known as Fentanyl-related substances, as Schedule I substances.
So far this year, from January to June, there has been 140 Fentanyl arrests made in South Dakota and 2.221 pounds of Fentanyl seized. In all of 2024, there were 330 arrests made and 18.2 pounds seized.
Attorney General Jackley has been a strong advocate in the effort to fight Fentanyl at the state and local levels. He has increased strengthening the state penalties for Fentanyl possession.
The Attorney General also partnered with Emily’s Hope, along with the South Dakota Departments of Social Services and Health, to distribute 20,000 naloxone kits to prevent overdose deaths. The distribution of these kits is funded by the South Dakota Attorney General’s South Dakota Opioid Settlement and supplied by TEVA Pharmaceuticals.
Senator Mike Rounds WEEKLY ROUND[S] UP: July 7-13, 2025
It was a busy week in DC, particularly for those of us who serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC). We passed our committee version of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA. This is our annual defense bill that authorizes funding for military programs, as well as military members and their families. This year, I’m particularly pleased to have authorized additional funding for Ellsworth Air Force Base as well as the B-21 program. This legislation will now head to the full Senate for consideration. Read more about the NDAA and the rest of my week in my Weekly Round[s] Up:
South Dakota groups I met with: South Dakota United Way; Stuart Rice, Vice President of the Dakotas Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution; South Dakota members of the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association; and South Dakota members of the National Association for the Deaf.
South Dakota towns represented: Eagle Butte, Lower Brule, Pierre, Pine Ridge, Rapid City, Sioux Falls and Yankton.
Other meetings: John Doyle, CEO of Cape; and Binalf Andualem, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to the United States.
I spoke at an event with Punchbowl News to discuss financial services policy. I also attended our Senate Prayer Breakfast, where Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina was our speaker.
NDAA: As I mentioned, we were glad to secure many wins for South Dakota in this year’s NDAA, including authorizing $378 million for construction projects at Ellsworth Air Force Base to prepare for bed down of the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, $28 million for the Watertown Army National Guard vehicle maintenance facility and $3.4 billion for procurement of B-21 aircraft. The NDAA also authorizes funding to support a 3.8 percent raise for military members. Read more about this year’s NDAA and a full list of my provisions here.
Appropriations Markup: I also attended a markup in the Appropriations Committee to discuss and debate three of our twelve spending bills that we’re working to get passed before the end of the Fiscal Year. A markup is an important part of the legislative process and the first step in passing our appropriations bills.
This is my first year serving on the Appropriations committee and as such, my first time working directly on Appropriations legislation before it hits the full Senate. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on the committee to get these bills passed before October 1.
Hearings and briefings: I attended one closed hearing and one closed briefing as part of my work on the Select Committee on Intelligence.
Legislation introduced: This past week, I introduced the Reducing Homelessness Through Program Reform Act, legislation to cut red tape and create local solutions for addressing homelessness. Despite record levels of federal funding, homelessness continues to rise. It’s clear that a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t working. The challenges we face in South Dakota are not the same as those in California or New York. This legislation takes a conservative approach by shifting power back to the states and communities closest to the problem. This commonsense bill cuts red tape and enables local leaders to deliver faster, more effective and more appropriate solutions for the people they serve. Read more here.
Votes taken: 11 – all of these are on nominees to executive branch positions at the Departments of Energy and Transportation, as well as the Small Business Administration and the Office of Personnel Management. We also took a procedural vote to advance the nomination of a federal judge in Tennessee.
My staff in South Dakota visited: Aberdeen, Beresford, Brookings, De Smet, Faulkton, Garretson, Hartford, Huron and Watertown.
Steps taken: 44,083 steps or 20.12 miles.
Video of the week: KOTA TV in Rapid City did a story this past week on bringing a tribal law enforcement training center to the Dakotas, which I have long advocated for:
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Scott Peters (D-CA) introduced the bipartisan ePermit Act to digitize the United States permitting process, reducing processing time for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews.