Category: Uncategorized

Hot out of my e-mail box, the SDGOP sub-group of whiners is back to complain about public broadcasting, because they just don’t want SDPB to expose them to opposing views or things that hurt their feelings:

“WHEREAS SDPB is a division of the South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunications, a state agency, which pays the salaries of SDPB employees, buys equipment for the network and provides space for the network operations through the University of South Dakota, a state-supported school, all of which are used to regularly report disparagingly of conservative Republicans and their values while reporting supportively of liberal Democrats and their values.

How do they know they’re reporting in a disparaging manner? Did the reporter not smile at the appropriate time?  So what country do they think this is, Iran?

That’s the darned problem with serving a diverse population. You might like some of the shows, but not others. Call the Midwife might be your jam, but the Antiques Roadshow isn’t.  The thing is, if we have it, it needs to serve everyone.

Here’s a novel idea – instead of whining, turn the channel.  And stop embarrassing the people registered as Republicans in South Dakota with this silliness. You’re hurting the brand.

February 2 -8, 2026

Welcome back to another Weekly Round[s] Up. This week, my DC office was especially full with South Dakotans who are in DC for meetings! It was good to see so many friendly and familiar faces in the office. One highlight from this week was hearing that President Trump called South Dakota native, Royce Williams to inform him that he will be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Cold War. Another exciting part of my week was joining members of Congress for the 74th annual National Prayer Breakfast hosted on Capitol Hill. More on this and the rest of my week in the Weekly Round[s] Up:

 South Dakota groups I visited with: Dakota Mainstem Regional Water System; Troy Wellman, Moody County Sheriff and Andy Howe, Clay County Sheriff; Associated School Boards of South Dakota; South Dakota Association of Rural Water Systems; Paul TenHaken, Mayor of Sioux Falls who was in town representing the MENTOR program; National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance; American Indian Higher Education Consortium; and South Dakota representatives from Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America.

Met with South Dakotans from: Aberdeen, Arlington, Beresford, Britton, Brookings, Bruce, Chancellor, De Smet, Egan, Flandreau, Howard, Huron, Kyle, Lake Andes, Madison, Miller, Mission, Mobridge, Murdo, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Tea, Vermillion, Viborg, Volga, Waverly, White Lake and Woonsocket.

Other meetings: Christian Klein, CEO of SAP America, Inc.; Leena-Kaisa Mikkola, Finland’s Ambassador to the United States; Charles Murigande, Senator from Rwanda; Congolese Delegation; Ethiopian Leadership; Jonathan Gould, Comptroller of the Currency; Oana Toiu, Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Bete Demeke, President and CEO of Project Mercy.

 I also had the opportunity to speak at Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) Intersect Summit with Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture. We talked about artificial intelligence (AI) and its key role in advancing healthcare and shaping our future.

 Hearings: I attended four hearings this past week. I gave remarks at Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing, where two of my bills to address issues within the Indian Health Service were heard, which you can watch here.  I also questioned Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. You can watch that clip here. I attended a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing where I questioned Admiral (ret.) Charles A. Richard, USN; the Honorable Rose E. Gottemoeller; and Mr. Timothy A. Morrison. Click here to watch. Lastly, I went to a closed hearing in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

 Briefings: I received two classified briefings.

Senate Prayer Breakfast: This week was a unique prayer breakfast. On Thursday, we held the 74th National Prayer Breakfast. This is an annual event that is an opportunity for Members of Congress and people of all faiths to pray collectively for our nation. It’s always a powerful event that brings people together with a shared purpose.

Votes taken: 12  – This week I voted on many federal judges including: Brian Charles Lea, of Tennessee, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee; Justin R. Olson, of Indiana, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Indiana; Aaron Christian Peterson, of Alaska, to be United States District Judge for the District of Alaska; Megan Blair Benton, of Missouri, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Missouri; David Clay Fowlkes, of Arkansas, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Arkansas; and Nicholas Jon Ganjei, of Texas, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas.

 Steps taken: 58,748 steps or 27.79 miles.

 Video of the Week:

Click here to learn more about Royce Williams being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Gov. Rhoden Signs Bill to Protect Second Amendment Rights

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden signed SB 2, which fittingly protects the 2^nd Amendment. SB 2 deregulates firearm suppressors at the state level by removing them from the definition of a “controlled weapon.”

“South Dakota is the most Second Amendment-friendly state in America, and this is yet another opportunity for us to pave the way and set an example for the rest of the nation,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “By removing unnecessary state-level restrictions, we are standing up for freedom and protecting the constitutional right of law-abiding citizens.”

South Dakota is the first state in the nation to remove suppressors from the list of controlled weapons, sending a message of support for further deregulation to happen at the national level.

SB 2 was signed at a signing ceremony at Silencer Central with the bill’s prime sponsors, Senator Casey Crabtree and Representative Drew Peterson; Attorney General Marty Jackley; and other stakeholders in the Second Amendment advocacy and firearms manufacturing industries. You can find a photo of the signing here.

“I am proud to stand with President Trump and Governor Rhoden to support the Second Amendment,” said Senator Casey Crabtree. “Gun suppressors are hearing protection, not a weapon, and I’m glad that South Dakota will no longer be regulating them.”

“Firearms Suppressor’s primary purpose is to protect hearing and reduce noise, which makes firearm use safer for hunters, sportsmen, and neighboring landowners alike,” said Representative Drew Peterson. “Senate Bill 2 is a clean, common‑sense update. It reduces redundancy, respects federal oversight, and keeps our laws aligned with the actual purpose of suppressors as safety tools.”

“There already are protections in place at the federal level for silencers and removing an extra layer of government that serves no public safety reason makes common sense,” said Attorney General Marty Jackley. “Thank you to Governor Rhoden for his leadership on this legislation. I have and will always protect the rights of lawful gun owners.”

Governor Rhoden has signed 10 bills into law and vetoed one this legislative session.

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After Rep. Andera, Phil Jensen, Dylan Jordan, Brandei Schaefbauer, etc. brought House Bill 1181, to prohibit weather and climate modification activities and provide a penalty therefor, days later it was “Withdrawn at the Request of the Prime Sponsor,”  We thought we might be safe from the jet chemtrail conspiracists this session.

But they came back.

In her new legislation, House Bill 1271, Rep. Andera accompanied by Rep’s Baxter, Jordan, Rice, and Sjaarda brought a further watered down measure, in case HB1181 was too crazy to deal with a made up peril from the Internet.

And this morning, after being supported by the sponsor, Rep. Dylan Jordan, anti-election machine zealots and other people who spend too much time on the internet, it was sent to the 41st day on a vote of 7-3.

But don’t fear. The climate crackpots have another bill in. This time to make it a felony to “remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.” (Sponsors: Representatives Andera (prime), Baxter, Jordan, Schaefbauer, and Sjaarda)

Do I have to point out the whole photosynthesis thing?

I’m guessing so, since they’ve stopped promising to shoot down planes.. and they’re just going to make us felons if we have trees in our yards.

Has anyone had a chance to see the latest “weak on crime” bill being pushed, House Bill 1192?

In the latest, if you were 27 or less when you chopped up that family and set their house aflame to burn up the evidence and pled down the sentence to “life without parole,” legislators like prime sponsor Rep. Heather Baxter & Rep. Josephine Garcia want to provide offenders a “get out of jail card,” and send them back to their communities.. because they were just undereducated, needed counseling, and were misunderstood when they killed those people?

Oh, and they want to make it retroactive to any inmate:

Section 2. That chapter 24-15A be amended with a NEW SECTION:

An inmate sentenced to life imprisonment for an offense, other than rape in the first degree pursuant to § 22-22-1, which was committed when the inmate was at least eighteen years old but under the age of twenty-seven is eligible for discretionary parole consideration when the inmate has served twenty-five years. The board shall conduct an initial discretionary parole hearing within six months of the inmate achieving eligibility. The board must consider the factors set forth in section 3 of this Act in determining whether to grant parole under this section.

If an inmate considered for discretionary parole under this section is denied parole, the board must establish a discretionary parole date of not less than five years from the date of denial. Subsequent discretionary parole hearings must be held at intervals of not more than two years.

An inmate granted parole under this section is otherwise subject to the provisions of chapters 24-13, 24-15, and 24-15A.

The provisions of this Act apply retroactively to any inmate sentenced before July 1, 2026.

Read Baxter’s “Get out of jail” crime bill here.

If Baxter & Garcia think there are too many people in jail and want to let them out, maybe they should start with those who commit lower level offenses first? Instead of the people who commit acts of kidnapping, murder, etc?

There’s a reason those sentences are life without parole, not life, until you hit about 45, and then we’ll think about it.

Baxter & Garcia want to clear the murderers out of jail? No. Hard No.

 

Have you ever listened to the legislature when the sausage making goes sideways?

They had an example of that yesterday when District 4’s doltish Dylan Jordan tried to use a procedure to call House bill 1212 out from committee, even though it had been thoroughly defeated. And we got to listen to another Dylan Jordan failure, this time on the house floor as he argued with the speaker on the procedures to smoke-out a bill from committee:

As you might guess, Jordan’s smoke-out effort turned into a flame-out effort.

Please, District 4. Send someone else to Pierre next year. And send Jordan back to his grandma’s house.

From Facebook, 3rd place gubernatorial wannabe Toby Doeden took a moment from putting single mothers out on the street to attack Governor Larry Rhoden over the Governor’s recent veto of a bill to ban cell-cultured fake meat products.

“While you won’t catch me eating these products, it is against our values to ban products just because we don’t like them. Fortunately, HB 1077 need not be the last word on this issue this Session,” wrote Governor Rhoden before charting the compromise, bringing together ag groups, legislators, and stakeholders on both sides of the bill.

Read that here, which triggered the Doeden attack:

Somehow, I would trust Governor Rhoden (who has cattle, and the hat) on the beef industry more than I would Toby Doeden.

Gov. Rhoden Charts Compromise on Cell-Cultured Protein

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden charted a compromise on the issue of cell-cultured protein. In pursuit of this compromise, the Governor VETOED House Bill 1077 and advocated for an amended version of Senate Bill 124. Governor Rhoden outlined this path forward in a letter to the Legislature, which you can find here.

“While you won’t catch me eating these products, it is against our values to ban products just because we don’t like them. Fortunately, HB 1077 need not be the last word on this issue this Session,” wrote Governor Rhoden before charting the compromise, bringing together ag groups, legislators, and stakeholders on both sides of the bill.

Governor Rhoden offered support for an amended version of SB 124 that would:

• Impose a five-year temporary moratorium to permit further study within the existing regulatory framework and allow the pending litigation in other states to further unfold;
• Respect constitutional limits and reduce the risk of unnecessary litigation; and
• Preserve South Dakota’s long-standing commitment to our values.  

“This approach respects constitutional limits, reduces the risk of unnecessary litigation, and preserves South Dakota’s long-standing commitment to free markets and agricultural leadership,” continued Governor Rhoden. “Government is best when it is limited. We should respect the freedoms of our people, and we should not set precedent that violates our own values.”

The South Dakota Farm Bureau, the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, and South Dakota Retailers all sent letters of support for the Governor’s VETO. You can find the South Dakota Farm Bureau’s statement here, the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association’s statement here, and the South Dakota Retailers’ statement here. The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association also voiced support for the Governor’s compromise.

Governor Rhoden has signed nine bills into law and VETOED one this legislative session.

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South Dakota Democrat Party Executive Director Dan Ahlers has stepped forwards to serve as the Democrat Party’s Candidate for Governor in 2026, according to media reports, and a newly unveiled website:

With a little grit and determination, I started a small business and served my community for 25 years. It’s that same grit and determination that South Dakotans past and present used to build this great state. Together, we have overcome tough times. But today, we face challenges we haven’t seen since the Great Depression. These challenges are complicated by politicians that have chosen party politics over representing you.

As a community leader, I brought a diverse group of entrepreneurs, non-profits and churches together to build a stronger community. For 6 years, I served District 25 in the state legislature. During that time, I collaborated with my Democrat and Republican colleagues to pass legislation that improved the education and funding for students with disabilities. We improved funding and increased access to quality health care. And I worked across party lines to increase funding to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Family, ensuring thousands of South Dakota children have access to nutritional food.

Working in the minority, it would have been easy to sit back and blame Republicans for the problems and challenges we faced as a state. Besides, what can a Democrat accomplish in Pierre? I’m not built that way, and I was determined to find a way to get work done. I looked for opportunities to work together and found common causes. As a result, we passed legislation and increased funding to areas many thought was impossible. 

Now more than ever you need a strong voice in Pierre. Send me to back to Pierre, and I will put that same grit and determination to work for you.

Read the website here.

 

 

Jon Nelson Announces Candidacy for South Dakota House of Representatives, District 8

Jon Nelson, a lifelong resident of Lake Preston, has announced his candidacy for the South Dakota House of Representatives in District 8.

He and his wife, Cathy, have farmed together for more than 40 years and continue their generational farming operation alongside their son and his family.

Jon has been deeply involved in the agriculture industry having been a member in multiple state commodity organizations and currently represents his region as District 6 Director for the South Dakota Soybean Association. As a graduate of Class 6 of South Dakota Ag and Rural Leadership, he was elected class president and has served multiple terms on the SDARL Foundation Board helping to support the development of local and state leaders.

In years past, Jon also dedicated 12 years to the Lake Preston School Board, including several years as board chair, where he helped guide local education and supported students and families in the community. Additionally, as a lifelong member of North Preston Lutheran Church, Jon has held numerous leadership roles and currently serves as Chair of the Cemetery Association.

As a lifelong farmer and cattle feeder, Jon is committed to protecting landowner rights, agriculture and strengthening rural communities through growth, opportunity, and responsible long-term stewardship promoting an effect government that spends our tax dollars wisely. His goal is simple: to keep rural South Dakota strong so the next generation, including his grandchildren and others can choose to build their lives here and prosper.

Jon respectfully asks for your support as he seeks to serve District 8 in the House of Representatives and give back to the state of South Dakota.