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The District 5 House of Representatives primary election contest seems to be heating up a year ahead of time, with a GOP primary brewing in D5 House between up to 3 long-time Republicans, and a former Indy who had been on facebook calling everyone RINO.

While current State Representatives Nancy York and Hugh Bartels are not barred from running for another term by law until termed out in 2024, two others have come forward and announced their intentions to run for District 5 House in 2022.

Byron Callies, former National Vice-Commander of the American Legion, has announced his intention to run for District 5 in the upcoming election. Byron is a long-time Republican, and if elected would join another member of his family, his daughter & former Republican State Representative Melissa Magstadt in serving in Pierre.

Also joining Callies in announcing a run for District 5 House – and maybe more curiously – is Lucas Kobat, who up until recently was a registered Independent.  Kobat declares in his announcement that he is running to “bring conservative representation back to District 5, which has been sorely lacking for sometime.”

If you recall, Kobat is the same person who last year created something he called the “FreedomScore” project, where he declared that most of the Republicans in the State Legislature were RINOs, despite the fact that at the time he was not a Republican himself, as he called people ‘Republican In Name Only’:

As part of his project, he noted that people such as State Reps Lana Greenfield, Brunner, Sam Marty, and Senators Brock Greenfield, Ryan Maher, and Jim Stalzer were bringing liberal measures to the legislature. So, that kind of shows you where he sets the bar.

I’d tell you go read it all yourself… but interestingly in the less than a year since he started on his crusade to call most Republicans RINO’s, in addition to changing his voter registration to Republican along the way, the Facebook page for his project has been taken down from the social media website. With interesting timing since he announced he was now becoming a politician and running for office.

Most politicians would scrub their social media of controversial content before they run, so it comes as no surprise Kobat appears to have done that very thing.

And coming about the same time he announces he’s now a candidate, we see that for at least one politician, the courage of one’s convictions evaporates pretty quickly.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel launched a podcast this week to talk about the amazing things happening in America and the people who make it work by interviewing policymakers.

In the inaugural edition of the podcast, South Dakota’s own Governor Kristi Noem was her first guest. Ronna & Kristi discuss a number of topics, including America’s freedom, unity, and how Kristi kept South Dakota open during the COVID pandemic.

Following Thune Request, Senate Agriculture Committee to Hold Hearing on Potential Cattle Market Manipulation

“We need to hold the highly concentrated meatpacking industry accountable to both the producers who supply them and the consumers who depend on them, and this hearing marks significant progress.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a longtime member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, issued the following statement after the Senate Agriculture Committee agreed to hold a hearing on June 23, 2021, to examine the cattle market, including potential manipulation by meatpackers. This hearing announcement follows a letter that Thune sent to Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Boozman requesting a hearing to consider the challenges facing the livestock industry and the numerous bills that have been introduced that seek to improve the situation. Thune will question hearing witnesses on possible manipulation in the cattle markets and advocate for increased transparency for ranchers and consumers.

“South Dakota cattle producers are some of the hardest working people I know, and they have faced significant hardships that are jeopardizing their ability to stay in business,” said Thune. “I’m glad to see that the Senate Agriculture Committee agreed to my request and is holding a hearing on this important issue next week. We need to hold the highly concentrated meatpacking industry accountable to both the producers who supply them and the consumers who depend on them, and this hearing marks significant progress. While this hearing is a step in the right direction, Justice Department leaders shouldn’t take their foot of the gas. They should continue their investigation, and I will continue urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing as soon as possible, too.”

Thune also recently sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin urging the committee to hold a hearing to look into possible improper and anti-competitive activity in the cattle market. Thune has repeatedly called for the U.S. Justice Department to investigate this matter and recently urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to prioritize this investigation.

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From Facebook:

From Facebook:

With three of five wards in (A, B & C), the current vote is 1862 for Ried Holien, 783 for Incumbent Mayor Sarah Caron.

Kind of hard to overcome that kind of deficit.

Update..

Adding Ward D, now it’s at 2341 for Holien and 969 for Caron.

FINAL UPDATE

Holien with 3010 over Caron, who was turned out of office on a more than 2-1 vote, with 1237 votes

As they’ve gone from rebuilding in 2019 to rebuilding for the upcoming election, State Democrats are claiming (once again) that things are looking up for them. Again.

“Former U.S. Attorney Randy Seiler, who ran for attorney general in 2018 and now serves as the party’s chairman, said things are looking up for Democrats, with President Joe Biden and Democrats in control of both houses of Congress.“

Read that here.

Seiler still says things are looking up? Ermergerd.  Which is kind of an ironic thing to say, since their new ED’s name is easily confused with the term. Yes, they’ve hired a new executive director to captain the Titanic… well, to run the South Dakota Democrat party by the name of Berk Ehrmantraut:

“It’s always great to bring a young person back to South Dakota. It is even better to bring back someone who is committed to advancing policies that help working families and building the Democratic party across the state,” said Randy Seiler, chairman of the state Democratic Party.

Read that here.

Ehrmantraut had previously worked in the House Minority office, as noted here where he was raising money from Lobbyists in the State Capitol during session:

Read that here.

Prior to working in the House Minority Office, he had also worked on the Billie Sutton campaign where he gave Sutton lists of people to call for money.

The South Dakota Democrat party needed a new Executive Director, so why not Ehmantraut?

With the SDGOP out-registering Democrats by nearly 124,000 voters, It’s not like they have anywhere to go but up.

AT&T Invests Nearly $80 Million Over Three-Year Period to Connect Local Customers in South Dakota

 SIOUX FALLS, SD, June 10, 2021 – AT&T* is proud to connect customers across the country by continuing to grow the nation’s best network 1. From 2018-2020, we expanded coverage and improved connectivity in more communities by investing nearly $80 million in our wireless and wireline networks in South Dakota.

AT&T’s commitment to communities across the country continues and spans all layers of our network—from fiber to 5G to FirstNet®. These investments are essential to connecting our customers with their family, friends and colleagues by increasing the network’s speed, reliability, coverage and overall performance.

We recently announced that AT&T will invest $2 billion over the next 3 years to help address the digital divide nationwide. AT&T further improved critical communications for South Dakota’s first responders and improved public safety with FirstNet® – America’s public safety network.

“With the help of private sector entities like AT&T, we’re connecting South Dakotans across our state,” said South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. “South Dakotans shouldn’t have to choose between connectivity and the way of life in their hometowns. AT&T’s investment in South Dakota will help eliminate the need for such a choice, and their efforts to improve critical communications with FirstNet® will make our communities safer for years to come.”

“From connecting family and loved ones to helping first responders during a crisis, AT&T is committed to investing in South Dakota to build state-of-the-art infrastructure that will keep people connected,” said AT&T South Dakota President Cheryl Riley. “By continuing to improve our network at the state and local levels, we are helping businesses grow in South Dakota and helping to ensure that our customers and communities stay connected throughout the country.”

More details about our wireless coverage in South Dakota, and anywhere in the U.S., can be found on the AT&T Coverage Viewer. For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit the AT&T network news page.

Rounds’ RESPECT Act Unanimously Passes Out of Senate

Bill would repeal 11 outdated laws, including law that allowed authorities to forcibly place Native children in cruel boarding schools 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds’ (R-S.D.) legislation to repeal discriminatory federal laws targeting Native Americans unanimously passed the Senate.

The Repealing Existing Substandard Provisions Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes (RESPECT) Act would repeal 11 outdated federal laws, including laws that stripped Native American children from their families for the purpose of placing them in cruel “Indian reform schools” like the now infamous Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

A full list of laws the RESPECT Act would repeal is available HERE.

“We are one step closer to removing these immoral, discriminatory federal laws from our books,” said Rounds. “Throughout history, Native Americans have been subjected to unfair treatment from our federal government, including the forcible removal of their children from their homes. The fact that these laws are still in our federal code is appalling. I thank my Senate colleagues for agreeing with me and unanimously passing this legislation. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to get the RESPECT Act to the president’s desk.”

Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) are cosponsors of this legislation.

Companion legislation was introduced in the House on May 12 by Reps. Tom O’Halleran (D-Ariz.), Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.). The legislation now awaits action in the House before it can be signed into law by the president.

The RESPECT Act is supported by the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association (GPTCA) and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).

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Update on the Implementation of IM-26
by State Rep. Trish Ladner

Many have contacted me asking where we stand on the implementation of IM-26. As many of you know IM-26 passed with 70% approval by the voters. The measure is effective July 1, 2021 with a 120-day window to get dispensaries set up, finalize protocols and rules. Perhaps the most timely and informative report of the day came from the Kim Malsam-Rysdon, Secretary of Health and Jim Terwilliger, Secretary of Revenue regarding where we are in the process of establishing the protocols, requirements, and implementation of IM-26.

Here is what we learned. The South Dakota Department of Health (SDDOH) is the lead state agency to implement the medical marijuana program. Part of the extensive requirements IM-26 (per SDCL 34:20G) include:

• Registration of “establishments”, which includes cultivators, manufacturers, and dispensaries
• The development of criteria for applicants to qualify
• Determine and define the amount individuals can possess (the current law has minimum of three plants for home grown)
• Issuance of cards by SDDOH to qualified individuals (including patients and caregivers)
• Guidelines to allow non-residents to use medical marijuana in South Dakota
• Development of patient verification system for use by establishments and law enforcements (i.e., It is illegal to transport across state and tribal lines)
• Development of testing criteria
• Development of fees and sliding fee scale for patients
• Implementation of administrative rules for each of these areas.

According to the SDDOH report, the law will become effective July 1,2021. The projected date for cards to be issued to patients and caregivers is by November 18, 2021. South Dakotan grown marijuana crops are not likely to be available before the summer of 2022.

The process to qualify for a SDDOH issued card, seems pretty straight forward: 1) The patient has a medical complaint and schedules appointment with their physician for an in-person assessment (required)  2) The patient sees their physician and the physician determines whether the patient is likely to receive therapeutic benefit from the medical use of cannabis 3) Patient applies with the SD Department of Health for a medical certification 4) If application is approved, the patient shops at Dispensary. The card issued by the DOH is not a medical prescription. It does not detail dosage, frequency, etc. It is simply a medical certification. When the members of the Executive Board asked about monitoring and/or enforcing the regulation of frequency that a card holder can obtain medical marijuana, the Secretary of Health stated that they hope to have a tracking/verification system in place that tracks the amount purchased and notes an amount that cannot be exceeded within a specific timeframe. Much like the prescription renewal used by pharmacy’s today.

When implementing a new “industry”, the administrative rules that need to be in place are daunting to say the least. The list includes (but not limited to), outlining qualifying conditions, application renewal process, criteria to score establishment applications, establishment of oversight, security, manufacturing standards, taxing the product, health and safety requirements, transportation of product, employment and training requirements, packaging and labeling and more!

In order to get current information and updates to interested parties in a timely manner, the SD Department of Health has launched a new webpage for easy access to information and updates as well as answers to frequently asked questions that promises to be very helpful. Please visit https://doh.sd.gov/news/MedicalMarijuana.aspx for more information.

The more I study IM-26, the more I realize the immense task ahead of us with a very short amount of time to accomplish it. This new “industry” being created within our state is definitely a multi-faceted issue with many, many moving and interlocking parts. I am so impressed with the hard work being done by those in the South Dakota Department of Health and Department of Revenue, as well as the excellent job that our summer study committee is doing to help create, establish and implement this new Medical Marijuana Program. Thank you for all your hard work on our behalf!

Remember … always, “Be someone you look up to!”  Emily N. Kansas

Rep. Trish Ladner, District 30
trish.ladner@sdlegislature.gov