Governor Kristi Noem’s Weekly Column: Hard Work 

“I’m hoping everyone in the nation gets on the bandwagon and follows us.” Those were the words of Ken Amundson, the president of Midwestern Mechanical in Sioux Falls. Ken’s company has had to cut through a lot of red tape just to hire new employees and do their jobs. South Dakotans are the hardest workers I know, but that doesn’t mean that they should have to work through excessive government restrictions and regulations to earn their livings.  

I want to make it easier for South Dakotans to do their jobs, so I signed a new law to recognize out-of-state licenses for nearly every profession in South Dakota. This legislation cuts red tape, making it easier for folks like Ken to hire workers to do their jobs.    

We are welcoming thousands of new South Dakotans to our state. They’re seeing that this really is the best state to pursue the American Dream. But even with our rapidly growing population, we still have a workforce shortage. Companies are struggling to get jobs filled, and workers are struggling to keep up with skyrocketing inflation. This bill is for them. 

By streamlining the licensing and certification process for workers moving to our state, we will be ready to welcome them. We can help them kickstart their new lives here in South Dakota. People moving their lives, businesses, and families here want the chance to be part of our record-breaking economy. This legislation lets them do just that. 

One of the best examples of hard workers building their American Dreams is right here in South Dakota: the Siouxland metro (which includes North Sioux City and the Dakota Dunes). They were just recognized as the top economic development community in the United States for populations under 200,000 people by Site Selection Magazine! 

This award is but the latest proof that South Dakota’s economy is strong. But we’re not settling. Success often comes with unique challenges, or, as I like to call them, growing pains. And we are turning those challenges into opportunities, just like we always do in South Dakota.  

People like Ken never fail to inspire me. People who pull themselves up by the bootstraps every single morning and go to work no matter the circumstances. It’s people like that who have made South Dakota the greatest state in the nation. Our state motto is “Under God, the People Rule.” Well, the people of South Dakota have proven time and time again that they will always put in the work for our state. I’m just happy to have the opportunity to give back to them and make their lives a little bit easier. 

President Ronald Reagan said, “those nations and states which have secured man’s highest aspirations for freedom, opportunity, and justice have always been those willing to trust their people, confident that their skills and their talents are equal to any challenge.” There’s no better example of that than South Dakota. I will continue to keep government out of the way so that this state can keep growing, keep thriving, and that our people can keep exercising their Freedom to work hard. 

You can find photos from Governor Noem’s bill signing event in Sioux Falls and from the Siouxland award ceremony here.

###