A South Dakotan’s Field of Dreams
By Sen. John Thune

When South Dakotans picture opening day of pheasant season, they see unharvested corn and milo fields, sloughs, shelterbelts, and food plots lined with hunters – often friends and family, conspicuous in their bright orange clothing. Although shooting a limit of pheasants isn’t the mark of a successful hunt, the allure of the “Pheasant Capital of the World” is why hunters from across the United States gather in South Dakota every third Saturday in October to participate in this world-class event and renew or create family memories and traditions. 

As you walk through the amply covered fields during your fall hunt, it’s important to think about what the surrounding landscape looks like in winter after the crops are harvested, snow covers the ground, and temperatures dive below zero. It’s also important to think about the spring nesting season when quality habitat is crucial for pheasants to hide their nests and offer protection to their young chicks. Most people probably assume that’s what the widely known and well-respected Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is for, and they would be right.

Since its authorization in the 1985 farm bill, CRP has evolved into the cornerstone of federal conservation programs and has helped create a field of dreams for South Dakota pheasant hunters. CRP acreage in South Dakota peaked in 2007 at more than 1.5 million acres, and as a result of the nesting habitat and winter cover most CRP acres provide, pheasant numbers increased dramatically. Since then, CRP acreage has dropped, and unfortunately it’s only going to get worse. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports show that over the next six years, nearly 580,000 additional acres will expire from CRP in South Dakota – that’s a 60 percent loss of our current CRP-enrolled acres. 

The opportunity for South Dakota landowners to enroll more land in the most recent general CRP sign-up was significantly hamstrung when the USDA announced it had accepted just 107 of the more than 40,000 acres that South Dakota landowners had offered. In response, I wrote to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and later had an opportunity to question him during a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing about the department’s disappointing decision and inappropriate CRP management practices.

As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I will continue to work with USDA officials and focus my efforts on making changes to CRP policy next year when we begin debate on the next farm bill to ensure adequate and equitable CRP enrollment and common-sense management of CRP in the future. 

Keeping adequate acres enrolled in South Dakota will benefit everyone because it will help maintain our state’s nearly quarter-million-dollar pheasant hunting industry, which directly benefits our small towns and rural areas. Farmers will continue to protect and preserve soil health, and our state’s pheasant hunting legacy will continue for generations to come. 

###

Hunting Pheasants in South Dakota
By Senator Mike Rounds

Across the country, the month of October is a time to carve pumpkins and watch the leaves change color. While I enjoy participating in these activities with my family, for us, the highlight of the month has always been the opening weekend of the pheasant hunting season. I have lived most of my life in central South Dakota, which is home to some of the best pheasant habitat in the country. Huron, where I was born, actually bears the nickname “Ringneck Nation.” 

For our family and for many families in South Dakota, the opener is almost as big of a reunion as Christmas or Thanksgiving. I was born on the opening weekend of pheasant hunting season in 1954, and my dad still reminds me that I messed up his hunt. I remind him that was his fault! My kids all hunt, and some of our older grandkids are looking forward to taking the hunter safety course. Until then, they still join us in the field and help the dogs chase down birds. It’s fun to see them get excited about a sport that is such a big part of growing up in South Dakota. 

Pheasant hunting in South Dakota is not only a deeply-held tradition for those of us who live here, it also plays an important role in our economy. People travel thousands of miles just to spend a weekend hunting pheasants here. It provides us with a unique opportunity to showcase our state and highlight everything we have to offer. According to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks (GFP), hunting generated $302 million in wages for South Dakotans in 2011 and created just over 11,000 jobs.

While hunting is a fun sport, it also plays a big role in land conservation. The pheasant habitat found in South Dakota is exceptional because farmers and landowners practice proper land management and conservation. It is important that we take care of the prairies and grasslands to make sure they remain in great shape for future hunters to enjoy. I believe the Conservation Reserve Program is a very important part of this effort.

While I always enjoy the hunt, some of my favorite parts of these days come before and afterward when family and friends get together to share stories and a meal. Hunting is as much about tradition and comradery as it is about the sport. It’s a time for us to get out of the house or office, ignore the digital distractions of our daily lives and enjoy some fresh fall air with our friends and loved ones. I hope everyone who takes advantage of the fabulous South Dakota pheasant hunting this year will have safe and successful hunts!  

###

Beating Breast Cancer
By Rep. Kristi Noem

Jami’s family had a history with cancer, but it wasn’t until late 2014 that her own battle with breast cancer began. She was a busy mom, working full-time at a non-profit in South Dakota and raising her 11 year-old daughter. Now, a battle with breast cancer was being added to her plate, but she pushed through, undergoing a double mastectomy and reconstruction, followed by a year of chemotherapy treatments. Despite the hardships, a friend of hers wrote: “I know there were times where the side effects of chemo were affecting her – the numbness and tingling in her fingers and legs, rashes covering her neck and torso – but she never lost that bright smile of hers.”

Like her mom, sister, and aunt before her, Jami fought – and won. Earlier this year, Jami was honored as the Susan G. Komen 2016 Survivor of the Year in South Dakota.

October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a great time to celebrate those, like Jami, who have fought this disease; to remember those no longer with us, like my grandmother-in-law Betty, who also was diagnosed; and to encourage those who are in the middle of the battle. It’s also a time to learn more about the disease, the opportunities to detect it early, and the actions we can take today to reduce our risk altogether.

Nationwide, one in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer within their lifetime. In South Dakota, the number of diagnosis has risen steadily since 2010, putting our state at the top of the list when it comes to breast cancer incidents per capita.

It’s unclear what has caused the rise. While not everything is in our control, there are steps we can take to reduce our risk or detect the cancer early. For Jami, she knew her family’s history and acted on it. It was during a routine annual breast exam when the mass was detected. Annual exams like this can help make early detection possible. This means treatment can start earlier, possibly even before the cancer has spread.

Additionally, according to the American Cancer Society, excessive drinking, being overweight or obese (particularly after menopause), and a lack of physical activity can increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. If you ever notice a lump, hard knot, or thickening inside the breast or underarm area, schedule an appointment with your doctor right away.

While we have made tremendous strides when it comes to detecting and treating breast cancer, 680 South Dakotans are expected to learn they have breast cancer this year alone. It’s one of the reasons I join my fellow female members of Congress each year in a softball game against the press to benefit the Young Survival Coalition. It’s a good opportunity to show support for our daughters, sisters, mothers and friends and build resources to help the many South Dakotans whose lives have been changed by breast cancer.

This month, please join me in building awareness about breast cancer. Use Jami’s story as motivation to put together an early detection plan (one great resource is www.earlydetectionplan.org). Urge your friends and family to do the same. Learn more about breast cancer and how it could be impacting your mom, your neighbor, or you. Find out how you can be a support system for those impacted. Get involved in one of the many breast cancer awareness activities throughout South Dakota this month. Together, we can beat this.

###

The Last Great Stronghold For Pheasant Hunting
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

Pheasant hunting comes as naturally as the changing colors of autumn here in South Dakota. Our hunters look forward to opening day like kids looking forward to Christmas. When pheasant season begins, the hunters are everywhere. In Eureka, Mitchell, Faulkton, Winner, Armour, Miller, Vivian, Hoven, or Huron areas on a Saturday morning in mid-October, you’ll see orange armies of hunters ready to hit the fields.

Some of my fondest memories are of walking with friends and family through wooded draws and fields of harvested corn, just waiting for the cackle of a flushing rooster pheasant. Many South Dakotans have memories like these. Parents instill the tradition in their sons and daughters as soon as they’re old enough. It has become a part of our way of life.

In fact, the fall hunt is a tradition almost as old as South Dakota itself. This will be the 98^th year that South Dakotans have pursued ring-necks in South Dakota. During the first season in 1919, about 1,000 hunters bagged a total of 200 birds. Compare that to last year when more than 150,000 hunters bagged around 1.2 million birds and spent over $170 million in South Dakota.

This year, the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks reported a slight decline in its Pheasant Brood Survey. Though we would like to see increases every year, the numbers for 2016 are still good. This year’s pheasants-per-mile index is still higher than 2014’s index and twice as high as 2013’s. There will be good pheasant hunting opportunities in South Dakota this season.

South Dakota’s pheasant hunting experience is second to none and it draws hunters from across the globe. Our state is the last great stronghold for pheasant hunting in the world; and to help us keep it that way we established a permanent funding source for wildlife habitat work called the South Dakota Conservation Fund.

If you’re interested in helping us preserve this century-long tradition in our state, I hope you’ll consider giving a donation to that fund. To donate, go to the South Dakota Community Foundation website and search “South Dakota Conservation Fund.”

Happy pheasant hunting to you and yours.

-30-

Did you catch the story this AM at rapidcityjournal.com about the 10 minute statutory limit on the amount of time we have to vote:

It took me nearly 20 minutes, and that was only to decipher the scaled-down version of the numerous and complicated measures on the Nov. 8 ballot.

The problem is, according to South Dakota state statute 12-18-15, which carries the ominous heading, “Voting without delay — Maximum time in booth or machine — Re-entry prohibited,” by law I’ll only have 10 minutes to cast my ballot that Tuesday.

Forget the contentious presidential election. Discount the congressional races. Disregard who is running for the state Legislature or the PUC. Those are easy decisions.

But South Dakota voters should be very afraid of the 10 constitutional amendments, referred laws and initiated measures facing South Dakota voters in this year’s general election. I know I am.

“The person voting shall cast his vote without delay,” the 1993 law commands. “No voter may occupy a voting booth or voting machine already occupied by another, nor occupy a voting booth or machine for more than 10 minutes.

Read it here.

A statutory 10 minutes to vote? That’s an interesting law that I dont think has ever come up before. But, this is an unusual year when we’ve been innundated with ballot measures.

The Secretary of State claims that the law wont’t be enforced. She can provide suggestions, but, I don’t think law enforcement is her department. And voting occurs at the county level.

That’s not to say that I think anyone is going to be arrested for it. States’ Attorneys have better things to do. But, the law exists.

With that fact of the ten minute time limit coming to light, I don’t think people out there want to break the law. So do you think there will be a new pressure for voters to just get through it?

And if so, will it mean that more people will just opt to vote “No on everything?”

Wikileaks released a number of e-mails from the Hillary Clinton Campaign recently, including several communications between the Clinton campaign and former Obama campaign advisor Steve Hildebrand:

Re: FW: Some unsolicited advice

From:[email protected]

To: [email protected]

Date: 2016-01-20 00:49

Subject: Re: FW: Some unsolicited advice

Thanks Steve. I am generally trying to get us aiming in the same direction. Bernie has gone decidedly negative and personal and like most things maybe he can get away with it. But we live with a double standard, so I think it’s a mistake to follow him down that path.

On Tuesday, January 19, 2016, Steve Hildebrand <[email protected]> wrote:

> John,

>

> I sent this to Joel Benenson a few days ago. Thought I would send to you

> as well. Hillary has got to get away from Washington speak and begin

> immediately to find an emotional connection to regular Americans. She needs

> to have a greater understanding of what people and families are going

> through every day. And, then she needs to find an emotional connection.

> This has to turn around now. Her speechwriters, ad writers, communication

> staff – she and President Clinton – all need to cut Washington rhetoric

> from their vocabularies and all scripts. She also needs to be bold and not

> be politically calculating. Americans and certainly primary voting

> Democrats are sick of the Clintons being cautious and calculating.

>

> She can win this, but she’s got to find a way to connect with voters and > stop worrying about Washington pols and press. The American people want to

> know if she gets them.

> > > —— Forwarded Message

> *From: *Steve Hildebrand <[email protected]>

> *Date: *Sat, 16 Jan 2016 20:10:07 -0600

> *To: *Joel Benenson <[email protected]

>

> *Conversation: *Some unsolicited advice

> *Subject: *Some unsolicited advice

>

> Joel,

>

> I hope you are doing well and hanging in there. I’ve have kept my thoughts

> about the presidential race largely to myself, but I’m very nervous that

> she is losing ground (I don’t know that since I’m not involved – just a

> hunch).

>

> That being said, she should be connecting with voters in a better way. I > just don’t think she’s using the right words.

>

> The Clintons too often use language that is for Washington insiders and

> not for the rest of us out here in America. With Trump attacking Pres.

> Clinton for allegations of infidelity, she should not respond with “he can

> make personal attacks” or suggest that this is what Republicans have always

> done. Instead, she should make this a VERY PERSONAL MOMENT. She is failing

> to connect with voters – in large part, I believe, because she uses

> Washington speak. She should not just be connecting with women voters in a

> better way, they should be energized in a big way. She’s failing in this

> regard. Dump the Washington political speak immediately – including

> partisan language. Replace it with words that average voters understand.

> When she talks about Trump or Cruz or other Republicans, she should attack

> them for their policies – not even mention that they are Republicans. I

> also believe she’s making a mistake by attacking Sanders in a personal way.

> People grew tired of this from the Clintons. It’s not what they want to

> see. GET A PERSONAL CONNECTION.

>

> I don’t know what the words are exactly, but she should say something like:

>

> “While Mr. Trump makes these deeply personal attacks, he’s far from

> perfect himself. I’ve been married to Bill Clinton for more than 40 years.

> He is and always has been the love of my life. We’ve raised an amazing

> daughter and I love being a grandmother. Our marriage hasn’t been perfect –

> the vast majority of marriages aren’t. While being in public life the

> majority of our 40 years together, the American people have heard more than

> their share. I’ve chosen my path – to make my marriage work. I don’t walk

> away from a commitment. There are millions of women across America just

> like me and there are millions of loving couples who chose their path. As

> President, I will fight hard for American families – creating jobs,

> fighting to raise wages, continuing to ensure millions more have the

> protections of health insurance. I will do everything I can to help

> families get ahead and be more financially secure.”

>

> “The last thing Washington needs, the last thing America needs is a

> politician like Donald Trump to divide us, to create fear, to incite racism

> and constantly run people down. His mouth spews hatred. And while he might

> be speaking a good game for 30% of the Republican base, his shallow

> policies would hurt, not help the majority of the people who are in his

> camp.”

>

> “America is strongest when we are united. A true American patriot will

> vigorously defend our country from it’s enemies. Donald Trump has a lot to

> prove to the American people that his words, actions and policies are best

> for America. I served as Secretary of State. I know what it means to stand

> strong against enemies abroad. While he throws political grenades in an

> attempt to win the votes of the extreme side of the Republican base, he

> has no clue how destructive his rhetoric is – how much it’s dividing our

> country which makes us weaker. Politicians in Washington have done enough

> damage when they divide us – when they themselves refuse to work together

> for the best of our nation.”

>

> “As President, I will work my tail off to unite our nation to make us

> stronger. And, I will challenge any politician – Democrat or Republican –

> to get off the politics of destruction and join together to make America

> even stronger.”

>

> “Mr. Trump should also understand that American families need a champion

> who is f for their future. Donald Trump is so far removed from the daily

> lives of American families that he doesn’t understand that his policies

> will kill jobs, will take health insurance away from millions of families,

> and put more guns in the hands of dangerous people.”

>

>

> For what it’s worth – keep her grounded and always thinking about what

> American families are going through – not what is happening with

> politicians in Washington. Maybe none of this is helpful – but I hope it

> is. If there is anything I can do, please ask.

> > Best of luck to you and the entire campaign.

>

> Steve H.

> 605-261-8988

> —— End of Forwarded Message >

Read this and other Hildebrand related messages to the Clinton Campaign here.

@SenJohnThune on opponent: "Jay may be the most liberal Democrat in South Dakota I've ever met. He wants to raise ALL taxes."

— Pat Powers (@SoDakCampaigns) October 14, 2016

@Jay4Senate says “I do think it would be a good idea to put a big tax on gasoline to make people move away from gasoline.” @SenJohnThune

— Pat Powers (@SoDakCampaigns) October 14, 2016

That’s probably all you need to know.

Initiated Measure -22—34 Pages and 17,000 Words; A Reach Too Far
by Ron Williamson, President of the Great Plains Public Policy Institute

South Dakota has long been a testing ground for political initiatives brought and funded by out-of-state interests and groups.  Initiated Measure 22 (IM-22) is one such measure and one of ten ballot issues.  It proposes to revise state campaign finance and lobbying laws, create an entirely new state bureaucracy, create a taxpayer funded public campaign finance program and appropriate state funds.

IM-22 would make some seventy (70) changes to state laws. It is thirty four (34) pages and seventeen thousand (17,000) words long.

Nonprofit organizations such as agriculture cooperatives and associations, advocacy and voter education groups, trade associations, 501(c)(3) organizations, labor unions and others are legally allowed under Federal Law to take positions on legislative matters that impact their missions as long as they do not financially or otherwise support candidates for office.  Because they are not engaging in candidate campaigns, they are allowed (under federal law) to protect the privacy of their donors and supporters.  IM-22 would overrule these federal and U.S. Constitution  protections.

IM-22 would force nonprofit groups that take a position on an issue to report that activity as election spending for or against a partisan candidate if their communications mention an elected official by name.

That means if an Ag organization sent an alert to its members about a proposal to raise taxes on agriculture products and asked members to call members of the legislature to voice their opinion, that activity would be reported as something that supported or opposed particular candidates.

IM-22 goes even farther by requiring groups that issue nonpartisan voter guides to report those guides as partisan campaign activity. For example, if the League of Women Voters, SD Farm Bureau, SD Retailers, or others mailed a nonpartisan voter guide to voters, the group would have to report whether or not the group supports or opposes each candidate they mention by name and how much the group spent on the voter guides. That money would be reported as campaign contributions to the candidates they support.

Not only would this require groups to report campaign spending they aren’t even doing, it would put nonprofit groups in legal jeopardy. Nonprofit groups are banned by federal and state law from engaging in partisan campaign activity. Because IM-22 requires groups to convert nonpartisan activity into partisan campaign activity, tax-deductible nonprofit groups would violate their tax-exempt status and that would put them in legal jeopardy with the IRS.

IM-22 would also require nonprofit groups to report their donors to the state government, who could then make the list public. In America we have the right to support causes we believe in without fear of harassment and intimidation and we have a right to keep our personal beliefs private.  IM-22 could allow anyone to look you up and know what causes and groups you support.

IM-22 would also result in inaccurate information being shared. For example, if a museum in South Dakota took a position on a piece of legislation that would send arts funding to local governments and it asked its members to call lawmakers to support the proposal, the museum would be required to report its financial supporters to the state government. Even if those donors didn’t support the piece of legislation. That isn’t shining a light on who is behind what issues, that’s creating false information.

South Dakota’s budget is sound, our state pensions are funded, and our schools continue to improve. The 34 pages and 17,000 words are a reach too far.

Initiated Measure-22 makes too many changes to laws that would hurt the community organizations doing good work for South Dakotans.

Ron Williamson
President
Great Plains Public Policy
Former Legislator

NOEM EARNS RECOGNITION FROM TOP BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS

Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD) has been recognized as a leading voice for businesses across South Dakota, earning accolades and endorsements from key business organizations. 

Endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in her campaign for re-election, Rep. Noem has been a consistent vote for common sense pro-business legislation to reduce excessive government regulation and to help create new jobs. 

“As a former small business owner, I know how hard it can be when Washington gets in the way, so I’ve tried to protect businesses from a growing government,” said Rep. Kristi Noem. “In 2015, I earned a seat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, where we’ve been extremely focused on reforming our tax code and building an Opportunity Economy. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy in South Dakota, and I am grateful for the support of so many business leaders from across our great state.” 

“Congresswoman Kristi Noem has been a consistent, strong voice for South Dakota small businesses,” said NFIB/South Dakota State Director Lindsey Riter-Rapp. “In her most recent term, she stood with small business owners on every critical vote. She has voted to relieve small businesses from the burdens of high taxes, excessive regulations, and Obamacare. We want to see her back in Congress next year.”  

Tom Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber said about Rep. Noem in his endorsement, “We believe that your re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives will help produce sustained economic growth, help create jobs, and get our country back on track.”

“Rep. Noem has consistently fought to promote pro-housing policies that will spur job and economic growth, promote homeownership and provide rental housing opportunities,” said National Association of Home Builders Chairman Ed Brady. 

Kristi Noem has been endorsed for her support for business by: 

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
• National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB)

###

Remember back in September what Initiated Measure 22’s author Slick Rick Weiland had this to say about why we needed initiated Measure 22?

When our state consistently ranks in the top five of states most at risk of corruption; when scandals like EB-5 and Gear-Up destroy confidence in our elected leaders and government by squandering hundreds of millions of dollars; when sweetheart government contracts, suicides, murders, lawsuits and felony charges dominate our daily news and coffee talk, then it is time for reform.

Read that here.

Well, former Democrat legislator and IM 22 spokesman Darrell Solberg just debunked that Weiland theory:

Darrell Solberg, co-chairman of South Dakotans for Integrity, said Initiated Measure 22 is a bipartisan, government accountability and anti-corruption act.

It would increase transparency and oversight in state government while reducing corruption, he said.

and…

The law would not prevent incidents like EB-5, Gear Up, no-bid contracts or pay to play, but it would provide a deterrent, he said.

Read it here.

So, while Weiland claims we need Initiated Measure 22 to stop problems with the Eb-5 and Gear-up programs – when pressed, his measure’s own spokesman has to begrudgingly admit the measure does nothing to address it.

And doing nothing about problems – all it leaves is a program that takes millions of dollars of tax money away from schools and roads to fund political candidates.