From KELOland comes a story on how Congreswoman Kristi Noem is working to address the teen suicide rate on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation:

Representative Kristi Noem returned to the Pine Ridge Reservation Friday to talk about the area’s suicide problem, and this time she brought along a key member of Congress on youth mental health issues.

It’s an ongoing tragedy that won’t leave Rep. Kristi Noem alone.

Five weeks after she heard first-hand accounts of suicides and near misses, Noem returned to Pine Ridge with Pennsylvania Rep. Tim Murphy.  Murphy is a child psychologist who’s now pushing a sweeping mental-health reform bill.

He was moved, too.

and…

“That’s a program that’s used to give hope to students and youth and turn their lives around,” Noem said. “The fact that it’s ending in December means we’ve got to figure out ways to extend that program and keep their funds flowing.”

Murphy’s presence in Pine Ridge and the mental health law overhaul he is guiding through Congress could matter there.

Read it all here.

I was at a Republican meeting today getting a preview of bills we can expect this next session, and it seems that this next session is going to be anything but mundane.

Everyone in attendance agreed that education and medicaid expansion are going to be the highest priority and overreaching topics of the next session. And some thought that given the funding challenges, the two were literally going to be connected at the hip, given the savings opportunities afforded if the federal government agrees to the state’s proposed plan for the feds to pick up Native Americans receiving off-IHS services which had been funded by Medicaid.

The impression given was that the intent of the legislature is to look strongly at finding money within the system before any new taxes are discussed. Otherwise known as “looking in the couch before we pass any tax increases.”  There was also discussion over the basic philosophy of the medicaid expansion, which goes back to the Governor’s thoughts on it some time back – should we be providing entitlements to able-bodied adults who are perfectly capable of going and getting jobs to pay for it themselves?

Since these are the two big ticket items in next years’ proposed session, I’d expect we’re going to hear much more about them in the remaining weeks before the legislative session.

State Representative Fred Deutsch was there and spoke about a couple of bills he would be bringing – first and foremost being the Student Privacy Act. The “SPA” is designed to disallow the opposite sex – according to biology – to be in any state of undress amongst each other, such as in locker rooms and bathrooms.  He indicated the bill is designed to protect and shield school districts by setting the guidelines forth in state law.

What came as the biggest surprise to me was being informed that for the first time, the group was informed that the South Dakota Legislature intends to being it’s own budget to the table as part of budget discussions, in addition to, and as opposed to simply reworking the Governor’s Budget.

That’s right – for the first year, the Legislative Research Council apparently has a computer program to allow the legislative branch to develop it’s own budget, and it was noted that part of the process is intended to reconcile the legislative budget and the Governor’s budget.  It’s a small step, and will be the first time they’re trying it, but in the big scheme of things, it’s huge in terms of legislative independence.  Stay tuned on that one.

Lots more to come as we move past turkey day next week, and tick down until the legislative session.

And if there are legislators out there who want to give a preview of what they’ve got coming up, drop me a note here.

How is your week going? Because by the sounds of it, it’s going better than the Bosworth family’s is, as three of them had a lawsuit filed against them by Annette’s former attorney Joel Arends, whom she rolled under the bus in an attempt to shift blame from herself when it all hit the fan as she was arrested for falsely attesting that she circulated and witnessed the signatures being placed on certain petitions.

It has been quite some time in coming, but not entirely unexpected, after Bosworth’s campaign of blame.

Arends v Bosworth, Bosworth and Haber

If you read the lawsuit, filed in Lincoln County: “This action is brought by Plaintiffs to recover for defamation, false light, defamation by implication, tortious interference with business relationships, civil conspiracy, and other tortious conduct committed by Defendants.”

And the lawsuit accuses the defendants of “….knowingly and intentionally engaged in a multi-year, sophisticated, and coordinated disinformation campaign against Plaintiffs by publishing numerous false and disparaging statements regarding Plaintiffs on radio, television, and the Internet, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.”

And, it also says that they “also recruited various legal agents to publish comments on website “comment” sections and Face book postings.”

Continuing… “Upon information and belief, Defendants used Defendant Annette Bosworth’s United States Senate campaign assets and resources to fund their disinformation campaign against Plaintiffs.”

And it continues on with the details for thirty pages of alleged misconduct. And as detailed in the document, Arends does not put a specific dollar amount on his claims, but does ask for:

Plaintiffs respectfully request a judgment against Defendants as follows:

(a) Actual and consequential damages;
(b) Punitive (exemplary) damages;
(c) Joint and several liability;
(d) Reasonable and necessary attorney’s fees;
(e) Costs of the lawsuit;
(f) Prejudgment and post-judgment interest at the statutory rate;
(g) Injunctive relief prohibiting the distribution of false and
misleading information by Defendants regarding Plaintiffs; and
(h) Such other and further relief as the Court deems reasonable
and appropriate.

So, take a look. Take a read of the detailed document, and let us know what you think.

AFP hosting Christmas Ope

Thune Welcomes Sioux Falls Pastor Named U.S. Senate “Chaplain for a Day”

“It’s a great honor for me to welcome to the United States Senate today our pastor from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Jeff Wheeler …”

WASHINGTON — Pastor Jeff Wheeler of Sioux Falls Central Baptist Church today served as U.S. Senate “Chaplain for a Day.” U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) nominated Pastor Wheeler for the honor.

“It’s a great honor for me to welcome to the United States Senate today our pastor from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Jeff Wheeler, who just offered our invocation this morning,” said Thune. “I’d like to express how much Kimberly and I have appreciated the opportunity to worship and to benefit from his ministry and enjoy and are blessed by his teachings each and every week when we are back home in South Dakota.”

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Noem Votes to Prohibit Refugees from Syria and Iraq from Being Admitted to the U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Kristi Noem today supported legislation to temporarily prohibit Syrian and Iraqi refugees from being admitted to the United States.  More specifically, H.R.4038, the American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act, would put an immediate pause on the program until the FBI and relevant intelligence agencies could certify to Congress that an individual does not pose a threat.  The legislation, which Noem cosponsored, passed the House today with broad bipartisan support.

“My priority – and my fundamental responsibility – is to keep the American people safe,” said Noem.  “Top security officials have admitted that we don’t have the resources necessary to fully vet refugees from countries, like Syria, whose government is in shambles and where we lack a law enforcement presence.  Until confidence in the vetting process can restored and we can certify that refugees do not present a safety threat to the American people, we must put a pause on this program.  This legislation would certainly be an important step toward greater national security, but what our country needs as well is a comprehensive plan from the President regarding how he plans to defeat ISIL and overcome the threat of global terrorism.”

Earlier this week, Noem joined more than 100 of her colleagues in writing President Obama regarding their concerns about admitting refugees from Syria and Iraq and urging him to immediately suspend the program.  Click here to view the letter.

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Thune, Heitkamp Ensure Beneficiary Access to Durable Medical Equipment

Legislation will ensure that durable medical equipment (DME) providers are able to meet the needs of Medicare beneficiaries in their areas

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) today introduced the DME Access and Stabilization Act, legislation that would provide bridge relief to rural DME providers in non-competitively bid areas through the end of 2018. This legislation will ensure that DME providers are able to meet the needs of Medicare beneficiaries in their areas. Additionally, this legislation seeks to address the underlying issues with DME reimbursement in non-competitive bidding areas. Examples of DME include hospital beds, blood glucose monitors, and wheelchairs.

“It is important that people receive quality health care, no matter where they live,” said Thune. “Not only does this legislation ensure that suppliers in rural areas can provide services they need to people in all parts of South Dakota, but it may enable people to return home faster after hospitalization.”

“Seniors in rural areas like North Dakota deserve continued access to needed medical equipment, like hospital beds, walkers, and oxygen supplies,” said Heitkamp. “Our bipartisan bill would smooth the transition to a new payment formula for businesses supplying and servicing these products, and make sure seniors, particularly those in rural communities, can continue to live independently and with dignity.”

Thune and Heitkamp introduced this legislation to address the problem caused by the national rollout of competitively bid DME prices to non-competitively bid areas. Competitive bidding was created by the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003. Competitive bidding for DME started with Round 1 of bidding in nine metropolitan areas in 2008, but was suspended due to issues with implementation. Suppliers then had to rebid Round 1, and prices for Round 1 went into effect in January 2011. Round 2 competition started in 2011 in an additional 91 predominately metropolitan areas, and prices for Round 2 took effect in July 2013. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will then take these rates from the competitively bid areas and extrapolate them to non-competitively bid areas, which will threaten beneficiary access to DME because of inherent differences in supply and delivery costs between metropolitan and rural areas.

On January 1, 2016, the competitive bidding program will be rolled out to South Dakota and North Dakota, two areas without competitive bidding areas. According to an estimate, many providers in the upper Midwest will face a nearly 40 percent reduction on average in reimbursement for the most commonly ordered DME they provide to seniors, making it financially difficult to continue to provide DME.

Joining Thune and Heitkamp in cosponsoring this legislation are U.S. Sens. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Angus King (I-Maine), and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).

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Concerns Following The Attack On Paris

A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

Americans watched in horror last week as ISIS launched an attack on one of our closest allies. Families were at the national soccer stadium watching the exhibition match between France and Germany. College students were gathered in cafes. Young people were at a concert hall listening to a California band. An ordinary Friday night in Paris turned deadly when Islamic extremists invaded these spaces and took the lives of more than 100 innocent people.

Following the attack on Paris, Americans are left with legitimate concerns. One of those concerns is the President’s plan to accept Syrian refugees. While many of these refugees are seeking to escape terrorism, the sad events in Paris remind us that terrorists can take advantage of refugee programs to gain access to western nations.

Since 2011, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has referred 23,092 Syrians to the U.S. Refugee Program. Of those, the Department of Homeland Security interviewed 7,014, and approved just over 2,000 for admission to the United States. Under the federal Refugee Act of 1980, states do not have a legal role regarding refugees. Governors do not have the authority to ban refugees from their states, or to refuse to accept refugees. These decisions are made by the federal government.

Still, I share the concerns for our national security. That is why I am joining many other governors in calling on the federal government to re-examine our process for background checks of refugee applicants seeking asylum and to reconsider whether the United States should continue to accept refugees at current levels. Sen. Thune, Sen. Rounds and Rep. Noem have also called on the federal government to take these actions.

Ultimately it is very unlikely that any Syrian refugees will be resettled in South Dakota.  Our state has not received a single Syrian refugee in the last three years, and has not received notice that it will receive any Syrian refugees. The federal government resettles refugees in places that already have populations of the same nationality or ethnicity, and there is no sizable Syrian population in South Dakota.

On the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty there is a plaque of a well-known poem by Emma Lazarus with a line that reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. . .” Those inscribed words near the monument gifted to us by France remind us that the United States is a nation of immigrants that seeks to help those who seek asylum.

In order to continue this tradition of helping the tired and the poor from other nations we must first exercise prudence and be confident that adequate safeguards are in place to protect against terrorism. Our greatest priority as a nation, and my first priority as Governor, is to keep our people safe.

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From today’s KCCR, Governor Dennis Daugaard responded to lawmakers and others who are calling for him to join with 30+ other states, and issue a ban on the resettlement of Syrian refugees:

Daugaard is not necessarily taking a stance, saying that he does not have the authority to ban refugees from South Dakota…

Daugaard adds that it is very unlikely any Syrian refugees will come to South Dakota…

Daugaard adds that his first priority as governor is to keep all citizens safe…

While those lawmakers now understand what the Governor is saying, they still urge Daugaard to join many other Governors’ and send the message saying, “We don’t want them here.”

 

Read (and listen) to it all here.

Just a reminder – don’t forget the widget on the left side of the page!

The Augustana College Republicans seem to be hovering at 32% of their Go Fund Me goal to bring 18 of their number to CPAC. According to the page, the last donation was State Rep. Mark Mickelson & his wife donating $100 to help them along.

They’re extremely active in Minnehaha County, so it’s money well spent.

Click on the widget, or click here, and help them towards their goal.