From Twitter, Congressman Dusty Johnson in the middle of first big deal for Trump and he isn’t even President yet!

Rep. Dusty Johnson R-SD mobbed as he leaves the Speaker’s office: “We’re making progress and things are going well.” pic.twitter.com/9YDnAnoO3L

— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) December 19, 2024

And President-Elect Trump is endorsing the deal.

SUCCESS in Washington!

Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal for the American People. The newly agreed to American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the Government open, fund our Great Farmers and others, and provide relief for those severely impacted by…

— Trump Posts on 𝕏 (@trump_repost) December 19, 2024

Mr. President, I agree this is a strong deal, and I was honored to help negotiate it. Looking forward to passage tonight. pic.twitter.com/zEjEZ8rXqJ

— Rep. Dusty Johnson (@RepDustyJohnson) December 19, 2024

Rounds’ Legislation to Improve Homeownership Opportunities for Native American Veterans Headed to President’s Desk
The Native American Direct Loan Improvement Act passed the Senate and House in December

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), today announced that his legislation to help Native American veterans achieve homeownership is heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The Native American Direct Loan (NADL) Improvement Act passed the Senate on December 12, 2024, and the House on December 16, 2024.

The NADL Improvement Act will reform the NADL program administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and make it more accessible to Native American veterans living on trust land.

“Homeownership is part of the American dream and a key to building wealth,” said Rounds. “The mortgage lending process is particularly difficult on tribal trust land. My legislation seeks to improve the NADL program by offering enhanced outreach and other assistance as needed to Native American veterans who are looking to qualify for mortgage financing. I am pleased this bill is heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law, making the dream of homeownership a reality for more of our veterans.”

Specifically, the NADL Improvement Act will:

·         Allow Native American veterans to use the NADL program to refinance other existing mortgages on the same property.

·         Expand the VA’s existing NADL program outreach to include collaborating with local service providers that are familiar with the mortgage lending process on trust land, which would offer homebuyer education and housing counseling to assist Native American veterans who are looking to qualify for mortgage financing.

·         Create a relending program to allow Native Community Development Financial Institutions to obtain loans through the NADL program and relend those funds to qualified Native American veterans.

BACKGROUND:

In June 2020, Rounds joined SVAC Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) in requesting a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of the NADL program. The report was published in April 2022. The GAO found that in Fiscal Years 2012 through 2021, NADL originated only 89 loans to veterans in the contiguous United States, despite there being an estimated 64,000 to 70,000 eligible veterans.

Following the release of the GAO report, Rounds first introduced the NADL Improvement Act in July 2022. It was reintroduced in the 118th Congress in February 2023, passing SVAC later that same month.

Click HERE for full bill text.

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An article was just posted this morning from the Dakota Scout which should be on everyone’s reading list, as it lays out the playing field for the big battle of the next legislative session, where $4 million is being proposed to go to those who seek to place their children in private schools, or to not provide a formal education at all, instead providing homeschool instruction.  Why should it be of concern? Because of the open hostility being displayed by some towards teachers and administrators:

“As educators, we will never compromise our commitment to doing everything we can to educate every student who enters our school buildings and classrooms,” SDEA Public Affairs Director Sandra Waltman told The Dakota Scout, confirming that attempts to dialogue with the state and lawmakers working most closely with the Governor’s Office on the proposal have been unsuccessful. “That is why we need lawmakers to listen to our concerns about how voucher programs will hurt public schools and, more importantly, the students who attend them.”

and..

South Dakota House Majority Leader Scott Odenbach, who’s working closely with DOE to draft legislation for his colleagues to consider, dismissed the notion that public educators aren’t being consulted.

“They do have a seat at the table given all the lobbying they do during session, and I know their positions, so it wouldn’t be productive because they’re not willing to compromise,” the Spearfish Republican said.

Odenbach said that while work on a bill is still under way, it’s likely the proposal could call for incremental expansion – both in funding and eligibility – over a number of years.

Read the entire story here.

Am I reading House Majority Leader Scott Odenbach being snippy with educators because they have associations that represent them in Pierre, and declaring that he won’t meet with teacher groups, “because he knows their positions,  so it wouldn’t be productive because they’re not willing to compromise?”   

How would he know what their position is if he won’t meet with them in the process of crafting the legislation?  If Scott is leading the charge on a plan to gut and strip mine the public resources that would go to Spearfish High School for purposes of diverting them to private schools and homeschoolers, it would seem that as one of their representatives in Pierre he could make the time to sit down with teachers to hear their concerns, whether he agrees with them or not.

Which makes this headline kind of ironic..

Refusing to talk with teachers is an odd kind of advocacy.

It has been a number of years since South Dakota teachers got fired up to get involved in the political process en masse, but the attitudes displayed by those such as Rep. Odenbach in refusing to even hear the concerns of his educator constituents may rouse those groups to fight back. 

I remember going to Pierre Football Games many years ago, and you could not get through a ticket line without a gaggle of teachers with clipboards looking for signatures on ballot petitions. Kicking a sleeping bear might not be in Scott’s best interest. They do know how to organize and fight.

This might be the opening salvos we’re hearing in the battle that will become 2026 Referred Law 22.

This morning, Attorney General Marty Jackley released the indictment against Renee Strong, accused of filing false and forged documents with the state on Health Inspection reports:

Renee Strong Indictment by Pat Powers on Scribd

From Twitter, U.S. Senator Mike Rounds is confirming that he will vote to confirm all Trump nominees:

🚨 Senator Mike Rounds indicates he will vote to confirm all of President Trump’s cabinet nominees: “The president should get the benefit of the doubt on any of his nominees.” pic.twitter.com/sJ0149b5zw

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) December 17, 2024

Exciting news – the latest edition of the South Dakota Political Show with myself and Mike Lauritsen is now live (and live a day early).

This episode is bursting at the seams, with introductions from co-host Mike Lauritsen, as well as an extensive discussion with South Dakota Republican Party Chairman and State Senator John Wiik, as he winds down the final weeks of his time as chairman of the state’s largest political party in a reflection and review of his time in office.

Chairman Wiik points out some of the challenges he faced over the past 2 years, and what might be coming for the South Dakota Republican Party in the coming months.

You can listen to the podcast as hosted on Acast, or on Apple Podcasts… All you have to do is click and listen!

 

Johnson Introduces Legislation to Stop Fentanyl Trafficking from China

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and the Select Committee on China’s Fentanyl Policy Working Group introduced legislation to combat the deadly fentanyl crisis and hold China accountable for its role in fueling the epidemic. The Working Group has drafted these bills in response to their research on the devastating impact of fentanyl on American communities.

“China has been flooding our nation with fentanyl for years, profiting on the destruction and poisoning of American lives,” said Johnson. “Getting tough on China includes cracking down on their money-making fentanyl scheme, which is devastating American families. These bills will curb the flow of fentanyl and make our streets safer.”

In 2022, fentanyl was responsible for nearly 70% of drug overdose deaths for adults ages 18-45 – a staggering and preventable loss of life.

Johnson was appointed to the Fentanyl Policy Working Group in June 2024.

 

Legislation:

Joint Task Force to Counter Illicit Synthetic Narcotics Act of 2024

This bill establishes a Joint Task Force to counter synthetic narcotics, primarily focusing on opioids like fentanyl. The task force will bring together representatives from relevant federal agencies to conduct joint operations, disrupt trafficking networks, and enforce sanctions. It will focus on international and domestic coordination, including addressing the role of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the opioid crisis. The task force aims to streamline interagency collaboration, enhance legal enforcement, and report regularly to Congress.

Read text here.

The CCP Fentanyl Sanctions Act

This bill targets what the bipartisan fentanyl report described as the “Achilles’ heel” of fentanyl and related synthetic narcotics producers—their exposure to the U.S. banking system courtesy of their licit activity. that the legislation establishes new sanctions authorities against actors involved in fentanyl trafficking and expands existing sanctions authorities to target PRC vessels or ports that knowingly or recklessly facilitate shipment/transportation of illicit synthetic narcotics.

Read text here.

International Protection from PRC Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids Act

This bill aims to combat fentanyl trafficking by imposing “docking fees” on entities of the People’s Republic of China that fail to implement “Know Your Customer” and related safeguards against the production and export of fentanyl precursors. It introduces compliance requirements for PRC ports, vessels, and exporters, with penalties for non-compliance and falsified records.

Read text here.

 

Each piece of legislation is cosponsored by Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI), Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), and U.S. Representatives Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), and Michelle Steel (R-CA).

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Attorney General Jackley Announces Former State Employee Indicted on Forgery-Related Charges

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces a Springfield, S.D. woman has been indicted on 26 forgery-related charges connected to crimes committed while she was an employee of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety and performing contract work for the Department of Health.

“Crimes of this nature violate the public’s trust and affect public health,” said Attorney General Jackley.  “This is the fourth government accountability case the Attorney General’s Office has handled this year. I plan to introduce legislation in the 2025 Legislature that will enhance accountability, improve transparency, and better protect South Dakota taxpayers.”

Renee Strong, 55, was indicted Dec. 17 by a Hughes County Grand Jury on 13 Class 6 felony counts of Offering False or Forged Instruments for Filing or Recording in a Public Office and 13 Class 5 felony counts of Forgery.  She is accused of forging and falsifying food service inspection reports while performing inspections for the Department of Health through a contract with the Department of Public Safety.

Each felony count of Offering False or Forged Instruments for Filing or Recording in a Public Office carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a $4,000 fine. Each felony count of Forgery carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Strong has been arrested but has not yet made her initial court appearance. She is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.

South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) investigated the case and the Attorney General’s Office will prosecute. The Department of Public Safety and the Hughes County State’s Attorney’s Office have cooperated in the investigation.

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Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that an ex-employee of the state in the Department of Public Safety was indicted on charges of filing false health inspection reports:

Strong, 55, was indicted Tuesday by a Hughes County grand jury for 26 forgery-related charges, Jackley said. The alleged crimes occurred between February and June, when Strong was contracted by the state Department of Health to perform food service inspection reports while employed by the public safety agency.

and..

“I believe it’s both a taxpayer issue and a public health issue,” Jackley said. “I would indicate that I don’t have any evidence for this time frame of any concern to the public, but that is a fair assessment that the law requiring two [annual] inspections may not have occurred, but it’s not the business owner’s fault, and, in some instances, the businesses weren’t open when the forgeries happened, given … the time of year or the restaurant’s scheduling.”

Read the entire story here.

Renee Strong of Springfield, SD was indicted by a Grand Jury in Hughes County on the charges.

According to Secretary of State records, Strong reportedly had been a one-time unsuccessful Democratic Candidate for Bon Homme County Treasurer back in 2016.