State Rep Kevin Killer’s PAC has some confusing campaign finance reports

@SoDakCampaigns

Remember Ann Tornberg’s excessive listing of unitemized contributions? Unitemized totals far out of proportion to what the itemized contributions were?  Here’s one that’s even worse. Democratic State Representative Kevin Killer’s SD NDN Election efforts PAC:

SD NDN PAC 2014 Year end Report

Killer’s Year End PAC report noted $16,618 in itemized contributions.  And an eye-popping $136,710.54 in un-itemized contributions.  A closer look at the report provides some clues as to the source of much of this funding.   Acting as a intermediary, it would appear that most or all of this funding comes through ACT Blue:

actblue

If you look at the itemized report on the embedded pdf file above, it appears that more of the itemized contributions came from out-of-state.

The curious part is that Act Blue South Dakota IS registered as a South Dakota PAC. So… why are these donations appearing to arrive through ACT Blue coming in as individual donations, and not listed as a PAC to PAC donation?

Regardless, it looks like most of the funds raised by Killer & Act Blue went for overhead, with over $113,000 of the funds spent on Salaries, $10,221 on Travel, $6,534 for Act Blue to act as middle-man for fundraising, and $4508 on meals.

ndn_operating_expenses

Curiously, for an organization that raised and spent as much as they did, I’d never heard of them. At the time of the pre-general report on October 24th, they had a whopping $1000 in their account. And then just like magic they claim that from October 22nd through the end of the year, they raised well over $100,000 for their efforts.

But, there are some inconsistencies that are coming up in those claims that would contradict what was reported to the Secretary of State’s office. According to the Secretary of State:

12-27-22. Persons and entities required to file campaign finance disclosure statements–Time for filing–Violation as misdemeanor. A campaign finance disclosure statement shall be filed with the secretary of state by the treasurer of every:
(1) Candidate or candidate campaign committee for any statewide or legislative office;
(2) Political action committee;
(3) Political party; and
(4) Ballot question committee.
The statement shall be signed and filed by the treasurer of the political committee or political party. The statement shall be received by the secretary of state and filed by 5:00 p.m. each February first and shall cover the contributions and expenditures for the preceding calendar year. The statement shall also be received by the secretary of state and filed by 5:00 p.m. on the second Friday prior to each primary and general election complete through the fifteenth day prior to that election. If a candidate is seeking nomination at the biennial state convention, the candidate or the candidate campaign committee shall file a campaign finance disclosure statement with the secretary of state by 5:00 p.m. on the second Friday prior to any biennial state convention. Any statement filed pursuant to this section shall be consecutive and shall cover contributions and expenditures since the last statement filed.

and..

A violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Read it here.

Notice the dollar amounts that they attribute as being raised by the South Dakota NDN Election Efforts PAC and the date in this Article from Daily KOS:

Fri Oct 10, 2014 at 11:00 AM PDT
When Natives vote Democrats win. You can help 9 reservations in South Dakota GOTV to save the Senate
by navajoFollow for Daily Kos

GOTV takes money and there’s not much of that on the reservations, especially at Pine Ridge. Which is why Daily Kos is asking those who can afford it to contribute to this effort.

On Thursday we raised more than $12,000 of our $50,000 goal for the South Dakota NDN Election Efforts PAC to fund the efforts for Great Plains project. Today we wanna continue that effort to buy fuel for the bus, feed the drivers, buy cash cards to support the volunteers and purchase much-needed radio time to spread the word about the GOTV effort. Everyone on the rez listens to their local radio station.

Read that here. That was on the 10th…. which was before the pre-general. So, why are there no donations totalling $12,000 reflected in the report.?

And look at this at this article from Daily KOS five days later:

Wed Oct 15, 2014 at 08:28 AM PDT
Control of the Senate runs through South Dakota reservations, and you’re helping GOTV
by Meteor Blades
Five minutes before I posted this, 6,062 of you had contributed $71,730 for South Dakota NDN Election Efforts. And the thanks you get? We’ve raised the goal from $75,000 to $100,000. The money will help pay for the  enthusiastic voter registration campaign being run by the Great Plains Get Out the Native Vote on the state’s nine American Indian reservations.

Read that here.

Or this article which would be the “fifteenth day prior to that election” as cited above.

Mon Oct 20, 2014 at 11:51 AM PDT
South Dakota ground game fleshes out as GOP rushes in reinforcements
by kos

Just a few moments ago, supporter #10,000 gave to the NDN Election Efforts PAC, the GOTV operation focused on American Indian reservations in the now-pivotal state of South Dakota. The $124,691 raised is slightly above my initial goal of $50,000 (which I considered overly optimistic at the time), and puts us well within reach of the PAC’s entire 2014 GOTV budget of $200,000.

South Dakota Rep. Kevin Killer, head of the PAC, sends me an update on what the fresh funds are allowing them to do.

Read that here.

The articles claim they had raised Over $12,000 on October 10th, $71,730 on October 15th, and $124,691 on October 20th – the last day that’s supposed to be included in the pre-general report. So, why does the pre-general report say on page 4 that, as of October 20th, they had only raised $1000 from an out of state PAC, and claiming that only $41.16 had been raised in unitemized funds?

That would appear to be a very well documented contradiction. By Democrats’ own reports, the funds were in-hand, and being spent during the time covered by the report to help elect Senator Rick Weiland.  But.. amazingly, none of that money is reported for the time period it they said it was raised in, via their own news reports. They only show up in they year end report due months later?

What are your thoughts? Is it time for some spot checking on reports by the Secretary of State?

Thune Questions Lew on Yet Another Obama Death Tax Proposal that Could Devastate South Dakota Family Farms

@SoDakCampaigns

Thune Questions Lew on Yet Another Obama Death Tax Proposal that Could Devastate South Dakota Family Farms

“…most farms…would not have the liquid assets to deal with that large of a tax bill, meaning the only way they would be able to pay Uncle Sam would be to break up the family farm and sell off portions of it…”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today at a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee questioned U.S. Department of Treasury Secretary Jack Lew about the Obama administration’s proposal to institute a second death tax on South Dakota family farms and businesses. Thune offered an example of how the administration’s capital gains proposal will negatively impact family farms in South Dakota and called on the secretary to explain the intent behind their capital gains proposal.

Impact on South Dakota Farmers and Ranchers:

“[The administration’s] proposal, if enacted, would have a devastating impact on family farms and small businesses in my state of South Dakota. I want to give you an example… if you take a typical family farm that bought…640 acres back in 2000 for $640,000, which…in South Dakota that would be considered a small farm. Today that same farmland is probably worth somewhere between $3.5 million and $4.5 million, depending on where it’s located.

“So under the current estate tax law, which excludes assets up to $5.43 million, the family farm isn’t taxed when it passes from one generation to the next. Now under the administration’s proposal, this family farm would be hit with a significant tax when the family farm is transferred to the next generation of family members. …so in that example this South Dakota family would suddenly find themselves facing a tax bill of $1 million or more.”

Administration’s Intent Behind Capital Gains Proposal:

“…most farms of this size would not have the liquid assets to deal with that large of a tax bill, meaning the only way they would be able to pay Uncle Sam would be to break up the family farm and sell off portions of it…What is the administration’s intent with regard to this tax? If it is to break up family farms, obviously it is going to have that effect, or is it simply an unintended consequence of your interest in imposing yet another layer of taxation at death?”

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Governor Signs First Bill Of Legislative Session Into Law

@SoDakCampaigns

Governor Signs First Bill Of Legislative Session Into Law

PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard today signed the first bill of the 2015 Legislative Session into law. The piece of legislation, Senate Bill 28, authorizes the Board of Regents to sell a parcel of property on the South Dakota State University campus to the City of Brookings.

The piece of property referenced in the bill was given to the university to provide rail access to the heating plant and has not been used for 35 years.

The bill contains an emergency clause to allow the Board of Regents to sell property in Fiscal Year 2015. Once the land has been sold, the proceeds from the sale will be credited to the university.

-30-

Light posting almost done…

@SoDakCampaigns

Parts are installed, and I’m in the process of adding programs back to my computer, so I think the worst is over at the SDWC’s great computer crash of 2015.

I had a very enjoyable evening last night with South Dakota Realtors, Homebuilders, School Administrators and Legislators. And after sitting at the Ramkota watching them all Karaoke, I think most need to take voice lessons.

I did sit down with Corey Brown, Billie Sutton and Troy Heinert at the Ramkota last night. (Do Heinert & Sutton constitute sitting down with half of the Democratic Caucus?  I kid.. I kid…)  We all had a nice discussion, although I’m not sure Sutton & Heinert took my suggestion to switch parties seriously.

Otherwise, keep watching this space for more stuff.  We’re just about back on the air.

 

Thune, Brown Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Simplify Income Tax Collection for Individuals Working in Multiple States

@SoDakCampaigns

Thune, Brown Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Simplify Income Tax Collection for Individuals Working in Multiple States

-Bill would ease reporting burdens for employees and employers-

WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), members of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, today introduced the Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act, legislation that would simplify and standardize state income tax collection for employees who travel outside of their home state for temporary work assignments. The bill would also help employers who must file withholdings and reporting requirements. Currently, individuals and employers face up to 41 different state income tax reporting requirements that vary based on length of stay, income earned, or both.

“Our increasingly mobile workforce has created opportunities for businesses to grow and expand throughout the nation, but complex state tax reporting requirements place costly and time-consuming burdens on businesses with employees that work in multiple states,” said Thune. “Our legislation would establish a clear 30-day threshold test for state income tax purposes, preventing individuals from having to sort through complicated tax reporting burdens from the multiple states where they travel for work. This legislation will greatly simplify state income tax filings, is fairer to those residents in states without an income tax, and should help to encourage tax compliance.”

“This common-sense legislation will help simplify and standardize tax filing for employees and employers that conduct business in multiple states,” Brown said. “This is a great example of government working to reduce burdensome and confusing barriers to help ease the cost of doing business for employers and their workers.”

“Retailers welcome the introduction of this bill,” said National Retail Federation Vice President and Tax Counsel Rachelle Bernstein. “The current morass of state laws dealing with state income tax burdens for workers on business travel outside their home states creates confusion and undue compliance burdens for both employees and employers. This burden can be particularly onerous for the retail industry. Buyers for both large and small retailers frequently travel out of state to visit vendors or attend trade or fashion shows. Federal law to provide uniform rules for when these employees must file income tax returns in another state would greatly simplify this burden.”

“The current system is especially harmful to residents of states like South Dakota with no personal income tax, as these workers are forced to pay an out-of-pocket tax with no ability to obtain a home state credit or offset,” said Laura Coome, Executive Director of the South Dakota CPA Society. “This legislation would enhance compliance with state personal income tax laws and greatly simplify the onerous burdens placed on employees who travel outside of their resident states for temporary periods and on employers who have corresponding withholding and reporting requirements.”

“CPAs are extremely grateful to Senator Brown and Senator Thune for introducing Mobile Workforce legislation again in this Congress,” said Scott D. Wiley, CAE, president and CEO, The Ohio Society of CPAs. “It provides much-needed relief to businesses across the United States from the current web of inconsistent state income tax and withholding rules weighing down our nation’s employers and employees. This bill is an important step forward and extends the benefits businesses will see through a similar municipal income tax reform legislation passed in Ohio.”

While some states require state income tax filing for as little as one day of work in the state, the Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act would establish a common-sense, 30-day threshold to help ensure that an equitable tax is paid to the state and local jurisdiction where the work is being performed while alleviating employees and employers from burdensome tax requirements.

The Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act is supported by over 250 organizations and business groups.

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Am I the only one not buying it?

@SoDakCampaigns

IMG_1278.PNG

So, I’m looking at Ann Tornberg’s late campaign finance report.

In the year end report – from 2 weeks before the election through January 1, she is claiming she received two – as in 2 – itemized donations totaling $800.

BUT… She claims she received $15,348.11 In unitemized donations during the same period?

Er, yeah. Sorry, but I’m going to call Bull$h|t on that one. I’m pretty sure that defies the laws of fundraising. She claims to have received over 150 donations around $100 in the last two weeks… At the same time she shuffles 15k off to the Democratic Party?

Sorry, but that doesn’t happen. At all.

If we are going to bother to enforce campaign finance reporting laws at all, it’s worthy of an investigation and a spot audit by the Secretary of State.

Otherwise, why do we bother to report, versus eliminating the reporting requirement.

Busy today hanging out with a great group of educators.

@SoDakCampaigns

A couple of legislators were on the floor of the house this morning haranguing me because I wasn’t posting enough today for them to fully get their SDWC fix.

But this morning wasn’t about me – It was for my wife, who over the noon hour, was recognized as South Dakota’s Special Education Administrator of the year, along with several other remarkable school administrators from across South Dakota.

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Representative Jacqueline Sly addressed the group, along with others including Secretary of Education Melody Schopp. After they were feted at the Luncheon, the administrators also went up to the Capitol where they were recognized by the Governor and both chambers of the Legislature.

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(Yes, that’s Mrs PP with the Governor)

Several others were recognized as exemplary administrators, at the principal, business manager, curriculum director and superintendent levels.

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We all want good teachers for our children. And administrators play a significant role in that process. Congrats to all who were recognized today.

Rounds Cosponsors Balanced Budget Amendment Legislation

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Rounds Cosponsors Balanced Budget Amendment Legislation

Washington—Today, Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined every Republican Senator in introducing a Balanced Budget Amendment, requiring the federal government to balance its books.

“Washington spends too much money, plain and simple.” said Rounds. “In South Dakota, we understand the importance of spending taxpayer dollars wisely and we don’t spend what we don’t have. Washington ought to do the same.”

“Taking significant steps to rein in spending, as the Balanced Budget Amendment would do, would send a strong signal to job creators that we are serious about growing our economy for the long haul. It would give them the confidence to invest and hire again.”

Sen. Rounds’ weekly column on our debt and Balanced Budget Amendment is available HERE.

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