Protecting Your Privacy
by Representative Kevin Van Diepen

South Dakota voters treasure the right to political participation, but that right shouldn’t come with mandatory exposure of their personal addresses and sensitive date to the entire world. House Bill 1062, which narrowly passed the Legislature this winter, attempts to require publication of the entire voter registration file including names, home addresses, absentee ballot requests, recent voting history, and more to everyone on the internet, whether in South Dakota or Serbia.

Under this bill, anyone, be it a political actor, date miner, commercial marketer, or worse, could access and download bulk voter data weekly.

Under HB 1062, spammers and scammers will have a feast on South Dakotans’ personal data. With street addresses tied directly to individual names and past behavior, it becomes all-to-easy for harassers to figure out patterns or for telemarketers to blast tiresome calls and emails.

Privacy isn’t political, it’s personal. Opposition to this bill isn’t about hiding anyone’s vote, it’s about safeguarding basic privacy. Even though surface-level data (e.g. dates of birth, SSNs) remain redacted, addresses plus voting habits are more revealing than you might think. They invite targeted political advertisements, tailored with eerie precision, identity thieves, mapping out personal information for phishing and stalkers and harassers who track domestic violence victims and other vulnerable populations.

Transparency in elections matters. We should let journalists, watchdogs, and policymakers confirm who is registered, turnout trends, and demographic patterns. But this can and should be balanced with privacy.

We need common sense. HB 1062 is not just bureaucratic housekeeping; it attempts to mass-publicize intimate personal information of every South Dakota voter. Next year, we need to repeal this bill and start respecting our citizens’ privacy again. Transparency and democracy should go hand in hand- but not at the expense of our homes, our safety, and our trust.

—

Kevin Van Diepen is a retired Law Law enforcement officer, and State Representative for District 22

State Representative Logan Manhart took a hard hit today in the State-Tribal Relations Committee today over his earlier remarks on social media about it being “white boy summer” when Tribal Chairman Garrett Renville called him out:

“I typically don’t lend weight to inflammatory or racially charged remarks. Often, I know they are intended to distract or appeal to the lowest instincts in politics, and history has taught us that those strategies rarely produce progress,” Renville said, reading from prepared remarks. “It certainly doesn’t reflect the kind of leadership that we needed here.”

Renville then thanked Sen. Mike Rohl, R-Aberdeen, who represents part of the reservation and sits on the committee, for “his willingness to communicate and stay engaged” in spite of disagreements on policy.

“Despite these disappointments and comments made by one of the district reps, I still believe in the promise of public service,” Renville said. “I believe there’s always hope, hope that other leaders, such as yourselves, will continue to lead by example.”

Read the entire story here.

Interestingly, I heard that for the open legislative seat in that district, there were in the neighborhood of ten applicants who wanted to be appointed to the South Dakota Legislature.

Why is that a big deal? That is a huge bank of potential opponents to run in a primary against Manhart after his comments that many viewed as racist.

If today’s committee meeting was any indication, the constituents of District 1 are not going to forget those comments anytime soon.

Thune, Klobuchar, Moran, Smith Introduce Legislation to Bolster Conservation Reserve Program 

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) today introduced the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Improvement and Flexibility Act. The legislation would bolster CRP by improving access to grazing, maximizing enrollment options for producers, and expediting emergency haying in response to drought and other weather-related disaster events.

“Ensuring that CRP continues to be an effective option for producers and landowners is critical to South Dakota’s agriculture industry,” said Thune. “As a longtime supporter of CRP, I’m proud to lead this commonsense legislation that would help advance the multiple-use benefits of this conservation program, including wildlife habitat and livestock forage potential.”

“The Conservation Reserve Program helps equip our farmers with the tools to conserve and improve soil, water quality, and wildlife habitat,” said Klobuchar. “This bipartisan legislation makes commonsense improvements to CRP that will strengthen conservation practices and landowner enrollment in this vital program.”

“When land sits idle, it doesn’t just go unused, it declines, and so do the small towns and rural communities that depend on active land management,” said Warren Symens, president of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association (SDCA). “Cattle are key to grassland health – enhancing habitat, improving water infiltration, and supporting carbon sequestration through grazing. Investing in fence and water infrastructure needed to graze CRP acres strengthens soil and gives producers a lifeline during drought, helping them keep their herds instead of selling off herds. SDCA thanks Senators Thune and Klobuchar for leading the charge on this important issue.”

“The Conservation Reserve Program is an important, incentive-based program that provides flexibility for farmers and ranchers to implement voluntary conservation practices on their land,” said Tom Landmark, state chairman of South Dakota Ducks Unlimited. “We thank Senators Thune and Klobuchar for their leadership in enhancing CRP to ensure landowners can continue to get the most out of this historically successful program in South Dakota, Minnesota, and across the U.S.”

“The Conservation Reserve Program is one of our nation’s most effective tools for improving wildlife habitat, water quality, and soil health on private lands, and is a vital part of the farm safety net,” said Andrew Schmidt, director of government affairs for Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF). “The CRP Improvement and Flexibility Act will make this critical program work better for farmers, ranchers, rural communities, and wildlife. PF and QF are grateful to Majority Leader Thune and Ranking Member Klobuchar for their continued leadership in strengthening CRP and ensuring it remains a cornerstone of private lands conservation.”

The CRP Improvement and Flexibility Act would:

• Make CRP grazing a more attractive option by providing cost-share for the establishment of grazing infrastructure – including fencing and water distribution – on all CRP practices and contracts if grazing is included in the approved conservation plan;
• Increase the CRP annual payment limitation from $50,000, which was established in 1985, to $125,000 to account for inflation and rising land values and provide landowners with more CRP enrollment options to ensure resources are appropriately conserved;
• Reinstate mid-contract management cost-share payments for activities that are not related to haying or grazing;
• Permanently establish the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement practice under Continuous CRP; and
• Create flexibility for producers by allowing emergency haying on CRP acres when certain conditions are met and in consultation with state technical committees.

###

Rounds Introduces Legislation to Modernize Veteran Burial Scheduling System, Provide Clarity to Families

 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, today introduced legislation to modernize the Veterans’ Administration’s National Cemetery Administration’s (NCA) burial scheduling system and provide further clarity for grieving families. The Honest Operations for National Cemetery Reporting (HONOR) Act would require NCA to create and maintain an online portal for families to monitor cemetery wait times.

“Our veterans put their lives on the line so that we can maintain the freedoms we enjoy here in the United States. A burial ceremony in a cemetery with their fellow veterans is a part of how we honor their sacrifice,” said Rounds. “Unfortunately, families across the nation are left in the dark about burial availability. Some families have experienced delays in scheduling burial ceremonies, waiting over a week or more at many cemeteries and up to 30 days at one cemetery. Here in South Dakota, the Black Hills National Cemetery maintains an average burial availability of two days. This should be standard across the nation. However, if a family must wait to hold a ceremony for their loved ones, knowing how long it will be and having the ability to request the earliest possible date brings added comfort during a difficult time.”

“Ensuring veterans receive the burial ceremony they deserve at a veterans’ cemetery is an important part of honoring their legacy and service to our nation,” said Blumenthal. “Our bill will make sure veterans’ families and loved ones have improved access to information about how long it will take for their loved one to receive a burial ceremony during an already difficult time.”

Specifically, this legislation directs NCA to begin building the data infrastructure necessary to support improved tracking and transparency standards. By requiring improved transparency on burial availability and developing systems to track and analyze wait times, the VA can fulfill its promise of dignity, timeliness and respect to every veteran and their family, no matter their faith, location or circumstances.

BACKGROUND

The NCA provides a deeply meaningful set of burial benefits to honor those who have served our nation. At no cost to the family, eligible individuals are entitled to a gravesite in any national cemetery with available space; the opening and closing of the grave; perpetual care; a government-provided headstone, marker or medallion; a burial flag; and a Presidential Memorial Certificate. In fiscal year 2023 alone, nearly 138,000 individuals were laid to rest in national cemeteries operated by the NCA, final honors reflecting the gratitude of a nation.

Click HERE to read full bill text.

###

Thune: Democrats Are Wasting Time and Losing Ground

“I hope that my Democrat colleagues will come to the table. Otherwise we’re going to be spending a whole lot more time here on the Senate floor.”

Click here to watch the video.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor.

I’ll give you a little insider baseball here.

A few years back, when I was doing the party newsletter during session, there was a week – that week – when most of what got accomplished was all impeachment related regarding moving forward articles of impeachment to the Senate. It literally was one of the only things that got done. How do you mention the 800lb gorilla in the room? It was kind of challenging to write, and I attempted to handle it factually and tactfully.  That was a mistake.

But I get it. It was the only time I bumped up against a line, and got negative feedback (1 bad article in close to 6 years of writing/editing the newsletter), because this was a Republican party publication, and bringing that topic up was too close to breaking the golden rule that the party did not speak ill of other Republicans.

So, when putting together future issues, the newsletter did not address that topic. That wasn’t a party function.

Of course, that golden rule that the party shall not speak ill of other Republicans seems to have been thrown out the window nowadays.  Recently, we have the SDGOP promoting an attack on Senator Rounds (and holding that grudge a bit), And now, we have one of the House Majority Whips taking to social media to attack all of our state’s Republican delegation to DC, and claiming some Republicans should have a D behind their name:

“The 3 we sent to DC are not representing our SD Values” – House Majority Whip Brandei Schiefbauer

Since when did this functional illiterate become the arbiter of “SD values” as she declares there’s “righteous litmus tests” for “our Governor’s race,” as she goes on about “Republicans who should have a D behind their name?’

I’d ask how dysfunctional GOP House Leadership in the State Legislature is when you have one of the House Majority Whips attacking the Republicans who are literally on the masthead for the Republican party on a statewide basis… except the State GOP in their mess kind of tossed that standard out the door.

You know, the last House Whip I remember who tended to go on like this, similarly declaring who was more or less Republican or a RINO was Lynne DiSanto.  Remember her? No? That was about 8 years ago, and already she’s fading from the collective memory, because there is little to remember except the drama.

The point being that we get a few of these people who run for office who come down with legislatoritis, and seem more concerned with self-importance and their own sense of ideological purity than just doing their jobs. Maybe it’s social media that amplifies it, especially the people who lack an appropriate filter. But the job of being a legislator is not about the politics, it never has been.

It’s about representing your community and constituents. It’s about action and accomplishment, not crazy talk. How do you solve basic problems that people in your community face every day?

No amount of self-righteousness changes that.

You know, I’m not a fan of Taffy Howard with her general awfulness as a legislator such as skipping 14% of all floor votes, skipping impeachment, etc. But this meme from the South Dakota College Democrats goes way, way too far:

If you’re missing the reference, it’s from the burn book scene in the Mean Girls movie.  But even if it originated in a movie, it’s completely and absolutely over the top inappropriate to call a legislator, much less a female one a “skank bitch,” or a “fugly slut” in the course of political debate.

State Democrats have a huge problem if they believe that represents them, even via their college level auxiliary.  If this is how they want to represent themselves to South Dakotans, at the very least, it’s far from enlightened. Would they stand next to the Senate Minority Leader Liz Larson and use this as their catcall at Republicans? I kind of doubt it.

Very inappropriate. And they need to do something about it.

I had never really formalized it, but every once in a while, people have reached out to me about connecting available campaign and public affairs jobs with job seekers.  Today, I had a nice note asking about it again, and it dawned on me that we’re starting to gear up for one of the biggest campaign seasons in a generation, so I’m creating a new page to connect South Dakota campaign and public affairs jobs with those looking for one.

You can find this listing, and very soon others on our SDWC “Job Posting Page” which you can find here.

Dakota Credit Union Association
Position Title: Director of Political Strategy & Engagement
Location: South Dakota
Department: Advocacy – Government Affairs 
Posted 7/30/25

Download Full Job Description here:
Dir Political Strategy & Engagement_2025

Check it out!

A reader pointed this out to me.  Remember my earlier post where I noted where the Hansen Lemmings were raising money up to 10k at a time… except it was legal because they appeared to be running things through a PAC:

That’s $4000. As Arch Beal would say – Whoa Whoa Whoa!  Where are they getting the $5,000 and $10,000 from that they’re soliciting for. Well, you have to go to the bottom of the web page. And you get the explanation:

This is not a state gubernatorial campaign committee that they’re slapping their names on and using to run for office. They’re running as Hansen/Lems for Governor, but donations are being routed directly to a Political Action Committee.  They’re entirely skipping over a regular campaign committee that you or I would use, and the mechanism they are using to raise funds for their gubernatorial campaign right out of the gate is a PAC who can take far bigger checks.

Read that here.

Well something has apparently changed on their website. Except, maybe not enough has changed. Because they changed what was actually legal under South Dakota law… and now they made it appear to be not legal.  The Hansen Lemmings campaign donation page as it is now is not a donation page for a Political Action Committee. It is now branded with the disclaimer for Hansen for Governor, a campaign committee:

Yet, now that it says it’s under his campaign committee, they are still asking for 10k, and proclaiming that’s the maximum donation, according to the screenshot I just took:

But if you look at state law, and particularly the Secretary of State’s website:

These two things do not match, and it makes for a sloppy campaign. Because if they’re taking 5k or 10k, that’s over the contribution limits. (Not that anyone is ponying up a 10k tip at pizza ranch).

If they are going to go to the trouble to change the donation page from rolling into a PAC, why wouldn’t they fix the glaring error with what they can accept from the committee?  It looks like these lawmakers are trying to be lawbreakers.

Stay tuned for a later update.

Thune: The One Big Beautiful Bill Makes Life Better for Hardworking Americans

“Communicating about this bill should be a priority – when we’re in Washington, but especially when we’re in cities and towns across America.” 

Click here to watch the video:

 WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor.