South Dakota Ends Fiscal Year with $80 Million Surplus  

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced that South Dakota closed the 2024 budget year with a surplus of $80.7 million. As she did last year, Governor Noem announced her intention to set aside the surplus to offset the cost of prison construction.

“South Dakota makes common sense decisions based on small government, low taxes, and spending within our means. We don’t just talk about fiscal responsibility – we follow through!” said Governor Noem. “We will continue to budget responsibly for the people, and we will avoid unnecessary debt by using this surplus for prison construction costs. This will help South Dakotans keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets.”

State government spent $56.4 million less than appropriated in fiscal year 2024, with the total revenue finishing above the legislative adopted forecast by $24.3 million.

South Dakota maintains a AAA credit rating and is one of the only states with a fully-funded pension. South Dakota also has the lowest unemployment rate in America.

By law, the fiscal year 2024 surplus was transferred to the state’s budget reserves. The state’s reserves now total $322.8 million or 13.3% of the fiscal year 2025 general fund budget.

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KELOland is reporting that someone’s social media ranting cost them their job with the Sioux Falls School District today.

“The staff member’s statement does not align with the School District’s values and was not condoned in any way. The individual is no longer employed by the Sioux Falls School District,” the statement by the school district said. “We remain committed to fostering a safe, respectful learning environment for all students and staff and upholding the values of our community.”

Read that here. 

I’ll let them get to the details, but I believe that this was the post that quite a few people were justifiably offended by:

It’s a free country, but even alluding to violence against political candidates being acceptable crosses a line which should not be crossed.   And kudos to the school district for addressing it immediately.

It appears that the court has ruled against the Life Defense Fund in Minnehaha County Court today, where their case against Dakotans for Health was dismissed by Judge John Peckas.

Stay tuned for more, as details come out.

I had heard that this might be percolating, and it seems that it is finally moving forward, where Minnehaha County is going to move to bring more professionalism into some of their elected offices related to county services, and combine some offices, as well as to have a County Manager to help run the day to day business for the largest county in the state:

Kippley said that under a home rule charter, the county administrator position would be adjusted to a county manager position that would be appointed or removed by the commission.

But that’s not what’s likely to bring the most opposition to the home rule charter proposal, he acknowledges. Rather, doing away with the auditor, treasurer, and register of deeds positions and replacing them with a single chief financial officer will be the toughest sell.

and..

Kippley said depending on whether a majority of the commission supports the proposal, a vote by the full county commission to refer the question of home rule charter to the fall ballot could happen in early August.

Read the entire story here.

Providing better service, AND ridding themselves of their train wreck of a county auditor? Sounds like a win-win to me.

From Facebook:

And from Twitter, Governor Kristi Noem:

These people are evil.

God bless @realDonaldTrump. pic.twitter.com/Ow9MQiXDpb

— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) July 13, 2024

In light of the complete chaos this weekend over the attempted assassination of former President Trump on the eve of the Republican National Convention, I noted this message from former First Lady Melania Trump to remind everyone that our leaders are people who have families too.

I caught this in my facebook feed this evening; where State Senator Michael Rohl came out and expressed his support for the Jungle Primary measure that we’ll be voting on this fall, Amendment H.

In several instances in the past, the prior versions of the jungle primary effort hadn’t been ready for prime-time.  However, in this election, despite opposition from the political parties, the measure seems to have both more money, as well as more support, as evidenced by Rohl’s breaking the ice when it comes to current elected officials willing to support it.

You have to admit that Michael’s argument is the same one that many Republicans, including myself, used this last session in support of the political parties casting aside the convention nomination process for constitutional offices, and putting those positions on the ballot, as nearly every other partisan elected office is; allowing them to be nominated by all the voters in the Republican or Democrat Party, as opposed to the few who show up to convention?

That was narrowly rejected, despite multiple attempts. And it still remains misguided.

Admittedly, it puts a number of people in a logical quandary.  The arguments against both the jungle primary and the candidates for constitutional office being selected in a primary are largely the same; that it takes the grassroots out of the process, and people will come in and buy elections.

But… isn’t that what just happened this past June when voter turnout was at rock bottom? A few special interests came in – in some cases flagrantly ignoring state laws – and bought elections quicker than you could say “Tammanay Hall.”  Campaign finance limits?  Pfft! They could just file a new report with creative accounting. No disclaimers on materials? We’ll just ignore that! 

If all the bogey-man arguments that had been used against the easy reform measures to expand voter participation came to pass despite the attempts at reform failing, then they’re not really much of a scare-tactic anymore, are they?  “Special interests are going to come in and buy elections if we let more people vote?” TOO LATE. They just did that. 

Maybe Michael Rohl is the first elected official to say the quiet part out loud. That the system might need to be shaken up a bit more than we would have guessed.

And I’d agree that more people participating in the election process is always better than just a few coveting it.

Biden Border Crisis Puts Americans in Danger
By Sen. John Thune

For more than three years, a crisis has been raging at the southern border. In total, 10 million illegal immigrants have come into the United States on President Biden’s watch. The high level of illegal immigration has undoubtedly enabled bad actors to get into the country, threatening America’s national security and public safety.

In June, eight men from Tajikistan with suspected ties to ISIS were arrested in cities across the country. Each of them had entered via the southern border without proper documentation and were released into the country with nothing more than a court date and a hope that they show up when it arrives. In another case, 400 illegal immigrants were reported to have come into the country via an ISIS-affiliated smuggling network, and 50 of these 400 are still unaccounted for. These are hardly the only dangerous individuals who have made their way into the country on President Biden’s watch.

The southern border has also been the entry point for criminals who have harmed Americans. An illegal immigrant who had successfully evaded Border Patrol has been arrested for the murder of a mother of five in Maryland. Another illegal immigrant who was released into the country on parole is charged with the murder of a nursing student in Georgia. Two illegal immigrants are charged with killing a 12-year-old girl in Texas. And, unfortunately, there are other cases like these.

The chaos at the border has created an environment that facilitates bad actors slipping into the United States undetected. We know that 1.8 million illegal immigrants have entered without being apprehended by Border Patrol, and there are undoubtedly more that we don’t know about. These “gotaways” are particularly concerning. Under the Biden administration’s lax asylum policy, individuals who show up at the border claiming asylum have frequently been released into the country with a court date as much as 10 years in the future. If turning yourself into Border Patrol is likely to result in years of essentially legal permanent residence, we can only imagine why someone would choose to avoid law enforcement to escape into the interior of the country.

Until very recently, President Biden has largely done nothing to address this crisis. But after three record-breaking years of illegal border crossings, the president seems to have finally realized his disastrous border record might be a political liability. He conceded last month that he had to do something, but his recent action is too little, too late. A tremendous amount of damage has already been done, damage that can’t be reversed even if his minimal action is successful, which remains to be seen.

This crisis was avoidable. The southern border has been overwhelmed month after month and year after year because of intentional choices President Biden made early in the first days of his presidency. The American people want a secure border. The president’s open border policies have made Americans less safe and jeopardized our national security. Unfortunately, I suspect we will be dealing with the consequences of the Biden border crisis for a long time to come.

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Fish Stories
By: Gov. Kristi Noem  
July 12, 2024  

  I love fishing. There’s almost no better way to relax, get away from the hubbub of daily life, and connect with the natural beauty all around us. And they taste pretty, good, too! South Dakota is home to some of the best fishing in the country. We have many unique experiences, from river fishing on the Mighty Missouri to the Prairie Lakes in the northeast part of the state – and many more opportunities besides.

Our Department of Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) manages many of these opportunities across the state, especially at our state parks and recreation areas. In fact, their theme for our state parks this year is “Reel in Memories in South Dakota State Parks.” I want to share a few “fish stories” from the work that GFP does. But unlike some “fish stories” that are full of exaggeration and extra twists, these ones are all true!

GFP’s Outdoor Campus in Sioux Falls teaches fishing classes for groups and the community. One intern at the Outdoor Campus was teaching a special needs class when one of the kids informed her that “he had experience fishing and baiting the hook, but he really wanted to learn how to take a fish OFF the hook.” He wanted to catch a fish! With 30 seconds left in the class, he hooked a small bluegill and was able to reel it in, take a picture, unhook it (exactly what he was hoping for!), toss it back in, and leave with the biggest smile on his face.

GFP hosts the “Ladies, Let’s Fish” series, which takes place one Thursday a month at the Pelican Lake Recreation Area. The class is led by women from GFP, which provides a safe and supportive environment for women to learn and gain confidence fishing. Fifteen women signed up. They learned how to purchase a fishing license on GoOutdoorsSouthDakota.com – then they learned practical skills like tying knots, fish identification, using different types of tackle, setting up fishing poles, and casting. One lady found tying knots easier than she thought. It rained at the first class, but the women were determined to continue fishing. One of them caught a nice white bass, and the ladies were so excited! They all made plans to continue fishing in the future.

We host all kinds of kids’ fishing competitions and other kid-focused fishing events across the state. 35 youth and 35 adults participated at this year’s 17th Annual Kids Fishing Derby at Oahe Downstream. Lake Herman hosted the annual Casting for Kids tournament – kids of all ages came out to enjoy fishing. The Lake Vermillion Recreation Area hosted Take a Kid Fishing– 17 kids were provided a free tackle box, a fishing poll, a fishing handbook, and a meal of hot dogs and chips, too!

There are all kinds of similar events for our kids at state parks and recreation areas across the state – just check gfp.sd.gov to find out when and where!

One final story shows us how fishing can bring peace and hope, even in very difficult circumstances. LeeAnn Currey is fighting breast cancer, and she participated in the “Casting for Recovery Retreat” last year. This event is open for women with all stages of breast cancer treatment and recovery at no cost.

LeeAnn said that the retreat “was a fun-filled weekend and another way of celebrating life.” She had never fly fished before, but she learned something new and bonded with the other women who were going through their cancer journeys. They all shared a lot of laughs – like when LeeAnn hooked her guide Royce’s cap during one of her casts. But she still caught two fish – and has the pictures to prove it! LeeAnn expressed how humbling the experience was, saying, “I came away with a lighter heart and a smile on my face. It was a weekend I will cherish forever.”

This year’s “Casting for Recovery Retreat” will take place from October 4-6 at NeSoDak in Waubay. Individuals should apply online by July 25, and they will be randomly selected to participate.

I hope that each of you find a chance to get out on the water and “Reel in Memories” this summer. You’ll find peace, some hope, and maybe even a delicious dinner! As the saying goes, “You can’t buy happiness, but you can go fishing – and that’s pretty much the same thing.”

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Decisions with BIG Impacts
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
July 12, 2024

BIG Update

President Biden’s performance during the debate a couple weeks ago was very concerning. Americans deserve a Commander in Chief who is up to the task, and it’s clear that Biden is not capable to fulfill the responsibilities of the office. It is not safe for the American people or the future of our country if Biden continues to run the administration.

Strong cognitive health is necessary to carry out everyday activities and make decisions, especially those that impact an entire country and significant world affairs. We should have a leader who we can trust to make those decisions.

BIG Idea

California recently requested authorization for a regulation that would require much of their railway system to become zero-emissions. This decision is not based on evidence and would have drastic effects on rail transportation outside of California. Their request is not feasible and could cripple the supply chain across the United States.

The EPA must reject this unsound policy that will affect the entire nation’s freight rail network. California’s extreme climate agenda cannot be forced on the rest of America.

I questioned Ms. Arias, the chief of the transportation division at California Air Resources Board during a Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing about this detrimental policy.

BIG News

Noncitizens should not be allowed to vote in federal elections, yet dozens of states don’t require proof of citizenship to register to vote. With nearly 25 million noncitizen residents in the U.S. and nearly ten million undocumented immigrants that have crossed our border illegally during Biden’s presidency, we should ensure those who determine the outcome of federal elections are actually U.S. citizens.

I voted to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Proof of citizenship could be shown through identifications like a REAL ID, U.S. passport, military ID, a government-issued photo ID with a birth certificate, or other official documents.

Free, fair, and accountable elections are vital to the survival of our democracy. Only Americans should vote in American elections.

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