From Twitter, outgoing State Senator Erin Tobin who had previously been an advocate for unsuccessful efforts to bring exceptions to South Dakota’s total abortion ban in cases involving the health of the mother is pointing out today that Winner South Dakota will no longer offer labor and delivery services at Winner Regional Health:

Should this become a trend, the lack of OB/GYN care in rural settings should draw our lawmakers’ attention, as our state’s infant mortality rates are increasing and seems to be skyrocketing among Native Americans, having more than doubled in that population group since mortality hit a low in 2017:

Add a lack of medical services to a lack of child care, lack of jobs, declining schools, and the other things that negatively impact rural South Dakota communities.

Attorney General Jackley Announces Lake Andes Man Pleads Guilty to First-Degree Manslaughter Charge

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that a Lake Andes man has pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter in the stabbing death of another man in May 2024.

Mackenzie Antelope, 18, pleaded guilty Monday in Charles Mix Circuit Court. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison when sentenced at 9 a.m. Feb. 28, 2025.

The incident took place May 21 2024 in a Lake Andes motel. Antelope also had been charged in injuring a second person in the same incident.

South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the Charles Mix County Sheriff’s Office, and Yankton Sioux Tribal Police investigated the case. The prosecution is being handled by the Attorney General’s Office and the Charles Mix State’s Attorney’s Office.

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Flags at Half-Staff in Honor of Former President Jimmy Carter

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at the from sunrise until sunset effective immediately until January 28, 2025 in honor of former President James (Jimmy) Carter, the 39^th President of the United States, who passed away on December 29.

“President Carter’s life was one of steadfast service, marked by humility and grace. In this moment, may his family find peace and comfort,” Governor Noem posted on X.

According to United States Flag Code, “The flag shall be flown at half-staff 30 days from the death of the President or a former President.”

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Thune Statement on Passing of Former President Jimmy Carter

“Today we mourn the passing of a dedicated public servant and man of faith, former President Jimmy Carter.”

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today released the following statement on the passing of former President Jimmy Carter:

“Today we mourn the passing of a dedicated public servant and man of faith, former President Jimmy Carter,” said Thune. “President Carter dedicated his life to serving the people of Georgia and our great country – as a naval officer, a governor, and as the 39th President of the United States. From peanut farming to the presidency and every step in between, his wife Rosalynn was by his side. Kimberley and I are praying for the Carter family, and we are comforted by the fact that Jimmy and Rosalynn are together again.”

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South Dakota Patients Deserve Better: Reform The 340B Program
By Dr Bill Cohen

The 340B Drug Program was intended to help vulnerable or uninsured patients access life-saving medications while allowing hospitals serving low-income communities to purchase drugs at discounted rates. Unfortunately, many South Dakota hospitals are allegedly keeping the difference for their own financial benefit. I believe it’s time for lawmakers to reassess 340B and implement the necessary reformsto clean up this program.

Since 2010, the 340B program has expanded by 500%, with over 25,000 contract pharmacies now involved. You would think that growth would mean this program would be reaching more of its target populations. However, only 35% of 340B hospitals are in medically underserved areas.

Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH), which make up the majority of 340B participants, provide a clear example of the program’s failure. Just in South Dakota, DSHs earn more from 340B profits than they spend on charity care. In 2022, Avera McKennan, a major hospital, allocated just 0.3% of its operating costs to charity care. Meanwhile, nationally, DSH hospitals earned $44 billion in 340B profits in 2022, but only 42% was used for charity care. This begs the question: where are they directing the other 58%? Investigations show they are largely being directed toward other operational costs instead of being passed down to patients.

The lack of transparency in the 340B program has allowed hospitals and large corporations to take advantage of the system. Hospitals in South Dakota are profiting from discounted medications intended for low-income patients. Companies like Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart have increased their participation in 340B and profited significantly while patients see little benefit. In 2021 alone, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Cigna’s Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth’s OptumRx profited a combined $3.2 billion from 340B sales.

This unchecked profiteering harms patients, taxpayers, and state budgets. The solution is simple: we need transparency and accountability in South Dakota. A potential solution is shifting to a rebate-based model, where hospitals would only receive drug discounts through rebates once it is confirmed patients received the lower costs drugs. With nearly 75% of 340B audits between 2012 and 2019 revealing noncompliance, it’s clear too much trust has been placed in this program’s discount distributors.

In the interest of cleaning up our federal government, it’s important that some sunlight is put on its programs. 340B reform would be a strong priority for this new Congress. With Senator John Thune taking the helm of the US Senate and with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy leading the Department of Government Efficiency, there’s hope to bring much needed attention and yes – shed light on ways to better care for our patients. I encourage the soon-to-be Majority Leader to add this to the docket. South Dakota patients, particularly ones in underserved communities that already face significant health challenges, are counting on our policymakers to fix the program so it helps them access the lifechanging medicines they need.

Dr. Bill Cohen is a board-certified pain relief specialist and founder of American Pain Relief Institute.

Ring in the New Year
By: Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden
December 27, 2024

New Year’s means looking ahead. Growing up on my family ranch, we always looked forward to a long year of hard work. After all, calving season wasn’t too far in the future. We celebrated the holidays; we wished each other “Merry Christmas!” and “Happy New Year!” with smiles, good food, and the enjoyment of each other’s company. And then we got back to work taking care of the land and the animals so that they can feed us and everyone else.

We have important work to get back to in the upcoming year, as well. A new year means that a new legislative session is right around the corner, and we will get back to work on behalf of the people of South Dakota.

It is in my nature to always look for ways to do even better. New Year’s is a great time to do this. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Let every new year find you a better man.”

South Dakota is full of truly excellent men and women. Over the last several years, I have been so impressed by how South Dakotans tackle adversity. And through that adversity, we found an opportunity to demonstrate to the nation what adhering to Christian conservative principles can achieve. We demonstrated to the state, the nation, and the planet what Freedom looks like.

We’ve built the strongest economy in America, and I hope that we find opportunities to take our state to even greater heights. We’ve become the freest state in a nation built on the principle of Freedom. But defending the Freedom of our people is not work that ever ends. We need to work hard to protect our rights and look for leaders who understand where those rights come from – from God. And we should honor those who fought and died to defend the Freedoms which we are blessed with.

 It is an awesome charge to carry Freedom on to the next generation, and South Dakotans are well equipped to do it.

I hope that every South Dakotan took time to celebrate with friends and family this holiday season. I hope that your time together was special and full of memories, and I hope that the new year brings plenty more for you to celebrate. As we kick off 2025, I hope that you find ways to make your families, your communities, and our state stronger than ever before.

Our people have built a state that I am proud to call home. I have been honored to serve them in a position of leadership alongside Governor Noem. I am blessed with the opportunity to continue serving South Dakotans in this new year. If you ever have any ideas for how we can make South Dakota even stronger in the days and years to come, please do not hesitate to reach out.

God bless you all, and Happy New Year!

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Senator Michael Rohl has pre-filed a legislative measure that would close a legislative loophole which was abused in a most egregious manner earlier this year:

Senate Bill 12
Introduced by: Senator Rohl

An Act to limit the amount of money that may be loaned to a candidate or political committee.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of South Dakota:

Section 1. That a NEW SECTION be added to chapter 12-27:

A candidate or political committee may not accept a loan from a person if the principal of which, or any combination of the principal and contributions made by the person, exceeds the limit to the amount of money that the candidate or political committee may accept as a contribution pursuant to §§ 12-27-7 to 12-27-10, inclusive. Any loan made by a person to a candidate or political committee must be counted toward the amount that the person may contribute, as an individual or entity, to a candidate or political committee pursuant to §§ 12-27-7 to 12-27-10, inclusive.

Read that here.

The “campaign loan loophole” has been used to varying degrees in the past in political campaigns, when someone has wanted to go far beyond South Dakota’s already loose campaign limits. Because there are NO limits for campaign loans.

Anyone can loan any amount to a campaign. And set any repayment terms that they feel like. Or they can write it off as a bad loan, never to be repaid. Consider this the ultimate campaign finance dodge.

But there’s always someone who has to show why you probably can’t have things like that.

This past year, one of the worst examples ever seen in modern state history occurred after Toby “dumpster fire” Doeden donated $100,000 to his political PAC.  Which was a blatant violation of state campaign finance law which would have normally limited such a donation to $10,000.

Whoops!  What do you do about something like that?

Given that in South Dakota campaign violations are allowed to be ‘fixed,’ the violation which was against the law instantly became termed “a loan” by a new filing.

Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden, who established Dakota First Action after vowing to help conservative candidates in South Dakota, says a $100,000 contribution to his PAC was inadvertently reported as a donation, a violation of state campaign finance law. Instead, the six-figure check he cut was intended to be a loan, he said.

“I spoke with the folks from the finance team and they were already aware of this and working on filing the amended report,” Doeden said in a statement.

Read that here.

I’m suuuurrreee it was just a filing mistake. If you believe that, I’m sure there are several bridges along the Missouri river I can sell you. Nevertheless, it highlights the loophole in state campaign finance law where campaign finance limits can simply be ignored. By just calling it a loan.

What Senator Rohl’s legislation proposes is to count “loans” towards the total amounts that are already set in South Dakota state law for campaign donations, eliminating the unlimited donation loophole, where a $10,000 loan would be treated no differently than a $10,000 donation to a political action committee. And you would no longer be permitted to give a $100,000 loan to a candidate where your limit might normally be $1000.

Leaving it for legislators to consider in January whether everyone should be treated equally under the law. Or if people with the cash can just buy their way around it?

it appears that the Grinch has arrived in Pierre just in time for Christmas! Because the Legislative Research Council has added new categories for legislation on their website:

Both the House and the Senate are adding “Resolutions of Disapproval” to the categories of legislation that website viewers can peruse.

i’m not exactly sure why we have a “resolution” category AND a “resolution of disapproval” category, but that might be a hint as to what we will see coming from the new legislature in January. Obviously, someone feels there will be enough disapproval to warrant categorization.

Merry Christmas from Congressman Dusty Johnson and Family!