Someone had mentioned this in a prior post, but it brings up a good point about what legislators are doing in Pierre this year, versus how they talked about following the Republican Party platform in the last election:

4.0 Education and Cultural Affairs

4.2 Local Control – We support returning control of the school curriculum to the parents and communities that fund it. We support the elimination of all federally mandated requirements.

(From the SDGOP 2024 platform.)

So, when legislators are trying to force items on to local school districts such as posting the 10 commandments in every classroom, are they going to give themselves a de-merit for not giving community school boards local control?

The domestic abuse case against former Black Hills area TV news anchor and Neal Tapio campaign staffer Shad Olson appears to be winding to a close almost a year to the day after allegations first arose from his girlfriend who had called police:

If you recall when the arrest was first made, according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader:

Olson, 51, was arrested last Sunday after an alleged altercation two days prior in Rapid City, where he “slammed” his girlfriend down on the ground multiple times and chased her around the house, a probable cause affidavit states.

Olson previously served as campaign counsel to Tapio, a Republican candidate who lost to U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson and then-Secretary of State Shantel Krebs in a bid to win the incumbent congressman’s district during the state’s 2018 House of Representative’s election.

and..

The report continues that Olson then “flipped her over and picked her up and threw [her] down on the floor” four or five times.

The victim expressed she felt lucky she was thrown on a carpeted floor, because the alleged assault did not leave her with broken bones.

Read that entire story here.

Olson was charged with felony assault charges, and which left him unable to bond out of jail and petitioning for a court-appointed attorney on the basis of his inability to afford counsel. Until Olson was bailed out of jail on a $5000 cash bond by former District 34 State Legislative candidate Jodi Frye at the end of February.

Moving forward, in November of 2024  in a surprise move the Meade County State’s Attorney dropped the felony charges, leaving the former TV anchor facing two class 1 misdemeanor assault charges.

Olson had requested a jury trial on the misdemeanor charges which had been set for February 6th, however according to court records the hearing that was supposed to happen last week has now been changed to a Change of Plea/Sentencing hearing at the defendant’s request, set to take place on March 13th:

Set your calendars ahead to March 13th, which also happens to be the last day of the regular run of the legislative session.

It looks like crazy will be in full force in House Education Committee in the AM, with an awful slate of legislation on deck.  Here’s what legislators – including Phil Jensen, whom House leadership left in place after his embarrassing bill to defund the Huron School District – will be judging the worthiness of to continue to the House Floor:

BILL HEARINGS

• HB 1177       require an employee of a school district, the Board of Regents, or the South Dakota Board of Technical Education to receive permission of a parent or guardian of an unemancipated minor student before addressing the student with a name other than the student’s legal name and to prohibit the compulsory use of gendered language inconsistent with sex (Introduced).  Introduced by: Representative Rice
  This bill would make School Districts liable for damages is a teacher calls a student by a nickname, such as Bubba, if that was not the child’s proper name, without written parental permission. And it gets into other stuff.
• HB 1201       establish requirements for school counseling services (Introduced) Introduced by: Representative Manhart
  This is Logan Manhart’s mandatory gay thought reporting bill to make janitors or lunch ladies potentially forced to fill out a report and notify authorities if they have  an interaction with a kindergartner where a girl says “they wish they were a boy.”
• HB 1180       require that a candidate for election to the board of a school district disclose the candidate’s party affiliation on a declaration of candidacy (Introduced) Introduced by: Representative Rice
  Because she does not believe people are capable of looking it up, Rep. Rice wants to pass a law to add party to nominating petitions for school board.
• HB 1182        provide for the recall of a member of a board of a school district.  Introduced by: Representative Rice
  As noted. Not sure why we would be able to recall school board members and not the people in the Legislature.
• HB 1183       amend the other revenue base amount available to certain school districts (Introduced).  Introduced by: Representative Gosch
  Rep. Gosch seems to be messing with the school funding formula for small, sparse schools, possibly making them non-sparse.  This will likely be referred to appropriations.
• HB 1171       require that a school curriculum include human growth and development within the health curriculum (Introduced) Introduced by: Representative Randolph
  Per Rep. Randolph, Anti-abortion propaganda will be included in all school health curriculum.
• HB 1172       require that a high school health curriculum include human sexuality and human development within the womb (Introduced). Introduced by: Representative Randolph
  Again, per Rep. Randolph, starting in the 9th grade, High School Students will have to watch videos of babies being ripped apart via abortion, like in a Faces of Death video from back in the 1980’s.

Like many South Dakotans, I find this legislative session just painful to watch at this point.

Where’s the Beef From?
By Sen. John Thune

Grazing cattle are not an uncommon sight in South Dakota. Ranching has long been a part of our way of life, and we take our beef seriously. But when you go to the grocery store, you can’t determine if the beef you’re buying is from the ranch down the road or from another country. You can look at the label on your shirt to find out where it’s from, but why don’t we label the beef we eat?

I’m a longtime supporter of mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef. American beef producers – in South Dakota and across the country – work hard to produce high-quality beef. Many consumers would prefer to know whether the package of ground beef or steak that they’re buying is an American product. Requiring a country of origin label would provide transparency that benefits both consumers and producers.

I supported provisions in both the 2002 and 2008 farm bills that required MCOOL for beef. Unfortunately, in 2015, the World Trade Organization (WTO) struck down America’s labeling requirements. Since then, I’ve worked with many of my colleagues in Congress and successive administrations to restore country of origin labeling for beef. While I appreciate recent U.S. Department of Agriculture changes limiting the voluntary “Product of the USA” label to beef born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States, there is still more work to be done.

I recently reintroduced the American Beef Labeling Act, which would require the U.S. trade representative (USTR) and the secretary of agriculture to develop a WTO-compliant means of reinstating mandatory country of origin labeling for beef. My bipartisan bill would require the USTR to have a reinstatement plan in place within six months and implement it within the following six months. If a year passes without MCOOL being reinstated, it would be automatically restored.

South Dakota beef producers will have a friend at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Trump administration. President Trump’s choice for secretary of agriculture, Brooke Rollins, grew up on a family-run farm. She understands the needs of farmers and ranchers, and I was pleased that she expressed a willingness in her confirmation hearing to work with me to reinstate MCOOL for beef.

South Dakota agriculture producers work hard every day to produce high-quality food and fuel for America and the world. They deserve fair and transparent markets to sell the fruits of their labor. I will continue to work to keep America’s farms and ranches strong.

###

Keeping men out of women’s sports and fentanyl off our streets
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
February 7, 2025

BIG Update

The Biden Administration’s open border policies allowed fentanyl to flow across the border for four years. The outcome is tragic. Fentanyl poisoning is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18-45. This illicit drug has ended thousands of lives, causing heartbreak and distress in families and communities nationwide.

Most of this fentanyl is coming from China, where it’s manufactured and then smuggled across America’s borders. I’ve been leading efforts to get tough on China and voted to pass the HALT Fentanyl Act to prevent fentanyl from becoming street-legal, ensuring law enforcement have the authority to seize the lethal drug and keep Americans safe.

President Trump has been leading efforts to crack down on Chinese fentanyl in America. Working with Congress, we will secure the border and get fentanyl off the streets.

BIG Idea

I met with Clay County Sheriff Andy Howe to discuss the Regional Information Sharing System (RISS). RISS is an important tool that assists law enforcement at all levels to help facilitate information sharing for criminal investigations and protect officers.

Sheriff Howe and Johnson

BIG News

February 5 was National Girls and Women in Sports Day. We’ve heard stories like Riley Gaines’ who had to compete against a biological man in a collegiate women’s swimming event. This is unfair to female athletes who have worked for years to improve and excel at a sport.

This week, President Trump signed an executive order to protect women’s sports. Whether at the elementary, middle, high school, or college level, females will no longer be forced to compete against biological men.

I strongly agree with the President and millions of Americans who want to ensure a level playing field for our daughters, nieces, granddaughters, and sisters. I cosponsored and voted to pass the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act to do the same as Trump’s executive order to permanently prevent men from competing in women’s sports. Now, the Senate must pass this bill so it can become law.

###

Week 4 Legislative Report
by Rep. Tim Reisch

Things are getting interesting in Pierre, and not in a good way. In last week’s column I wrote about members of the House Education Committee having to fight off attempts to force South Dakota taxpayers to begin paying for kids to attend private schools. Well, it’s starting to feel like the “lets pick on public education” session of the SD Legislature. Here are a few examples:

Senate Bill 51 is a measure brought by freshman Senator John Carley of Piedmont, and Representative Phil Jensen of Rapid (and others) that would require a copy of the Ten Commandments be displayed in every classroom of every public school in the state. The bill made it across the Senate floor on a 18-17 vote and advanced through the House Education Committee 8-7. School board members and school administrators who have contacted me regarding this bill unanimously oppose it and I plan to vote against it when it gets to the House floor on Monday.

House Bill 1054 was a bill brought by Representative Al Novstrup of Aberdeen and Senator John Carley of Piedmont that would have required school boards to write policies on how they would utilize chaplains (either paid or volunteers) in their school districts. Again, school boards don’t want or need the state legislature telling them what programs they should be implementing. Fortunately, the bill was killed on the House floor 49-18.

In my opinion, the most outrageous bill introduced thus far was House Bill 1224 brought by Representative Phil Jensen. It would have curtailed all state funding to the Huron School District. It was reported that Jensen was targeting the school district for a policy decision regarding rest room usage. Fortunately for everyone involved, Representative Jensen withdrew the bill hours after he had introduced it.

One of the annual highlights of the legislative session, the National Guard Dining Out, was conducted on Thursday night. Many of the legislators’ spouses make the trip to Pierre to be a part of the formal military dinner. A good time was had by all. Many members of the National Guard in attendance were pleased that Senate Bill 82 had been killed earlier in the week. It was a bill brought by Senator Tom Pischke and Representative Aaron Aylward that would have prevented the South Dakota National Guard from being deployed unless war is formally declared. The problems associated with this measure are too numerous to mention here.

I enjoyed meeting with Madison Mayor Roy Lindsay, Madison School Superintendent Joel Jorgenson, Madison Public Library personnel and others during the week. If you want to get in touch with me during the session, my legislative email address is Tim.Reisch@sdlegislature.gov.

Gov. Rhoden’s Inaugural Address

By: Gov. Larry Rhoden
February 8, 2025

You can find a photo of Governor Rhoden delivering his inaugural address here.

Mr. Chief Justice, honorable members of the Supreme Court, Lt. Governor Venhuizen, senators, legislators, constitutional officers, family, friends, and my fellow South Dakotans:

Good afternoon! Before I begin, I want to thank our people for this honor. Our state is great because “Under God, the People Rule.” It is truly an honor to serve our people as Governor. And as a former Guardsman who served for six years, it is a great honor to serve as Commander-in-Chief of the South Dakota National Guard.

South Dakota has given so much to me and my family. I’m a fifth-generation South Dakotan on my mom’s side and a fourth-generation South Dakotan on my dad’s. My roots are in South Dakota – and I’m never leaving.

About a week ago, I was at Longhorn Steakhouse out in Rapid City. An older rancher walked up to my table and asked, “you Larry Rhoden?” I said, “Yes I am.” He said, “Well, it’s good to meet you. You built me a couple sets of branding irons a few years back, and they work great!” I can think of very few things that he could have said that would have made me feel better.

The truth is, we are all called to serve one another. Everything that we do for each other should be done to the best of our ability. If we work hard and put others first, things tend to work out. If we do a great job, it will stick with people. But we don’t do these jobs to be remembered. We do them because it’s right. Public service requires someone to step up and do the right thing on behalf of the people.

100 years ago, another governor gave his inaugural address to the South Dakota Legislature. Carl Gunderson had grown up a farmer. Before he became Governor, he served five terms in the South Dakota Senate, then as Lieutenant Governor for four years. Does that sound familiar to any of you? When he delivered his inaugural address, he spoke of many things that might be familiar to us. He talked about the ups and downs of agriculture; how property taxes are too high; how we need to find ways to make government more efficient. Some of the specifics are different today, but the basic needs facing our state are very much the same. I want to read you one paragraph from the end of his speech:

“The solution of South Dakota’s problems will not come through legislation. The tendency toward state and federal supervision, inspection, and regulation has resulted in a lessening of the spirit of self-reliance. We look to government for too much aid. We need a revival of the spirit of the ‘covered wagon.’ The spirit that traveled by covered wagon in the early sixties across the prairies of Iowa to the Dakotas; the spirit that made its home temporarily in the ‘dugout,’ the ‘sod shanty,’ and the log cabin along the streams. It was the spirit that came more to give, than to receive; the spirit that served humanity and the future of a great state.”

My goodness, those words still ring true today. That same spirit of the “covered wagon” brought my own family west to South Dakota more than 100 years ago. Through the generations, my family passed down that same spirit that “came more to give, than to receive.” Service runs strong in our veins. And it runs every bit as strong in the veins of my own children.

Governor Gunderson’s statue sits out in front of the Governor’s Residence. He’s sitting on a hay bale fixing a wagon wheel. He was a down-to-earth South Dakota man. And when his time serving as Governor was finished, he went back to farming.

Many of you probably didn’t know who Carl Gunderson was. And 100 years from now, folks might not remember who Larry Rhoden is. If we remember that, making the best decisions for our people suddenly becomes a lot easier.

I promise to be a Governor who remembers that the solution to our problems will not come through legislation. Rather, it will come from providing our people the opportunity to do right for their families. I promise to set a tone of civility and respect, and the example will start from the top. I pledge to govern with openness and responsiveness.

My focus will always be to keep South Dakota strong, safe, and free. I want to keep South Dakota strong – strong families, strong businesses, and strong institutions. I want to keep South Dakota safe – with low crime and respect for law enforcement. And I want to keep South Dakota free – freedom will continue to be our calling card as long as I am governor.

I will extend a renewed hand to everyone in our state: East River and West River; small towns and big cities; and yes, our tribal communities. I will be available to discuss the challenges that you face and how we can turn them into opportunities.

I believe that the distinction between challenges and opportunities is largely one of perspective. A challenge is many times an opportunity not yet recognized or realized. Whenever I have a task in front of me, I try not to look at it as an obstacle to be overcome. Rather, if I look at it as an opportunity to achieve something, the task at hand becomes a lot easier.

I want that same mindset to be the foundation of everything that we do during my administration. Five years ago, Governor Kristi Noem declared South Dakota “Open for Business.” That bold stand was put to the ultimate test during COVID. We overcame that challenge and turned it into South Dakota’s greatest opportunity. Now, I want to apply that same approach to all of our work.

I want to keep South Dakota “Open for Business.” But more than that, I want our state to be “Open for Opportunity.” That means opportunity for families to do what is best for their kids; opportunity for our communities to respond to whatever unique situations they’re facing; opportunity for kids graduating high school to go into whatever college or career field is right for them; opportunity for farmers to be able to keep earning a strong living so that they can pass that farm down to their kids; opportunity for every hard working South Dakotan to seek out better and higher paying jobs; opportunity for our businesses to keep growing at a tremendous rate.

When we protect opportunity in South Dakota, we pave the way for better jobs for my children and grandchildren – and yours. We create new educational opportunities that don’t pit this group against that group, but instead allow every child to succeed. We don’t build new prisons just to lock more people up; instead, we use those facilities as an opportunity to get people back on their feet and contributing to our society.

Opportunity is not limited by my vision, or even the vision of anyone in this Rotunda today. It is as broad as the South Dakota prairie and as high as Black Elk Peak. If we all link arms and pledge to chase down opportunities together, our state will be in pretty good shape. And if years from now, someone remembers the work that we did together, then that’s just a bonus.

I want to thank my family for giving me this opportunity to serve. I especially want to thank my wife, Sandy. She has been my most loyal supporter and chief confidant for almost 44 years. I would not be here today without her love and support. I want to thank the Good Lord for putting me in the position to serve as your Governor. And I want to thank the people of South Dakota. Thank you for trusting me with this honor. And thank you for celebrating with me and my family.

Thank you. May God bless you all. And may God continue to bless the great state of South Dakota.

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House Bill 1069, the measure to keep untested and Chinese vaping products with unknown ingredients out of South Dakota hit a snag today when Rep. Tina Mulally invoked Rule 5-17 to push the measure forward to next week.

I’m guessing she’s fronting for the vape shop people who want more time to try to convince legislators that their illegal Chinese vape products are not full of unknown and untested chemicals and are most definitely – most definitely – not designed for kids.

 

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