KRISTI GOLDEN ANNOUNCES DISTRICT 9 HOUSE CANDIDACY
Hartford, SD — Kristi Golden has announced her candidacy as a Republican for District 9 House.
“After raising my family in District 9, I am thrilled at the chance to represent my friends and neighbors. Throughout my career, I’ve been involved in serving the community and public service which has included a variety of experiences that have shaped my skills and perspectives. I’ve learned that big, top-down approaches aren’t always effective in solving problems. It’s the grassroots, local-up solutions that truly create meaningful change,” said Golden.
Golden is a founding member of the West Central Education Foundation which has raised and distributed nearly $200,000 for projects in the district.
“I’m proud to have deep South Dakota roots and strong core values. I believe in supporting strong, healthy families, fiscally conservative management of our resources, and investing in our state’s future,” said Golden. “I’m excited to bring a fresh outlook to the table and am eager to tackle the issues that matter most to the people of South Dakota.”
Golden is a graduate of Washington High School and the University of Sioux Falls. She and husband, Bill have two adult daughters. Golden experience includes working on Capitol Hill for U.S. Senator Larry Pressler, guest hosting and covering local politics on local talk radio, and running her own business.
For more information about Kristi Golden’s campaign for State House, please visit www.kristigolden.com or connect on social media.
Welcome to another edition of the Weekly Round[s] Up! We’re gearing up for another busy week before heading back to South Dakota for our Easter in-state work period. Our next deadline is Friday to finish up our appropriations for this fiscal year. As we work on those, we kept busy with meetings, hearings and votes this past week. I also hosted an event in Washington to commemorate the congressional charter for the National American Indian Veterans and honored Vietnam era veterans in Sisseton with Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pins. More on all of this and more in this week’s Weekly Round[s] Up:
South Dakotans I met with: Representatives from South Dakota Impact Aid Schools; and Ann and Lily Garner with the South Dakota Fibromyalgia Network. I also went to Sisseton last Friday to honor nearly 100 Vietnam era veterans with Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pins.
Visited with South Dakotans from: Batesland, Box Elder, Chamberlain, Custer, Dupree, Eagle Butte, Flandreau, Lake Andes, Mission, Mitchell, Pierre, Sioux Falls, Sisseton, Timber Lake, Wagner, Wall and Winner.
Other meetings: Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s Ambassador to the United States and François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry; Tom Rosenbaum, President of the California Institute of Technology; President Andrzej Duda of Poland; General Laura Richardson, Commander of U.S. Southern Command; and Ted Pick, CEO of Morgan Stanley. I also attended our Senate Bible Study, where we studied Acts 2:32-33.
This past week, we had our Senate Republican retreat. Early in each year, we all gather to spend a day having discussions on the upcoming year and what we’re hoping to accomplish. While I see my colleagues for lunch most days and around Capitol Hill all the time, it’s nice to spend a day together uninterrupted to focus on what matters: getting our country back on track.
National American Indian Veterans: This past week, I hosted a ceremony to commemorate the granting of a congressional charter to the National American Indian Veterans organization as part of the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act. We had several guests from across the nation, including Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs Denis McDonough and National NAIV Commander Don Loudner. Don is a Korean War Era veteran and a member of the Hunkpati Sioux Tribe based in South Dakota. You can read more about this ceremony here, and watch the ceremony in its entirety here.
Votes taken: 8 – these were on nominations to judge positions in Illinois, Virginia, Rhode Island and Maryland and executive branch positions at the Department of State.
Hearings: I attended three hearings this week. In the Senate Banking Committee, we had a hearing on examining legislation to address affordable housing. I had the opportunity to question our witnesses on my Rural Housing Service Reform Act. You can watch a clip of that here. We also had one of our few open hearings in the Select Committee on Intelligence, where I questioned FBI Director Christopher Wray on foreign nationals purchasing American farmland. Last, we had a nominations hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee with General Gregory Guillot and General Laura Richardson, both of whom I met with earlier. See the full clip of that hearing here.
Classified briefings: I had one classified briefing with the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee.
My staff in South Dakota visited: Aberdeen, Belle Fourche, Sioux Falls and Sisseton.
Steps taken this past week: 64,999 steps or 32.01 miles
Video of the week: I joined CNN’s Dana Bash on State of the Union this past Sunday to discuss legislation moving through Congress that could potentially ban TikTok, as well as Israel and the 2024 election:
PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem signed HB 1259 and SB 52 into law, which make up the budget for the State of South Dakota for the remainder of fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2025.
“This is a budget that prioritizes the people of South Dakota, not government projects,” said Governor Noem. “I was proud to work with legislators on both sides of the aisle to create a balanced budget that focuses on the core functions of state government.”
Governor Noem also signed SB 51, which revises property tax levies for school districts and to revise the state aid to general and special education formulas.
Governor Noem has signed 233 bills into law this legislative session and VETOED none. There are no bills awaiting action by the governor.
If you’re a podcast listener and haven’t caught it yet, Jake & Murdoc at Dakota Town Hall had myself and State Rep. Tony Venhuizen on for their “2024 Billies,” their first annual awards for the best (and the worst) moments of the 2024 State Legislative Session. Check it out today!
Gov. Noem Signs Indigent Legal Commission into Law
PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem signed HB 1057, which creates the Commission on Indigent Legal Services and Office of Indigent Legal Services, into law.
“A strong criminal justice system supports our American way of life. It upholds the rights of our people. That includes the Sixth Amendment right to legal counsel,” said Governor Noem. “The Commission on Indigent Legal Services will oversee a statewide appellate defender office to handle criminal appeals, child abuse and neglect appeals, and habeas appeals. This office would also provide training and mentorship to rural attorneys.”
Governor Noem has appointed Larry Long of Sioux Falls, Heather Lammers Bogard of Rapid City, and Dick Travis of Sioux Falls to serve on the Commission on Indigent Legal Services.
Governor Noem has signed 230 bills into law this legislative session.
Former State Representative Keri Weems, who was originally appointed by Governor Mike Rounds on January 14, 2003, to fill the vacancy of Mike Jaspers, and returned twice more to run to represent her district before declining another term of office, has decided to again run for the South Dakota legislature.
This time she’s running for the seat being vacated by Chris Karr, who is running for the open seat in District 11 Senate.
Again, always good to see quality candidates stepping up to run for office.
A South Dakota judge isn’t messing around when it comes to a lawsuit that former State Democrat Party official Bret Healy has filed against family members over a land dispute that has drug on and on. After one case was heard in federal court last year, and eventually dismissed, the latest battle in court finds Healy and his attorney being spanked ever harder by the South Dakota court system for their lawsuits:
State Circuit Judge Patrick Smith issued a sanction of $240,000 against the plaintiff in the cases, Bret Healy, for violations of a South Dakota law that bars court filings “for any improper purpose, such as to harass or to cause unnecessary delay or needless increase in the cost of litigation.”
The judge also ordered a $10,000 sanction against Healy’s attorney, Tucker Volesky. The judge stated that he was “duty bound” to report Volesky to the South Dakota Disciplinary Board of the State Bar and ordered that Volesky comply with any directive issued by the board.
and..
“Past sanctions have had no effect on Bret Healy, despite totaling over $120,000.00. Mr. Volesky has not been deterred or counseled his client on the wisdom of pursing frivolous actions. It is the intent of this Court to impress upon Mr. Healy that his actions have consequences and should not continue, and the finding of this Court that the doubling of his past sanctions will do so.”
Well, it’s not as if I make candidates say this stuff.
Fresh off of his claims last night that he’s the author of many pieces of legislation, this morning, District 8 State Senate Candidate Rick Weible was telling the Brookings County Commission that his life is in danger, because he claims he’s an election software expert, and because he hacked into a laptop with some election software, the US does not want things to be known..
But don’t take my word for it.. get it from the horse’s mouth.. start at about 5:50:
Rick Weible claims his life is at risk, and it’s a plot by the US Government (start at 5:50)
“The fact is that I’ve now shown you this piece of evidence, I understand that my life is at risk, and that the United States does not want this to be known that this software is available on the dark web..”
Why do I think there’s going to be a pillow guy mini-cyber conference being called for? (Are we going to have to start referring to Rick as the couch-pillow guy?)
DARYL CHRISTENSEN ANNOUNCES BID FOR HOUSE IN DISTRICT 9
Hartford, South Dakota– Daryl Christensen has announced his intent to seek election to represent District 9 in the South Dakota State House of Representatives.
Daryl served District 9 in the SD House of Representatives in the early 2000’s. Since that time, his career path, family and local service opportunities have given him much satisfaction but his passion for government service has never left him. Christensen states, “My desire and the reasons that compel me to seek to return to serving District 9 have not lessened but multiplied as we’ve added three sons-in-law and nine grandchildren in that time! The future is even more evident as I look at my grandchildren. I want to be part of the conversation and make a difference in sound policy decisions that will allow them to experience all that South Dakota affords when it comes to opportunities and quality of living. “
Christensen brings a wide range of business experience and expertise to the position as he has worked both privately and corporately in business development throughout the United States. Coming from a rural background, he understands agriculture and the value of the agricultural community that is the backbone of this state. Having owned businesses and worked many years in the building industry, he knows the economic impact that development has on how we live and work in our communities.
Christensen states, “I will bring a straight forward, common sense approach to tackling issues and policy making. I will listen and work to represent the people of District 9 in a responsible manner along with sharing the bigger vision of bettering South Dakota.”
PIERRE, S.D. – Yesterday, Governor Kristi Noem sent a letter to Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su opposing the Biden Administration’s rule change for Registered Apprenticeship Programs. You can read the full letter here.
“Your proposed rule change would bog down efforts to expand Registered Apprenticeships with more than 800 pages of red tape,” wrote Governor Noem. “South Dakota has thrived because we cut red tape – we do not add it; we encourage workers to develop new skills – we do not put roadblocks in their way; we help businesses by providing the flexibility to navigate their individual circumstances – we do not hamper them with mandates and one-size-fits-all ‘solutions.’”
In the letter, Governor Noem calls on the US Department of Labor to go back to the drawing board before this proposed rule destroys the very blue-collar jobs that it is meant to assist.
Governor Noem has three primary concerns with this rule:
The minimum-hours requirement strips important flexibility from our businesses and will punish high-performing apprentices and businesses;
The proposed rule includes irrelevant – indeed harmful – mandates in the area of so-called “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) that have nothing to do with workforce success; and,
The proposal also requires businesses to provide identical benefits to apprentices that they provide to their full-time employees.
“Workers from around the nation have responded to South Dakota’s aggressive approach to apprenticeships by packing up and moving their families to join our winning workforce,” continued Governor Noem. “This rule would undermine that progress and devastate our state and nation’s blue-collar workers and small businesses.”
Hartford, SD — Kristi Golden has announced her candidacy as a Republican for District 9 House.
Golden is a graduate of Washington High School and the University of Sioux Falls. She and husband, Bill have two adult daughters. Golden experience includes working on Capitol Hill for U.S. Senator Larry Pressler, guest hosting and covering local politics on local talk radio, and running her own business.
