Thune: Senate Bill Paves the Way to More Affordable Housing
“[T]he 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act takes aim at unnecessary regulation by removing, streamlining, or updating regulations that act as a drag on the supply of affordable housing.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:
Click here to watch the video.
Yay! We’re robbing Peter to pay Paul!
At least, that seems to be the cheer coming from the South Dakota House of Representatives as they voted yesterday to take an increase in the state sales tax – because the sunset on the sales tax reduction was never removed, despite many efforts – and to dump it all into property taxes, via Senate Bill 245.
According to an article on the Dakota Scout website:
“This is our shot,” House Speaker Jon Hansen said of Senate Bill 245, of which he sponsored. “This is our shot to answer the call of the people on property taxes.”
and..
The bill returns to the Senate, where it will be debated there.
SB 245 is a companion bill to SB 96, which passed Thursday and went to Gov. Larry Rhoden’s desk. SB 96, which Rhoden proposed last year, would enable the counties to enact a new sales tax of up to a half a percent. The revenues would be required to offset property taxes.
Jon Hansen declares This is our shot? This was not a shot. This was more of a rimshot.
Yes, there are some people unhappy about property taxes, but they weren’t out there demanding “Create a new sales tax! And while you’re at it, raise the regular sales tax, and do nothing to pay for the functions of government!” as the solution. When you start congratulating yourselves because you decided to tax your way out of problems, that’s not a solution. That’s just a re-arrangement of deck chairs.
The same basic problems still exist. You need an expansion of the tax base, and the Republican way to accomplish that used to be growth and a healthy economy. Things that legislators should be paying more attention to. Instead of congratulatory backslapping over moving money around.
“I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.” – Winston Churchill.
Fresh out of my e-mail box is notice of a fundraiser for Marty Jackley for Congress tomorrow night from 5 to 7 pm in Rapid City at the Hotel Alex Johnson. And we’re currently at about 70 Host/Host Couples.
If you’re free, go check it out!
Josh Phillips Submits Petitions, Officially Qualifies for Ballot for Minnehaha County Sheriff
Sioux Falls, S.D. – March 9, 2026 – Josh Phillips announced today that he has officially submitted the required petition signatures to qualify for the ballot in the race for Minnehaha County Sheriff, marking the next step in his campaign to lead the county’s largest law-enforcement agency. (Photo)
Phillips, a Captain with the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, said the milestone reflects strong early support from residents across the county who want experienced leadership focused on public safety and community partnerships.
“Turning in our petitions is an important step in this campaign,” Phillips said. “I’m grateful to the many volunteers and supporters who helped gather signatures and show that Minnehaha County is ready for experienced leadership that will keep our communities safe and strong.”
Phillips has spent his career serving the citizens of Minnehaha County in law enforcement, rising through the ranks to his current position as captain. His campaign focuses on maintaining strong partnerships with local law enforcement agencies, supporting deputies with the training and resources they need, and continuing the tradition of professionalism and integrity within the Sheriff’s Office.
Earlier this year, Phillips launched his campaign for sheriff after receiving the endorsement of outgoing Sheriff Mike Milstead.
“With the petitions now submitted, our campaign will continue meeting with voters throughout Minnehaha County to talk about the future of public safety and how we can build on the strong foundation already in place,” Phillips said.
Phillips said his campaign will emphasize transparency, community engagement, and ensuring that the Sheriff’s Office remains prepared to meet the growing public safety needs of the county.
More information about Josh Phillips and his campaign for sheriff can be found at:
https://phillipsforsheriff.com
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Senator Mike Rounds’ WEEKLY ROUND[S] UP: March 2-March 8, 2026
Welcome back to the Weekly Round[s] Up. It was another busy week in DC. Lately, I am averaging about 18 events each day, between briefings, hearings and meetings with so many South Dakotans! I appreciate hearing from people across the state on a wide variety of topics affecting South Dakotans. Along with meetings with South Dakota groups, I also stayed busy with hearings, briefings and votes.
One important briefing from this past week to note was the classified briefing for all senators on Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gave a satisfactory briefing on the events going on in Iran. While I can’t get into details, know that it is incredible what our military is able to accomplish. We continue to keep our men and women in uniform in our prayers, and our hearts go out to the families of the servicemembers who lost their lives defending our country in this conflict. More on this and the rest of my week in the Weekly Round[s] Up:
South Dakota groups I visited with: Standing Rock Sioux Tribe; South Dakotans representing National Parent Teacher Association; South Dakotans with the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation; Agricultural Retailers Association; South Dakota YMCA leaders; South Dakota surgeons with American College of Surgeons; American Legion Department of South Dakota; South Dakotans with Ducks Unlimited; South Dakota Broadcasters Association; Department of South Dakota VFW; Christina Oey, Executive Director of South Dakota Humanities Council; Rosebud Sioux Tribe Council; Mickelson & Company LLC out of Sioux Falls; Katie Shmid with the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors; Feeding South Dakota; Dakota Credit Union Association; South Dakotans with Community Transportation Association of America; and South Dakotans with the National Bleeding Disorders Association.
Met with South Dakotans from: Aberdeen, Black Hills, Blackhawk, Brookings, Ellsworth, Garretson, Gayville, Kimball, Onida, Pierre, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Spearfish, Warner, Watertown and Willow Lake.
Other meetings: LTG Hartman, Acting Commander at U.S. Cyber Command; Nathan McAuley, CEO of Anchorage; and Pierre Yared, Acting Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
I also gave remarks at an Internet Works Middle Tech Mixer where I was recognized as an Inaugural Trailblazer in Innovation.
Hearings: This week I attended two Senate Armed Services Committee hearings; you can watch the first here..
and the second one here.
Briefings: I attended three classified briefings: one with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence the second with the Cybersecurity subcommittee; and a Senators-only briefing about current events in the Middle East.
Votes taken: 4 – This past week I voted in support of funding the Department of Homeland Security once again. I also voted to advance the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, legislation that we worked on in the Senate Banking Committee. I am pleased to see floor action on this bill as my office helped write over 20% of this major legislation. Final passage vote will occur within the next few days. Lastly, I voted nay on a War Powers resolution directing the removal of United States Armed Forces from Iran.
Bible Study and Prayer Breakfast: This week I attended Senate Bible Study hosted by Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.). The study we went over was titled Insights on Successfully Persevering in Office. I also went to Senate Prayer Breakfast hosted by Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan).
My Staff in South Dakota visited: Aberdeen and Onida.
Steps taken: 63,514 steps or 29.26 miles.
Video of the Week: Early Tuesday morning I went on Fox and Friends First to talk about Iran, click here to watch!
I had someone ask me for the full list of people who took the big vote against tourism in South Dakota, and said no to creating a loan fund for the Sioux Falls and Rapid City airports to expand.
SB 76: An Act to authorize loans from the South Dakota housing infrastructure fund for airport infrastructure.
Yeas:
Andera, Arlint, Bahmuller, DeGroot, Derby, Duffy, Emery, Fitzgerald, Fosness, Goodwin, Greenfield, Halverson, Healy, Heermann, Heinemann, Hughes, Jamison, Kassin, Kolbeck (Jack), Kull, Ladner, Massie, Moore, Mortenson, Muckey, Mulder, Novstrup, Odenbach, Peterson (Drew), Pourier, Rehfeldt, Reimer, Reisch, Roby, Roe, Schwans, Shorma, Stevens, Uhre‑Balk, Van Diepen, Walburg, Weems, and Wittman
Nays:
Julie Auch (R-Yankton)
Aaron Aylward (R-Sioux Falls)
Heather Baxter (R-Rapid City)
Josephine Garcia (R-Watertown)
Spencer Gosch (R-Mobridge)
Jana Hunt (R-Dupree)
Travis Ismay (R-Newell)
Phil Jensen (R-Rapid City)
Dylan Jordan (R- Grammy’s House)
Terri Jorgenson (R-Rapid City)
Tony Kayser (R-Sioux Falls)
Karla Lems (R-Canton )
Logan Manhart (R-Aberdeen)
Liz May (R-Kyle)
Tina Mulally (R-Rapid City)
Katie Nolz (R-Mitchell)
Marty Overweg (R-New Holland)
Tony Randolph (R-Rapid City)
Kathy Rice (R-Black Hawk )
Brandei Schaefbauer (R-Aberdeen)
John Shubeck (R-Beresford)
John Sjaarda (R-Valley Springs)
Mike Weisgram (R-Ft. Pierre)
Speaker Jon Hansen (R- Not going to be Governor)
*Update*
OPE! I should not forget the members of the Senate who voted against tourism as well:
Yeas: Crabtree, Davis, Deibert, Duhamel, Hohn, Hulse, Jensen (Kevin), Kolbeck (Steve), Larson, Mehlhaff, Miskimins, Otten, Perry, Peterson (Sue), Reed, Rohl, Sauder, Schoenfish, Smith, Vilhauer, Wipf, and Zikmund
Nays:
Greg Blanc (R-Rapid City)
John Carley (R-California)
Tamera Grove (R-Lower Brule)
Taffy Howard (R-Rapid City)
Chris Karr (R-Sioux Falls)
Mark Lapka (R-Leola)
Sam Marty (R-Prairie City)
Lauren Nelson (R-Yankton)
Tom Pischke (R-Dell Rapids)
Curt Voight (R-Rapid City)
Mykala Voita (R-Bonesteel)
You can read the entire list of how legislators voted in committee and on the floor here.
Dusty Johnson Joins 71 Lawmakers Urging Treasury, USTR on Curbing Import of Dangerous Chinese Vapes
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) joined 71 House lawmakers in a letter to U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Jamieson Greer urging them to combat the flow of illicit Chinese e-cigarettes and vapes from flooding into American markets without approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The lawmakers asked the Trump Administration to consider the national security and public health threats these vapes pose in any future trade negotiations with the Chinese government.
“These [Chinese vapes] are a threat to national security. The Department of Justice has reported that unauthorized vapes are frequently smuggled from China and sold near schools and military bases, putting minors and service members at risk. The Drug Enforcement Administration has investigated vape shops in proximity to military installations and found that many are owned or operated by foreign nationals suspected of deliberately targeting military personnel,” the lawmakers wrote.
Full text of the letter can be found here or below:
Dear Secretary Bessent and Ambassador Greer:
As trade discussions with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) advance, it is critical that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the Department of the Treasury confront the ongoing exploitation of our trade system. Any new trade agreement with China should require the Chinese government, through its oversight of e-cigarette exports, to take decisive action to curb the influx of illegal, youth-oriented e-cigarettes that openly flout U.S. and Chinese law.
The Administration has made clear that stopping the flow of dangerous and plainly illegal Chinese e-cigarettes is a national priority. We commend the important work of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, who continue to intercept illicit, often misdeclared, shipments. Despite these efforts, Chinese e-cigarette exports to the United States continued to rise during the final quarter of 2025, surpassing $10 billion in that year.
These devices are a threat to national security. The Department of Justice has reported that unauthorized vapes are frequently smuggled from China and sold near schools and military bases, putting minors and service members at risk. The Drug Enforcement Administration has investigated vape shops in proximity to military installations and found that many are owned or operated by foreign nationals suspected of deliberately targeting military personnel. One joint operation led to 20 arrests, including three Chinese nationals.
The emergence of Chinese “smart vapes”—which connect to smartphones—poses an additional cybersecurity threat. These devices may enable unauthorized access to personal data, cameras, microphones, geolocations, and networks. If used by military personnel, sensitive information could flow directly to the Chinese Communist Party under China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law, which requires companies to cooperate with state intelligence services.
Given the threat these devices pose, the U.S. government should aggressively counter the source of these products. It is far more efficient to prevent these products from entering the United States from China than it is to intercept such products once they have entered the U.S. domestic supply chain. Chinese law bans manufacturers from shipping e-cigarettes to a country where those products are illegal. Although the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) exerts extensive control over the e-cigarette- industry in China, including the export of such products, the STMA has allowed massive quantities of illegal e-cigarettes shipments to the United States. This is not an administrative lapse; it appears to be a deliberate strategy on the part of the STMA that capitalizes on gaps in U.S. enforcement. Any forthcoming agreement with the PRC must ensure that the STMA enforces its existing rules on these illegal exports.
The need for action is urgent. Illicit Chinese e-cigarette makers and their U.S. distributors intentionally design and market products to appeal to young people—using candy flavored cartridges, toy-like designs, and packaging styled after fashion accessories. They rely on influencer marketing on youth-heavy platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. These illegal products often contain carcinogens, toxic additives, and high levels of heavy metals like lead, along with other unknown substances.
Moreover, the illicit e-cigarette- trade has become an attractive revenue stream for Mexican drug cartels. Associated Press reporting indicates that cartels have secured a dominant share of the illegal market in Mexico and are continuing to expand their operations in the United States. E-cigarette sales are illegal in Mexico, but demand for these products still exists which has likely led to the rise of cartel involvement in the sale of these devices. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (a bureau of the Department of the Treasury) has identified these products as a vehicle for trade-based money laundering schemes tied to fentanyl proceeds, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms has similarly traced funds from illicit Chinese e-cigarette sales to foreign adversaries and cartel operations inside the United States.
For these reasons, we strongly urge the USTR to elevate this matter in ongoing trade negotiations with China and to pursue a binding commitment requiring the Chinese government to stop all e-cigarette exports that fail to comply with U.S. and Chinese law. U.S. national security and public health require nothing less.
Sincerely,
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Gov. Rhoden Announces Ticket Lottery for Mount Rushmore Fireworks
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden announced the upcoming ticket lottery for the return of Independence Day fireworks to Mount Rushmore National Memorial in honor of America’s 250th birthday.
“Mount Rushmore is a powerful symbol of freedom and American spirit,” said Governor Rhoden. “As the freest state in the nation, South Dakota is proud to welcome visitors from across the country as we celebrate America’s birthday and our values of independence, freedom, and liberty. God bless America!”
The event will be held on July 3, 2026, in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Park Service. Tickets are required and will be distributed through a public lottery.
“In partnership with the State of South Dakota, we are excited to reinstate a spectacular fireworks show as the highlight of Mount Rushmore’s Independence Day commemoration,” said Dr. Jenifer Chatfield, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
The ticket lottery will take place from April 8 at 8 a.m. MT through April 12 at 9:59 p.m. MT. There is a $1 non-refundable lottery application fee. Each applicant may apply for up to four tickets and a parking space or shuttle service. Lottery results will be distributed on April 14, with additional instructions provided to selected applicants.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial will reopen for all visitors with regular business hours on July 4, 2026, with its annual Independence Day celebrations and programming.
Event details, ticket information, and visitor guidelines are available on the National Park Service website.
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From the Rapid City Journal this weekend, the Journal put a roster of those who supported creating a loan fund for the expansion of the Rapid City and Sioux Falls Airports. And they also listed those who didn’t support economic growth through tourism.
You know, tourism.. the economic engine which drives the Black Hills?
It’s hard to expand the economic base of the Black Hills when you can’t get a flight into them. And every no voter needs to be taken to task for their positions:
Rapid City Regional Airport is the only full-service commercial airport serving the Black Hills region and generates more than $500 million in annual economic impact for South Dakota. Including both arriving and departing travelers, the airport served 905,211 total passengers in 2025, a record that exceeded the prior year’s numbers by 5.7%.
GO READ THE ENTIRE STORY HERE in the Rapid City Journal.
And if your legislator voted no, take them to task for such an awful action.
State Representative Roger DeGroot to run for Re-Election to District 7 State House
With more than 40 years of service in education, including serving as Superintendent for the Brookings School District, Dr. Roger DeGroot of Brookings announced today that he is running for re-election to the office of State Representative in the District 7 House race, representing the communities of Brookings and Aurora.
Representative DeGroot noted, “During my time as your State Representative, I’ve been an active part of the House Education Committee my first two terms and presently sit on House Local Government. I am also a member of the rules review committee overseeing the rules process for state agencies, and served on the legislative Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee.”
When asked about his vision and reasons for running, DeGroot shared, “Education is a top priority because it’s so central to life in Brookings, but my work in Pierre goes further. We need a government that works-one that values our state employees and university faculty while clearing the path for local businesses to succeed. By supporting both our students and our workforce, we create a South Dakota where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.”
Roger first won election to serve as District 7 State Representative in 2022. Dr. DeGroot retired in 2015 after serving 40 years in education, with the last 8 as the superintendent of the Brookings School District. Roger began his career as a teacher in 1975. He served as the superintendent of schools in Lennox and Brookings. During his career, he served as an educational leader and mentor to many students and teacher and provided avenues for young professionals to earn advanced degrees.
After retiring, Roger continued his commitment to education by serving on the Brookings School Board and mentoring the next generation of teachers at SDSU and DSU. His leadership earned him the 2021 Distinguished Service Award from the South Dakota School Superintendent Association-a high honor bestowed by his fellow educators. In addition, he was honored as the 2025 Friend of Education by the South Dakota Education Association. He is also a lifelong sportsman and was recently recognized by the South Dakota Wildlife Federation as their Legislator of the Year for his work in advocating for the preservation of wildlife in South Dakota.
Roger and his wife Diane have been Brookings residents for almost 20 years, and are the proud parents of 3 adult children, and 9 grandchildren.
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