WEEKLY ROUND[S] UP
JANUARY 8-21, 2024

Welcome to the first Weekly Round[s] Up of 2024! I was grateful to be back home in South Dakota for a couple of weeks, making visits to Mission and Sioux Falls and spending time in the Pierre and Fort Pierre area with family for Christmas. Now that the Senate is back in session, we’re continuing to work on fixing the big issues that are at the top of everyone’s mind, specifically our southern border. Due to the policies of the Biden administration, the border has become a national security and humanitarian crisis. Senate Republicans are requiring real steps toward fixing it as part of a supplemental funding package for Ukraine and Israel. As we continue to focus on border security, we keep busy with meetings, hearings, votes, briefings and more. Here’s my Weekly Round[s] Up:

Meetings this past week: Molly Phee, Assistant Secretary for African Affairs at the Department of State; Karim Sadjadpour, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Jake Loosararian, CEO of Gecko Robotics; Sam Altman, CEO of Open AI; Alex Wang, CEO of Scale AI; Andrew Ng of AI Fund; Bill Gassen, CEO of Sanford Health; Aidarus al-Zoubaidi, Vice President of Yemen; Sabastian Niles and Eric Loeb of Salesforce; and Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda. I also had our Senate Bible Study, where our verses of the week were Romans 12:19 and Romans 13:4.

Over the long weekend, I went on a CODEL trip to visit with our NATO allies in Europe. We traveled to Poland and visited with government officials, including President Andrzej Duda, Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski, Deputy PM & Minister of Defense Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz and US Ambassador to Poland Mark Francis Brzezinski. We also traveled to Slovakia, where we met with President Zuzana Caputova, Prime Minister Robert Fico, Defense Minister Robert Kalinak, Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar and US Ambassador to Slovakia Gautam A. Rana. In addition, we went to Liechtenstein to meet with Prime Minister Daniel Risch and H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Alois. I also spoke on an artificial intelligence panel at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Switzerland.

Votes taken: 8 – Most noteworthy was my vote on the continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded past the January 19 and February 4 deadlines, which were set by the previous CR. I voted yes to keep the government open and funded through March 1 and 8, giving us more time to complete the necessary appropriation bills for FY2024.

Hearings: I attended one hearing in the Select Committee on Intelligence. I also attended one hearing in the Senate Banking Committee, titled “Stopping the Flow of Fentanyl: Public Awareness and Legislative Solutions.”

Classified briefings: I attended two classified briefings this past week as part of my work on the Senate Armed Services Committee: one on Israel and one on the Indo-Pacific region.

Amicus brief: I joined my Senate Republican colleagues in filing a Supreme Court amicus brief challenging the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to keep former President Trump off of the ballot. The Colorado Supreme Court’s decision is wrong. The former president has not been convicted of any crimes and should not be kicked off the ballot for political reasons.

Letter to Secretary Vilsack: I sent a letter with Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai asking them to begin discussions on updating trade agreements to allow for potential usage of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) vaccine. The avian influenza outbreak has impacted more than 5.3 million birds in South Dakota and has cost the federal government nearly $1 billion. You can read more about this, along with the full text of the letter, here.

Legislation introduced: I introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Angus King (I-Maine) to allow combat veterans to enroll in their health care benefits program before officially transitioning out of active duty in order to make certain that service members don’t experience a lag in coverage. The Combat Veterans Pre-Enrollment Act would eliminate the lapse in care that many service members face when transitioning from the military to civilian life, and make certain that service members have timely access to the health care services they need upon separation from the military. You can read more about this legislation here.

Headline of the week: U.S. Senator Mike Rounds helps secure first Native American veteran charter – SDPB

My staff in South Dakota visited: Aberdeen, Brookings, Pierre, Sioux Falls, Vermillion and Watertown.

Steps taken this past week:        Week 1: 60,169 steps or 29.81 miles.

Week 2: 46,605 steps or 23.22 miles.

Video of the week: Earlier this month in Sioux Falls, I had the opportunity to present Joel Greene with his father Harry Greenstein’s lost military service medals, including a Purple Heart. Harry was a WWI veteran who immigrated to the United States from Russia and served in France with the United States Army. More information in this clip from Keloland:

Making an Impact for South Dakota
by State Senator Casey Crabtree

MADISON–It was the second week of the Legislative Session and the Senate was firing on all cylinders. I’m focused on policies that make communities safer and make our economy strong. This week we worked on bills related to health care, ethanol, public safety, and education.

On Thursday, the Senate Commerce and Energy Committee approved my plan to incentivize gas stations to sell E15 to consumers. By encouraging gas stations to carry E15 at their pumps we can keep our homegrown fuels closer to home and closer to consumers which will increase profits for corn growers and reduce fuel costs for consumers. The full Senate will consider this measure in Week 3.

Another victory this week was a bill to revise which newspapers can publish legal notices. After disagreement between newspapers like the Dakota Scout and the SD News Media Association last year, the groups came together over the summer and worked with lawmakers to reach an agreement. It goes to show that in South Dakota we are often able to work out our differences, and it also highlights that work never ends for legislators. We are continually working on a handful of issues throughout the year.

Legislators are here to tackle the toughest challenges, and only have 38 legislative days to do that. Legislators came prepared this year and the pace of the 2024 Session has been moving fast with thoughtful and diligent debate and consideration.

There were a lot of familiar faces in the Capitol this year. Folks from our tourism industry, Brookings community, SDSU, ABATE, 4H, FFA, and homeschool families all made their way to Pierre and met with lawmakers. Thank you everyone who visited! We also hosted the head of the Irish Senate, Mark Daly. He is on a tour of a handful of states and made South Dakota a priority visit.

Finally, on Thursday, the Legislature held our annual memorial service for former legislators that passed away during the past year. I’m grateful that we take time to remember these public servants who made an impact while on this Earth. It also reminds us of all of our mortality and the short window we have to make a positive impact for our neighbors, communities and state. Each day in the Capitol, your legislators are making the most of our time to make all of our lives better, just like the Lake County leaders we remembered this week–Jerry Lammers, Dick Belatti, and Bill Johnson. I’m thankful for their service and honored to carry on with the torch for our region.

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State Representative (And House Majority Leader) Will Mortenson serves as the head of the House of Representatives State Affairs Committee. And I think in nearly every hearing they’ve had so far this year, he’s had District 8 House candidate and election truther Rick Weible inflicted on him violating decorum and being a general pain in the ass.

Has it been the last 2? 3? meetings where Mortenson has had to threaten him with being banned from the committee for Weible using it as his personal soapbox, regardless of actually making a point about the legislation being heard?

In the latest meeting, as Weible testifies on legislation, he insists on complaining about points he wanted to make during prior testimony, where he insists he was right, even though it might not have anything to do with the matter at hand, Leaving Majority Leader Mortenson to level the boom at how Weible has been “disingenuous and dishonest” in his testimony.

When the House Majority Leader points that out, it’s not exactly a badge of honor for a legislative candidate.

I feel I owe Representative Mortenson a ice cold one, if one of these days he breezes through town, or I’m in Pierre, for dealing with this and taking one for the team.

(And you wonder why it’s tough to recruit good people to run for office. Because this is what you’ve earned for yourself when you get there.)

A court case which illustrated the current intra-party battles between traditional Republicans, who have long been serving the party and their Trumpy upstart counterparts, decided today in a Yankton County Court room with the traditional Republicans emerging victorious.

If you remember the court case that made the media earlier this year, “YANKTON COUNTY REPUBLICANS vs. DUANE BECKER, GREG ADAMSON, ROGER MEYER, DISTRICT 18 REPUBLICAN POLITIAL ACTION COMMITTEE” the most recently elected version of the Yankton County Republican Party had initiated a lawsuit against the former board, who, before their departure, made a decision as a body to form a political action committee so they could spend funds that they had raised consistent with the wishes of their donors.

The lawsuit was brought by the new board in an attempt to claw back those funds because they believed they could spend them better.

As it had been related by the media:

On Dec. 7, Butch Becker, the outgoing treasurer, used these assets to write a check for $12,000 to the District 18 Republican Political Action Committee, an organization formed one week earlier by three now-former members of the Yankton County GOP’s executive board: Becker, Vice Chair Roger Meyer and State Committeeman Greg Adamson.

and..

Meyer further added that the legally defined scope of the PAC is to support Republican candidates, meaning the money will not be used to “go on vacation” or other superfluous activities.

Read that story here.

Of course, the current GOP Board didn’t like that. And so, they brought suit. Inexplicably, they hired an expert in Florida Probate Law, and the traditional GOP group that made up the defendants hired Joel Arends, who has litigated a number of politically involved cases successfully.

This afternoon in front of Judge Cheryl Gering, on behalf of the defendants, their attorney Joel Arends, argued that the courtroom was not the venue for the fight, arguing free speech on the former boards’ part, and that a court of law was not the venue to resolve and intraparty dispute.. to which the judge apparently agreed.

As I’m informed happened late this afternoon, I’m told the judge agreed, and dismissed the case, delivering a win to the defendants.

I hope to have my hands on the court decision in short order, but that’s what I’m getting through the grapevine tonight.

South Dakota Corn Growers Association Adopts Policy on Carbon Pipelines

Sioux Falls, SD, January 22, 2024 – The South Dakota Corn Growers Association (SDCGA) adopted policy on the environmental and economic benefits of CO2 pipelines and related property rights issues at their Annual Meeting in Sioux Falls on Saturday, January 20, 2024. The policies acknowledge the important economic role of the pipeline in meeting the demands of consumers and future customers.

Dave Ellens, President of the SDCGA shares, “Our membership supports policies that facilitate the potential for continued and improved demand for corn grind here in South Dakota. The SDCGA will also work towards and back solutions that help to incentivize voluntary easements.”

The two resolutions passed are:

• Part of SDCGA’s core mission is to support in-state corn grind, including helping to ensure that opportunities exist for future market development for value-added corn products within South Dakota. Because of that mission, we support carbon pipelines to lower the carbon intensity score of ethanol plants.  It is also imperative that the processes used to complete these projects show respect for landowners’ property rights. We believe eminent domain, while sometimes necessary, should be used as a tool of last resort.
• We support carbon capture and transportation technology that increases the profitability and financial sustainability of South Dakota corn producers.

About South Dakota Corn Growers Association: Farmer Led and South Dakota Focused

South Dakota corn producers formed the SDCGA membership organization in 1986 to serve as a collective voice on issues at the state and national levels. The state is divided into nine districts for representation. SDCGA board of directors are elected by fellow South Dakota corn producers from their respective districts. SDCGA meets annually to pass resolutions and hold board elections.

I was out in the hills this weekend, once again moving furniture for my wife for her new job in Spearfish.  And I officially hate this time of year. It’s tough enough to keep regular vehicles running in subzero temperatures, so I welcome Governor Noem and other Governor’s protests over electric vehicle mandates from the federal government.  I can’t imagine it’s going to go well in January & February if we’re forced to all buy electric cars.

But getting back to the topic at hand, while I was out there I saw that Toby Doeden had an editorial in the Rapid City Journal taking the opportunity to extoll his own virtues, as he seems to have a tendency to do when discussing his interest in running for Congress.

Aside from his re-warmed campaign attacks on our current Congressman Dusty Johnson which tend to be F.O.S., there was a passage in his written missive of self-laudatory hot air that particularly caught my eye:

I come from humble roots where my dad was disabled most of my life and my mom worked countless jobs to make ends meet. My grandparents on both sides were farmers, who had a strong work ethic and conservative beliefs — values I’m thankful they instilled in me. I’ve worked hard my entire life to get where I am today. When I was young, I told myself if I’m ever fortunate enough to be in a position to help others, I would, and I’ve done just that in my Aberdeen community.

You can read that here.

As Doeden (or his ghostwriter) claims, if he was ever fortunate enough to be in a position to help others.. he’s done just that in his Aberdeen community. So, does Doeden count this story that made it to Dakota News Now as an example of his “helping others?”

Ashley Washagesic, a single mother from Aberdeen, saw her rent go up by 48% this year.

Washagesic began renting a home on north Lloyd Street in May of 2020. She paid $775 for the two-bedroom house each month. Washagesic shared the home with her two daughters.

In August, Plaza Rentals bought the property and increased Washagesic’s rent to $1,150 a month. She accepted that she would have to pay another $375 a month, but she just wanted to know why.

and..

“It’s just insane. 48% increase for rising cost? For a small place that’s not even worth $1,150 a month? That put a huge strain on my financial situation because I’m trying to go to school to better myself for my kids,” said Washagesic.

and..

Dakota News Now reached out to Plaza Rentals for a statement. When asked if inflation of the housing market and other consumer goods had to do with the rent increase, Plaza Rentals owner Toby Doeden gave the following statement:

“The overwhelming majority of inflation in Aberdeen, like the rest of the Country, was caused by President Biden and his administration’s failed policies. This one particular example has absolutely nothing to do with inflation and Dakota News Now is well aware of this fact. 

Read that here.

Claiming that he would help others in his community kind of flies in the face of the other recent story where he’s buying up houses and sending rental rates sky-high just because he can.  And you can’t but be left scratching your head over his gobbeldygook answer where he blames Biden for inflation, but walks it back by saying that this example has nothing to do with inflation.

Extolling one’s own virtues for giving to the community.. apparently by raising the rent of single mothers. Not exactly Robin Hood, is it?

How long do we think this dumpster fire of an “exploratory” effort is going to keep smoldering? Because it’s great for humorous content!  Stay tuned!

Gov. Noem and Colleagues Oppose Biden’s Electric Vehicle Mandates

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem and 15 of her fellow Republican governors sent a letter to President Biden opposing his mandates on electric vehicles. You can read the letter here.

“We request you remove your mandate that two out of every three vehicles be electric and instead provide a more realistic approach by allowing the free market to determine the direction and timing for the industry’s growth rather than the federal government,” continued Governor Noem and the other governors. “Let American consumers decide for themselves.”

The governors in their letter call out the lack of necessary infrastructure to support battery electric vehicles. They state that while the technology is promising, it will take time to develop the marketplace and properly address consumer access and concerns.

“Instead of using government mandates to drive the vehicle market, allow American consumers to maintain choice in the types of vehicles they choose to drive,” wrote Governor Noem and her colleagues. “While we are not opposed to the electric vehicle marketplace, we do have concerns with federal government mandates that penalize retailers and do not reflect the will of the consumer. Even with deep price cuts, manufacturers’ incentives, and generous government funding, federal mandates on electric vehicles are unrealistic. The American customer should be able to decide what technology makes most sense for them, not the federal government.”

Governor Noem was joined by the following Republican governors in issuing the statement:

Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders, Idaho Governor Brad Little, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon.

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UPHOLDING THE CONSTITUTION FOR ALL
by Congressman Dusty Johnson
January 19, 2024

Two of my bills to strengthen Second Amendment rights passed the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

My bill, the Tribal Firearm Access Act, would allow tribal members to use their legally issued tribal I.D. as a valid form of identification to purchase a gun. Under current law, you can use a passport from a foreign government such as Russia, but a tribal I.D. is not on the list of approved identification documents. My bill would ensure tribal members can exercise their Second Amendment rights.

Another barrier to obtaining a firearm is the lack of a permanent street address for a home. For many RVers, servicemembers, and their families who lack a permanent street address, it’s difficult to meet that requirement, even if they are law-abiding citizens. My Traveler’s Gun Rights Act would allow individuals to list a P.O. Box as their primary mailing address.

Committee passage is just one step in the process of a bill becoming law, so I’ll keep working to ensure law-abiding South Dakotans can exercise their rights.

BIG Idea

This week, I voted to pass two bills to support and educate expectant mothers and provide resources to mothers and families in need.

• The Pregnant Students’ Rights Act provides necessary support for pregnant students on our college campuses. Women should never feel pressured to make a choice between continuing their education or carrying their child to full term.
• The Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act supports women and families by protecting a state’s right to provide dollars to pregnancy resource centers through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

My support for pro-life policies earned me an A+ rating on Susan B. Anthony’s Pro-Life Scorecard for my work in 2023. I am proud to defend unborn children’s right to life.

BIG Update

Last month, the Colorado Supreme Court removed former President Donald Trump from their ballot, citing the 14^th Amendment of the Constitution and Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021. Section 3 of the 14^th Amendment bars anyone from office who took an oath to uphold the Constitution but “engaged” in “insurrection or rebellion” against the Constitution. This week, I joined 136 House Republicans and 42 Senate Republicans to file an amicus brief opposing Donald Trump’s removal from ballots. President Trump has not been convicted of or charged with insurrection. Using the 14^th Amendment to kick him off the ballot is a massive overreach by Colorado’s highest court.

Three Years In, Are We Better Off?
By Sen. John Thune

As he begins his fourth year in office, President Biden’s approval rating has fallen to a new low. It’s not hard to figure out why. Inflation, spurred by Democrats’ excessive government spending, has strained working families’ budgets. The southern border has been in a state of crisis since the president rolled back border security policies at the beginning of his administration. And we have seen the consequences of the United States failing to demonstrate strength on the world stage as it has grown increasingly unstable. To put it simply, the Biden administration has harmed our economy, our national security, and our standing in the world. 

At the beginning of his term, President Biden and Democrats passed a reckless $1.9 trillion spending bill disguised as COVID relief despite warnings that it could cause inflation. Since that bill passed, Americans have faced higher prices for just about everything from groceries to gas, and it now costs a typical family $11,400 more per year just to maintain the standard of living they enjoyed three years ago.

Paying more and getting less has become the hallmark of the Biden economy. And it’s not just higher bills. The higher interest rates that the Federal Reserve was forced to put in place to help rein in the Biden inflation crisis has meant more expensive mortgages. Combined with higher home prices, this has eroded prospective homebuyers’ purchasing power and put the American dream of owning your own home increasingly out of reach for a lot of hardworking Americans.

For three years now, the crisis at our southern border has grown worse and worse. Customs and Border Protection has had more than 7 million encounters with illegal immigrants trying to cross the border since the president took office. Millions have been let into the country under our broken and overwhelmed asylum and parole systems. And an alarming number of individuals on the terrorist watch list, criminals, and gang members have been stopped at the border. Yet the president still refuses to acknowledge there is a crisis.

Before President Biden took office, his team was warned of the possibility of a migrant surge should he roll back the prior administration’s policies. Nevertheless, the president immediately went about weakening our border security, and the surge came. And while I’m glad that after three years of chaos, the president has finally – finally – agreed to work with Republicans on some policies to actually secure the border, this crisis was avoidable.

Highlighted by the disastrous and tragic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration has also failed to demonstrate American strength abroad. Strong national defense often deters threats to the United States from materializing in the first place. In a dangerous world like ours, we can’t afford for defense policy to be divorced from reality. Yet under President Biden, we have seen multiple conflicts erupt, some directly involving U.S. forces, all while adversaries like China ramp up their military investment.

Rest assured, my Republican colleagues and I are doing all we can to fight the disastrous policies that are creating these crises and mitigate the damage from the Biden administration. We’re working to rein in the spending impulses of the president and his Democrat allies in Congress. We’re working on policies that will substantially improve border security. And we’ve worked to secure steady investments in our defense capabilities. But we can only do so much without presidential leadership, and it’s long past time for the president to face reality and start working with us to get this country back on track.

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Freedom to Be Healthy: A Story of Heroism
By: Governor Kristi Noem
January 19, 2024

In South Dakota, we value living a healthy life, no matter where you live. Every South Dakotan should have the Freedom to live where they want – but they shouldn’t have to choose between a rural way of life and good health outcomes.

In our rural communities, emergency responders are sometimes the only local healthcare providers. Growing up on a rural farm, we always knew that emergency services were our closest healthcare lifeline. And when my dad had a tragic accident, EMS personnel showed up. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to save him – but I saw firsthand how hard they work, how much they care, and how dedicated they are to serving the people of South Dakota.

My Department of Health has been working to advance EMS access across our state to ensure that every South Dakotan has the Freedom to Be Healthy. We put brand new state-of-the-art LIFEPAK 15s in the back of ambulances, we worked with Indian Health Services to get these devices to ambulance crews in Eagle Butte and Pine Ridge, and we just completed a comprehensive analysis of the current state of EMS in South Dakota to learn how we can best continue to expand these services.

South Dakota was the first state in the nation to implement Telemedicine in Motion. We use telemedicine to connect physicians, nurses, and paramedics with EMS personnel in the field. Nearly 60 ambulance services throughout the state have installed Telemedicine in Motion – and it is saving lives.

One of the first major calls to Telemedicine in Motion came last December. Jim Lutter, rancher from Gann Valley, was out caring for his buffalo when he was attacked by one of his animals. His injuries were life threatening – dozens of injuries from the horns and hooves of the animal, multiple broken ribs, lungs filling with blood, broken neck, and more.

After pulling himself into a front-loader and driving back home for help, Jim was picked up by the local EMS agency who connected with the Avel team via telemedicine. A board-certified physician and nurses were on camera to help stabilize the rancher, coordinate with the receiving hospital, and activate the care flight team to expedite the transfer of the patient to Sioux Falls.

Once the EMS crew arrived at the hospital, Avel maintained their support of the patient since Avel Emergency was installed in the hospital’s ER. After Jim recovered, he shared feedback with the care team, saying, “they held my life in their hands and gave it back to me, something that I will be forever grateful for.”

It was my privilege to honor Ed Koenechne, Dr. Katie DeJong, and nurse Casie Hunter, the team that saved Jim’s life, with the Governor’s Award for Heroism during my State of the State Address. Ed is a volunteer with Kimball Ambulance Services, and Dr. Katie and nurse Casie are on the Avel team. Together, thanks to telemedicine, they took incredible action to save Jim’s life.

I am proud that folks who choose to live in remote parts of the state can sleep a little easier at night thanks to our EMS expansion efforts like Telemedicine in Motion. Thank you to all of our healthcare providers for giving every South Dakotan the Freedom to Be Healthy.

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