The United States of America was created because of a sense of hope. Our founders had the hope that one day we would be a nation of greatness, of self-governance, and of Freedom.

In too many communities across America, that hope has diminished. There are Americans who do not believe in our founding principles, who are not patriotic, and who do not have hope for this nation’s future. That could not be further from the truth in South Dakota.

In South Dakota, we’re telling a story of hope. And we’re doing it by making our state the best place in America to live and to raise a family.

People want to raise a family here. In fact, we have the highest birth rate in the nation! We have built a culture of life. We have prioritized taking care of moms and their babies both before birth and after. When people are happy, healthy, and free to make the best decisions for themselves, they want to bring more beautiful children into this world.

As a parent and a grandparent, myself, I know how important it is for all of our parents to spend time with their newborn babies. That’s why I have prioritized family bonding by expanding Paid Family Leave (PFL) benefits for state employees. We worked hard to pass PFL for state employees in 2020, and we expanded it earlier this year.

We’re not focusing solely on children and new parents. We have also given a new sense hope to hundreds of others across South Dakota.

When I launched the “Meth, We’re on It” campaign in 2019 alongside the Department of Social Services, we were attacked by the mainstream media. The campaign was provocative, and it worked. We have had incredible success combatting the meth crisis in our state. In 2020, South Dakota had the largest drop in drug overdoses in the country. Only two states had a decrease. New Hampshire dropped by less than 1%– South Dakota dropped by 16%. Then, in 2022, we had the largest drop in the nation once again. This time, our overdoses dropped by 17.6%.

The media attacked us for the campaign, but it worked. It saved lives. And it made a difference in the lives of so many families.

This success is not just a happy coincidence. It is proof that our policies work. Our focus on the individual needs of our people is really making a difference. I could never produce these results on my own – neither could any of our state agencies. Many of our agencies have worked together to tackle this challenge.

One of the biggest contributions has been the Department of Tribal Relations’ annual Meth Summit. Secretary Flute and his team has been dedicated to helping our tribes fight the meth epidemic, and hundreds of lives have been saved because of their tireless efforts.

In South Dakota we don’t complain about things, we fix them. That’s something that my dad always told me. We are not a people who look at problems and think that it’s someone else’s job to solve them. We pick ourselves up and figure out how to fix things. We dedicate ourselves to the betterment of our communities, our state, and our great nation.

That perspective is hard to come by these days, but that’s what makes South Dakota even more special. Our state is a beacon of Freedom for the nation. We are a state that truly has a story to tell – and I couldn’t be prouder that our story is a story of hope.

###

Thune Supports Annual Defense Bill, Ellsworth Air Force Base Priorities

“I remain committed to ensuring that Ellsworth Air Force Base and its surrounding communities have everything they need for the B-21 bomber mission so Ellsworth can continue to serve as one of our nation’s essential military assets for decades to come.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement after the Senate overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill contains numerous priorities that benefit South Dakota and the future B-21 bomber mission at Ellsworth Air Force Base, including authorization for $5.3 billion for continued aircraft development and initial procurement and $396 million for the construction of three new facilities on the base. The NDAA also includes a 5.2 percent pay raise for servicemembers, requires the Pentagon to create a plan to counter cartels’ human and drug trafficking on the border, and prioritizes military modernization to combat the growing threat from China. Thune recently spoke on the Senate floor about the NDAA’s importance to the men and women at Ellsworth Air Force Base and to the advancement of the future B-21 bomber mission.

“The NDAA is one of the most important measures Congress passes every year, and I’m pleased that the Senate passed it today with overwhelming bipartisan support,” said Thune. “The bill strengthens our national security and Ellsworth Air Force Base’s position in defending it, addresses concerns about U.S. military readiness, and provides support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. I remain committed to ensuring that Ellsworth Air Force Base and its surrounding communities have everything they need for the B-21 bomber mission so Ellsworth can continue to serve as one of our nation’s essential military assets for decades to come.”

NDAA priorities for South Dakota include:

• $396 million for B-21 military construction, including:
  • Fuel System Maintenance Dock, $75 million
  • Phase Hangar, $160 million
  • Weapons Generation Facility, $160 million
• $5.31 billion for B-21 development and procurement, including:
  • Research, development, test, and evaluation of the B-21 Raider, $2.325 billion
  • B-21 procurement, $1.617 billion
  • Advance B-21 procurement, $708 million
• $5.25 million to complete National Guard Readiness Center
  • BG Dean Mann Sioux Falls Readiness Center, $5.25 million
• Continued procurement of long-range munitions used by the B-1 bomber and future B-21, including:
  • Joint Air-Surface Standoff Missile, $1.685 billion
  • Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, $187.7 million
  • Long-Range Standoff Weapon, $958.2 million

Thune-Sponsored Provisions:

Critical Minerals University Affiliated Research Center (UARC)

The bill includes a provision for the Department of Defense to create a UARC for critical minerals to focus on applied research, commercialization, and workforce development with schools like South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Quantum Workforce

The bill includes a provision to bolster Department of Defense engagement in quantum information science and workforce development by utilizing existing partnerships, scholarships, and research programs within the department.

Equipping Ground Forces with Small Drones

The bill requires the Department of Defense to develop a strategy to equip ground combat units with small drones or unmanned aerial systems like those being put to use in Ukraine, especially the quadcopters with payload release mechanisms that have been used to notable effect against Russian armor.

Strategy on Attritable Decoys

The bill’s report language requires the Department of Defense to create a comprehensive strategy on the use of attritable decoys in the Indo-Pacific, noting that deception activities, including the use of decoys, provide cost-effective options for complicating adversary decision making.

National American Indian Veterans, Inc (NAIV) Congressional Charter

The bill includes an amendment introduced by Thune and Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) that would grant a federal charter to the NAIV.

###

An article at ArgusLeader.com today notes something I’ve been hearing for a few weeks behind the scenes; that Governor Kristi Noem has been instrumental in helping the South Dakota Republican Party’s efforts to bring President Trump back to South Dakota for a Rapid City rally to support the South Dakota Republican Party:

Noem told reporters Thursday that she supported GOP Chairman John Wiik in securing the former president as a speaker.

“I think there was a little follow up with me to just see if that was something I would support,” Noem said. “I talked to [Trump] directly two days ago so we’ve been talking.”

Read the entire article here.

For someone who wanted to be the Republican nominee for Congress last year, former State Representative Taffy Howard sure hates the Republican Party.

After her loss to Dusty Johnson, during the last Republican Convention, when she wasn’t trying to kill the resolution thanking the leadership of the Republican Party, Howard was trying to gin up a demand that the South Dakota Republican Party return convention and meal fees, and to vote delegates money to themselves out of the party treasury.

Since then, she has done even less for South Dakota Republicans, spending much of her time attacking the GOP, and it’s candidates.

But in a new low, Taffy is trying to decide whether she’s going to boycott the SDGOP’s showcase event with former President Donald Trump, because it might in some way, shape or form benefit the South Dakota Republican Party which has invested time and money to put the event together.

Literally, what might be the biggest event that the Republican Party has put on in South Dakota in modern history has Taffy declaring that “I don’t want to help in any way,” because she has that much loathing for the Republicans who have been elected, and the Republican voters who have put them in office:

..while I have a deep admiration for what Trump has been able to accomplish, I do believe he is being used by the establishment elites in our state to give themselves some standing with their conservative constituents, which I don’t want to help in any way.

Read Taffy Howard’s screed here.

Understand that this is the same Taffy Howard who was happy to drown herself in Trump kool-aid, and was happy to show up and participate at the Pillow Guy election denier event in Sioux Falls, and went so far in her campaign to declare the 2020 election as stolen and “Trump should still be President.“

Yet, she hates the GOP so much so that when the party is able to bring the former President in for an event, her reaction is that he’s being used, and she declares “I don’t want to help in any way.”  You really have to ask herself that if she hates the Republican Party that much, and rejects the people who South Dakota Republicans voters have chosen to put in office to that extent, and goes as far as she does, why is she still registered as a Republican?

Seriously. Someone should point out to Taffy that she should check her overinflated sense of self at the door, and that it’s not about her.

While I might be looking at my options in the next presidential race, I will be the first one to point out that this is the biggest single event the South Dakota Republican Party has been able to put together featuring the party’s front running presidential hopeful/former President in my 35 years of being involved.  It’s a huge win for the SDGOP, and ultimately a high profile boost for all Republican candidates in the state, current, and those to come in the next election. A rising tide raises all ships.

If a person thinks Republicans should be elected over Democrats, Real Republicans should want the party to be successful. We need it to be successful. And it has been for decades, with Republican elected officials who have the support of the majority of Republicans and the majority of South Dakotans.

Either Taffy supports the Republican party or she doesn’t. And if she doesn’t, she should drop the act and get out of the way.

Attorney General Jackley Releases Draft Explanation For Initiated Measure Repealing South Dakota’s Medical Marijuana Program

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has released a draft ballot explanation for a proposed initiated measure that would repeal South Dakota’s Medical Marijuana Program. The measure is proposed by Travis Ismay of Newell.

The Attorney General takes no position on any such proposal. He has provided a fair and neutral explanation on the proposed constitutional amendment to help assist the voters.

This proposed initiated measure would repeal the state’s medical marijuana program that was approved by voters in the 2020 general election. The repeal would make all possession, use, cultivation, sale, manufacture, sale of marijuana, and marijuana products a crime.. The ballot explanation can be found here.

State law requires the Attorney General draft a title and explanation for each initiated measure, initiated constitutional amendment, constitutional amendment proposed by the Legislature, or referred measure that may appear on an election ballot. The Attorney General’s explanation is meant to be an “objective, clear, and simple summary” intended to “educate the voters of the purpose and effect of the proposed” measure, as well as identify the “legal consequences” of each measure.

Once the Attorney General has filed and posted the draft explanation, the public has 10 days to provide written comment. The explanation was filed today (Thursday, July 27), and the deadline for comments on this explanation is Aug. 6, 2023, at the close of business in Pierre, South Dakota. The final explanation is due to the Secretary of State on Aug.16, 2023.

The initiated measure would require 17,509 valid petition signatures to qualify for the 2024 general election ballot.

To file written comments on a draft Attorney General’s explanation please use one of the following methods below. Copies of all received comments will be posted on this website.

Comments may be submitted via mail, or through hand delivery, to the Attorney General’s Office at:

Office of the Attorney General
Ballot Comment
1302 E. Hwy. 14, Suite 1
Pierre, SD 57501

Comments that are hand delivered must be received by the close of business in Pierre, South Dakota, by Aug. 6, 2023. Comments that are mailed must be received by the Attorney General’s Office before the deadline expires to be accepted.

Comments may also be emailed to ATGballotcomments@state.sd.us by Aug. 6, 2023. Comments should be clearly expressed in the body of the email. The Attorney General’s Office will not open attachments in an effort to prevent malware or other digital threats. Please include your name and contact information when submitting your comment. The title of the comment must be included in the subject line of the email.

-30-

In case you wanted to read the Attorney General’s demand letter requesting the repayment of $603,000 in COVID funds to the State of South Dakota from Senator Jessica Castleberry – as well as the Supreme Court opinion noting that legislators could not accept those funds – the documents are available below:

MJJ Letter to Sen. Castleberry Re. Little Nest Preschool by Pat Powers on Scribd

For those of you just reading the story in the last hours, at the Governor’s prompting, the Attorney General has demanded repayment of over $603k in funds from State Senator Jessica Castleberry, noting her ineligibility to receive those funds which were disbursed to her business as part of COVID relief.

The letter from Governor Kristi Noem to Attorney General Marty Jackley in the matter notes that the whole matter came to the State’s attention after a recent grant application requested $4000 in funds, and was signed off by Senator Castleberry on the application:

“Payments were found by Department fiscal staff who recognized the Senator’s name on a recent grant application for Little Nest Preschool to receive another $4,000. At that point, further review into Little Nest Preschool turned up over a dozen payments since 2020.”

2023 7 25 Ltr to AGO Re Castleberry Art 3 S 12 by Pat Powers on Scribd

I feel terrible for the Senator, as she’s always been a nice person. She came into the Senate as an appointee of the Governor, and has been a political ally of the administration. So, this is a tough one. And let’s face it – who has $600k laying around?

According to the attorney general, the Senator has 10 days (Aug 7, I believe) to come up with the funds. We’ll see how this plays out.

In response to Governor Noem’s letter to Republican State Senator Jessica Castleberry over her business’ receipt of COVID funds, the Senator noted that prior to acceptance of the funds in dispute, she had an opinion from legal counsel which supported her ability to accept those funds, as well as working with DSS staff on the issue.

As reported this afternoon by the Dakota Scout:

“Prior to applying for any grant monies, I hired independent legal counsel to give an opinion as to whether my company would be eligible to receive the funding under the federal grant which provided the funds to the state,” she said. “After consulting with legal counsel, I believed my company was eligible. Upon several occasions, I communicated directly and transparently with DSS staff regarding grant applications. I am committed to resolving the issue with the state and will work with them to ensure I acted in compliance with the state Constitution.”

Read the entire story here.

Gov. Noem, AG Jackley Respond to State Senator’s Use of COVID Funds

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem and Attorney General Marty Jackley released two letters referencing the inappropriate use of COVID relief dollars by state Senator Jessica Castleberry of Rapid City.

Governor Noem sent a letter to Attorney General Jackley on Tuesday, July 25, asking that his office investigate possible Constitutional and statutory violations committed by Senator Castleberry when she and her business had accepted more than $603,000 in COVID relief dollars while she served in the Legislature. The State Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that such payments to elected officials were illegal. You can find Governor Noem’s letter to Attorney General Jackley here.

Attorney General Jackley sent a letter on Wednesday, July 26, to Gov. Noem responding to her request. You can find Attorney General Jackley’s letter to Governor Noem  here.  Also on July 26, Attorney General Jackley sent a letter to Senator Castleberry requesting she repay the full amount.

Attorney General Jackley stated in his letter that the state will pursue court action if the full amount is not repaid. Senator Castleberry has 10 days to respond. You can find Attorney General Jackley’s letter to Senator Castleberry here.

###

Governor Noem Announces “Freedom Works Here” NASCAR Stock Car

Unveiling our https://t.co/Z14sqo8WZH NASCAR! pic.twitter.com/YwWwL7XkaP

— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) July 27, 2023

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Today, Governor Noem announced that the “Freedom Works Here” nationwide workforce recruitment campaign is partnering with Live Fast Motorsports to sponsor a NASCAR stock car.

“The momentum of ‘Freedom Works Here’ isn’t slowing down – and so our efforts will not slow down,” said Governor Noem. “In fact, they’re about to get a lot faster. I’m talking up to 200 miles per hour fast.”

The “Freedom Works Here” ads have been watched more than 300 million times. More than 3,500 Americans from every state have applied to move to South Dakota. 675 of those folks are in the final stages of the process of moving to our state.

“On behalf of Team Live Fast, we want to thank everyone at Freedom works Here for partnering with us this weekend at Richmond and later this season at Bristol,” said Live Fast Motorsports Co-Owner Matt Tifft. “We’re excited to unveil the Freedom Works Here #78 Chevy Camaro and bring recognition to the opportunities in the state of South Dakota!”

The racing team for the “Freedom Works Here” NASCAR stock car is going to be racing for South Dakota small businesses. This campaign is helping businesses across South Dakota fill their workforce needs.

“We appreciate what South Dakota is doing for their people through workforce initiatives while providing a beautiful state to build the American Dream. I look forward to partnering with them and spreading the message of Freedom Works Here,” said the driver of #78, BJ McLeod.

###