And who didn’t see this coming?

After former Aberdeen Water Treatment Superintendent Bob Braun roasted city management in May, and claimed that water testing lab work has been “faked” since 2020, the City of Aberdeen took issue with it, and claimed all was well.

But that doesn’t seem to have lasted very long, as a letter landed in Aberdeen mailboxes yesterday, noting that “there is an increased chance that the water may contain disease-causing organisms.”

Someone might have come explaining to do on that one.  But I’m sure they’ll say “all is well.”

Again.

Attorney General Jackley, DCI Host Human Trafficking Training Conference

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says his office’s state Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is hosting a human trafficking training conference this week in Pierre.

“Human trafficking happens here in South Dakota, and it is important that we all work together to address this issue,” said Attorney General Jackley. “We owe it to the victims and their families.”

The training is the first ever of its kind hosted by the Attorney General’s Office and DCI. More than 65 participants from law enforcement, local governments, tribes, non-profit organizations, and state government agencies are attending the two sessions being held this week at the Mickelson Law Enforcement Training Center.

Mary Beth Holzwarth, the Human Trafficking Coordinator for the State Division of Criminal Investigation, coordinated the conference and brought in Foundation United National Training Cadre to deliver the content. Topics include discussion on human trafficking trends, risk factors that lead to human trafficking, various forms of human trafficking, and how to navigate the Dark Web and conduct operations.

Speakers include a survivor of human trafficking.

“Human trafficking damages individuals, families, and communities,” said Attorney General Marty Jackley. “The key issue being stressed this week is collaboration; working together to address this serious crime.”

One of Governor Kristi Noem’s latest tweets has gotten national attention, as she references an anti-crime song making waves across America by country music artist Jason Aldean:

My thoughts on “Try that in a Small Town”…. @Jason_Aldean pic.twitter.com/umJ8qFvy2o

— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) July 19, 2023

Fox News picked up the story today via their website:

South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem joined a wave of conservatives on social media defending country music star Jason Aldean from backlash over his new music video blasting Black Lives Matter rioters and daring them to “try that in a small town.”

“I am shocked by what I’m seeing in this country with people attempting to cancel this song and cancel Jason and his beliefs,” Noem posted in a video on Twitter Wednesday. “Him and Brittany are outspoken about their love for law and order and for their love of this country and I’m just grateful for them.”

Noem’s video comes in response to a music video for Aldean’s song “Try That in a Small Town” that has lyrics warning violent criminals, as well as those who disrespect law enforcement and the American flag, to “try that in a small town.”

Read the entire story on Fox News.

Thune, Rounds Applaud Senate Passage of Their Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act

“We applaud the Senate’s passage of our bill, and we hope the House of Representatives considers it in short order.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement after the Senate unanimously passed their Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act, bipartisan legislation that would accelerate the review and processing of mortgages on trust land by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).

“Affordable housing opportunities on tribal trust land can be hard to come by in South Dakota and across the nation due in part to the BIA’s challenging mortgage approval process, which can complicate lenders’ ability to provide financing to prospective homebuyers and participate in federal tribal housing programs,” said the senators. “Our bipartisan legislation would expedite this mortgage approval process, hold the BIA accountable, and encourage more lenders to provide mortgages across Indian Country. This would expand tribal members’ access to homeownership. We applaud the Senate’s passage of our bill, and we hope the House of Representatives considers it in short order.”

“It is essential that Native people have equal access to mortgage transactions, just like any other citizen in this country,” said Chelsea Fish, executive director at the National American Indian Housing Council. “This bill focuses on aligning the processes of the BIA with standard practices in the private mortgage industry. We commend legislators for prioritizing mortgage processes within the BIA and promoting a culture of accountability.”

“Mortgage Banker Association (MBA) applauds the Senate passage of the Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2023,” said Bill Killmer, senior vice president of legislative and political affairs at MBA. “This important legislation will reduce or eliminate BIA processing delays, thereby improving access to credit by encouraging more lenders to participate in trust land mortgage lending. We commend Senators Thune, Smith, Rounds, and Tester for reintroducing this bipartisan bill during this Congress and for their work in helping it pass by unanimous consent.”

The Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act would create statutory timelines in which the BIA would be required to process mortgages involving property located on tribal trust land. Additionally, it would enhance the ability of certain federal agencies to operate their tribal housing programs and improve communication between the BIA and tribes, tribal members, and lenders through the establishment of a realty ombudsman within the BIA who can communicate with relevant parties.

Thune and Rounds introduced the bipartisan legislation earlier this year with U.S. Sens. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).

  

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Governor Noem Launches New “Freedom Works Here” Ad

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem launched a new ad as part of the “Freedom Works Here” nationwide workforce recruitment campaign. The “On the Job” ad features Governor Noem as a welder inviting workers to move to South Dakota.

“’Freedom Works Here’ has already been the most successful recruitment campaign in South Dakota history,” said Governor Noem. “287 million people have seen the ads. More than 3,000 have gone through the process of applying. More than 500 are in the final stages of moving to South Dakota. And with this new ad, we aren’t slowing down.”

In the “On the Job” ad, Governor Noem highlights South Dakota’s acceptance of most out-of-state professional licenses and apprenticeship programs. Governor Noem also mentions that South Dakota is investing in scholarships to help ease financial burden and get folks trained and on the job.

More information about the Freedom Works Here campaign can be found here.

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South Dakota Ends Fiscal Year with $96.8 Million Surplus 

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced that South Dakota closed the 2023 budget year with a surplus of $96.8 million.

“South Dakota’s economy is continuing to thrive because we keep state government small, taxes are low, and we spend within our means. This surplus shows that what we are doing here is working,” said Governor Noem. “As long as we continue to budget responsibly, families across the state will be able to keep more of their money in their pockets, and we will be able to avoid unnecessary debt by using this surplus for future prison construction costs.”

State government spent $79.7 million less than appropriated in fiscal year 2023, with the total revenue finishing above the legislative adopted forecast by $17.1 million. Sales and use tax, which is the state’s largest revenue source, finished 0.5% below estimates, down $6.9 million.

“South Dakota state government continues to budget responsibly on both the revenue and spending sides of the equation,” said Jim Terwilliger, Commissioner of the South Dakota Bureau of Finance and Management. “Our state’s economic metrics are very strong because we stick to our conservative budget principles. Going forward, we must keep following those principles. With so much uncertainty surrounding the national economy, conservative spending will ensure our long-term fiscal health.”

Over the last several years, South Dakota has seen unprecedented economic growth. By keeping the state “Open for Business” during the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Noem ensured that South Dakota came out stronger than ever. South Dakota continues to maintain a AAA credit rating and is one of the only states with a fully-funded pension. Now, with the lowest unemployment in the history of the nation, South Dakotans are still working hard and guaranteeing that our kids and grandkids will inherit a thriving state.

By law, the fiscal year 2023 surplus was transferred to the state’s budget reserves. The state’s reserves now total $335.7 million or 14.7% of the fiscal year 2024 general fund budget.

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Rounds_2023_2q by Pat Powers on Scribd

South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds has filed his latest FEC report in which he reports his campaign financials for the second quarter of 2023.

In the report, Rounds reports raising $8,935.85 from individuals, $37,500 from Political Committees and PAC’s and $21,843 in dividends/interest to total a take of $68,279.08 in campaign receipts.   The former Governor had operating expenses of $71,394.60, as well as $10,000 of refund to a political committee, and $4340 of “other” disbursements, to total $85,784.60 in cash outlays for the quarter, leaving him $1,472,233.86 to operate his political activities.

 

From my mailbox:

RELEASE DATE: July 17th, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

After eight months of coordination and a legislative session, term limits may be finally heading towards the general election ballot.  The Secretary of State has approved the text, petition, and Attorney General’s explanation to begin circulating petitions for the initiated amendment.

Current law allows legislators to serve four consecutive terms, which means they may serve indefinitely (without limit) as long as there is a break or a switch between chambers.  The proposed amendment would limit legislators to eight years in each chamber or a total of 16 years.  State Senator Brent “B.R.” Hoffman said he initiated the effort at the request of his constituents and is confident it will pass if they can get the petition signatures required.  “South Dakotans support term limits by large margins across nearly every demographic group, and I’m confident voters will approve term limits at the ballot box because they always have previously,” he said.  Voters first passed (64-36) the provision with the consecutive language in 1992.  In 2008, voters overwhelmingly defeated (76-24) a resolution from the state legislature to remove limits.

Despite the public support for term limits, Senator Hoffman acknowledged the requirement to gather more than 35,000 petition signatures is a daunting challenge and there will be organized opposition.  But he also noted that South Dakotans for Term Limits is a volunteer-led effort, and they’re putting together a 35-district team of veterans, activists and both former and current elected officials to help lead the effort.  Brad Lindwurm of Sioux Falls is a member of that team, and he added, “Term limits encourage new ideas and accountability while discouraging elitism and politics as usual.  It’s also consistent with our state motto and the constitution, and I’m proud to support this effort.”

If South Dakotans for Term Limits submits the petitions, the amendment would be on the general election ballot in November 2024.  According to Senator Hoffman, they also plan to organize debates in host districts and at county political events as part of a “long term strategy” to engage citizens and improve representative government.

Received a press release early this AM (which I’ll share shortly) on the effort to expand term limits, and further preclude competent people from running for the State Legislature. It noted in part:

…Brad Lindwurm of Sioux Falls is a member of that team, and he added, “Term limits encourage new ideas and accountability while discouraging elitism and politics as usual.  It’s also consistent with our state motto and the constitution, and I’m proud to support this effort.”

Hadn’t heard much activity from Lindwurm, a former candidate for office, so sent a couple of notes out, did a quick Google search. And came up with something a little more interesting:

Now here’s something in this announcement you won’t catch right away. He’s running for State House.. but in what district?

When he originally ran in the primary in 2020, Lindwurm was in District 14. But since re-districting, he’s been registered to vote in District 10.  With the D10 House seats currently held by Democrats Erin Healy and Kameron Nelson, it might make sense for the hard-right Lindwurm to challenge in that District. Focused as he is on the culture wars, there’s a well defined difference between his opinions and those of the present House members, as evidenced by Lindwurm’s declarations on his campaign page:

BUT.. despite his ideological differences with his current representatives, I’m hearing he may not try to establish his beach head in D10, and may be looking to pull a “Cole Heisey” and move elsewhere, referring to the District shopping that the former Minnehaha County candidate was doing after re-districting in 2021 to find his best opportunity to run in 2022.

Seriously, I didn’t come up with that myself, but that was the slang term used by a Minnehaha County politico. But it is funny and it fits.

Lindwurm is going to have all sorts of other challenges in running wherever he lands (I’ll save that post for another day), but potentially not knowing who your neighbors are going to be for purposes of representing them in Pierre might be problematic if you haven’t figured that out by the time you launch your campaign.

Farmers and ranchers face a lot of uncertainty in their profession – few jobs are subject to markets and weather like agriculture. That’s why farmers and ranchers depend on the resources available to them through the farm bill. Agriculture is the lifeblood of South Dakota, and as a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers are always a top priority of mine.

It’s no overstatement that work on the next farm bill begins almost as soon as the last one is signed into law. For each of the four farm bills I’ve helped craft, that process begins and ends with farmers and ranchers in South Dakota. I’ve held roundtables with producers throughout South Dakota, and the input I receive from them is invaluable. As Congress continues to draft the next farm bill, I’m working to ensure that South Dakota’s priorities are reflected in the final bill.

One of the things that farmers and ranchers have made clear is the critical role of the farm safety net. Crop insurance is the cornerstone of the farm safety net, and I’m working to maintain and strengthen it in the next farm bill. Producers also depend on the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs to help offset losses when the price of agriculture products drop. But payments from these programs are not always sufficient to cover producers’ losses, especially amid high inflation. I’m working to ensure the farm safety net is strong and sufficient to address the needs of farmers and ranchers.

I’m also working to secure improvements to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in this year’s bill. CRP plays an important role in improving soil health and water quality, as well as providing wildlife habitat, but the program’s current structure limits potential forage benefits for producers. Among other improvements, I’m working to make the program a more working lands-oriented option for producers and landowners through greater haying and grazing flexibilities.

Another priority is addressing some of the challenges livestock producers have faced in getting their products to Americans’ tables. Early pandemic closures of some meat processing plants led to bottlenecks in processing livestock and empty cases at the grocery store. It became clear that producers need more processing options, and I’m working to include my Strengthening Local Processing Act in this year’s farm bill to help smaller processors expand.

And I’m also working to advance my bill to reinstate mandatory country of origin labeling for beef. Our current labeling system, which allows beef that is only finished in the United States to be labeled “Product of the U.S.A.,” is unfair to livestock producers and misleading to consumers. I’ll continue working to ensure consumers can be confident that any beef labeled “Product of the U.S.A.” really came from American cattle producers.

Producing the food that fills Americans’ dinner tables is no easy task. Farmers and ranchers work hard every day, overcome weather conditions, and face uncertain markets. The farm bill provides certainty that the programs many producers depend on will be there for them. Farmers and ranchers’ priorities are my priorities, and I will keep working hard to advance the next farm bill.

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