The Legislative Research Council has released the redacted transcript of the Hearing with their employee in executive session, after redacting the appropriate sections.

And much like the statement which started the scandal involving Senator Julie Frye Mueller, if you believe the employee as many do, it is a story of a legislator who acted inappropriately:

EMPLOYEE: Mr. Chair. In this job, we deal with high tension situations, and people, legislators, staff, we say things, I think we all know that, but, ummm, this conversation went as far as to say that my son would die, my child, that something physically might happen to him based on my parenting decisions. It talked about one of my body parts and sexual acts I would do with my husband, and I don’t believe that’s — I don’t think that’s — that’s not falling into the category of maybe getting a little heated if your bill didn’t go — your hearing didn’t go the right way. That’s beyond what should be happening in this building. I truly believe that crossed a very clear boundary.

SENATOR BOLIN: Thank you, Mr. Chair. At any time during any of these – during the one incident and others, did you ever indicate to the Senator, can you please stop talking about this?

EMPLOYEE: Mr. Chair. Quite frankly, I don’t feel like I can say that I am — that — I don’t feel like I have the ability to say that because of my role as a staffer and that you all have that relationship of being my — I view you all as my bosses, and I don’t believe that if I were to upset you in that way, that you may decide not to work with me or something to that effect. So no, I did not.

Read the entire statement here.

LRC transcript by Pat Powers on Scribd

I heard an interesting rumor today.

There’s a lot of chatter in politics about what’s going to happen in the next election.. or farther beyond.

For the races that are up in 2024, let’s not kid ourselves. It’s as off as an off-year comes.  There will be a Public Utilities Commission race, which we anticipate will be helmed by PUC Commissioner Kristie Fiegen. Congressman Dusty Johnson will be up again, and maybe Democrats will finally run a candidate. Or maybe not. More likely he may be challenged from the hard-right, again. And they’ll fare poorly, again. While consultants suck up al their cash. Again.

I’ve always said 2026 will be the “big one.” Arguably the one that will be re-writing the state’s political map, with the Constitutional Offices mostly all fielding new candidates. And at the very top of the ticket for the big three (US Senate, Congress, and Governor) I have always thought that we will likely be looking at a huge change point.  It will be a generational change for all of South Dakota politics.

Governor Kristi Noem will be termed out (unless she’s no longer Governor, and has been tapped for something greater). Mike Rounds’ US Senate Seat will be up, and we don’t know if he will run again. And many believe that 2026 will be the year that there are better than even odds that Congressman Dusty Johnson might just take the leap and run to become South Dakota’s next Governor.

But… wait a minute. There’s another rumor that’s been bubbling around the Capitol this week.

There a rumor out there saying that there’s a possibility that current US Senator Mike Rounds might be looking at the race like a modern day Bill Janklow, and coming back to run for Governor again in 2026 when Kristi Noem is termed out. That’s interesting to say the least.  The announcements for 2026 will start coming as soon as November or December 2024. 21 months away.

If he was to do it, Rounds running for Governor again would bring with it a number of challenges that he didn’t face before.

His base of support would be shared with that of Congressman Dusty Johnson. Which could be further complicated from a challenge from the far-right that may emerge in this current and turbulent chapter within the SDGOP.

If the rumor has a ring of truth to it, if he ran, Rounds would be running to be the oldest Governor in South Dakota State History, clocking in at 72 years old, five years older than South Dakota’s current oldest Governor, Walter Dale Miller, when Walt took office. In a 2026 GOP Gubernatorial primary, Rounds would most likely be running against Dusty Johnson who would turn 50 on the tail end of the campaign, about the middle of the pack for our Governors when it comes to age at Inaugural, (Between Vessey and Gubbrud).

We’ve got 21 months to countdown until people are going to get serious about who will run for Governor. But if Rounds gets in the race, it will be an unexpected wrinkle that will cause people to rework predictions and the calculus of the race.

Rounds, Capito and Colleagues Formally Challenge Biden WOTUS Rule through Congressional Review Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and all Senate Republicans in formally challenging the Biden Administration’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule through a Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval.

The resolution comes after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) announced a new rule in December 2022 repealing the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) and changing the WOTUS definition to expand federal regulatory authority over waters and wetlands that should be left to the control of states and landowners.

“For too long, South Dakota producers have been subject to a number of complex and burdensome WOTUS rule changes,” said Rounds. “Unfortunately, the Biden administration’s recent reiteration of the WOTUS rule will only lead to further regulatory headaches. No one knows their land better than those who work it and the Senate should come together to support landowners by rescinding this regulatory overreach.”

“With its overreaching navigable waters rule, the Biden administration upended regulatory certainty and placed unnecessary burdens directly on millions of Americans,” said Capito. “This Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval will give every member of Congress the chance to stand with farmers, ranchers, landowners, and builders, and protect future transportation, infrastructure, and energy projects of all kinds in their states. I appreciate the widespread support we’ve received in both the Senate and House, and across the country, as we fight to place an important check on this misguided overreach from the Biden administration.”

Congressman Sam Graves (R-MO), Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I), leads an identical resolution in the House of Representatives.

Click here for the text of the resolution. Click here for a one-pager.

BACKGROUND:

• In 2015, the Obama administration finalized a rule that expanded the definition of WOTUS, creating confusion and burdensome red tape, especially for South Dakota’s agricultural communities.
• The Trump administration released a proposed rule to replace the 2015 WOTUS rule with a new one that provided much-needed predictability and certainty for farmers by establishing clear and reasonable definitions of what qualifies as a “water of the United States.” The NWPR was finalized in 2020.
• On day one of his administration, President Biden signed an executive order to begin the process of rolling back the Trump administration’s NWPR.
• In December 2022, the EPA issued a new rule repealing the NWPR and changing the definition of WOTUS in a way that will expand federal regulatory authority.

While the South Dakota House of Representatives kills an update of South Dakota Campaign Finance Laws after 22 years of them being the same, today the Federal Elections Commission raised contribution rates because of inflation.

From Open Secrets:

Following historic 8% inflation in 2022, the Federal Election Commission announced new contribution limits for the 2024 election cycle on Thursday.

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 established limits for contributions by individuals to candidates and national party committees starting with the 2004 election cycle. The commission increases contribution limits every odd-numbered year to reflect changes in inflation. Inflation skyrocketed in 2022 to the highest level in four decades, and unprecedented contribution limit increases reflect the historic economic heat.

Individual donors can now give $3,300 per candidate per election, an unprecedented $400 increase from $2,900 during the 2022 election cycle. That means between the primary and general elections, a donor can give a candidate up to $6,600 — or $9,900 if a race advances to a runoff.

Read that here.

And if you’re looking for the full chart:

It appears that embattled State Senator Julie Frye Mueller has dismissed her Federal Lawsuit against Lee Schoenbeck, the Senate President Pro Tempore.

The Dakota Scout has a new article today regarding something I’ve been writing about for a couple of days – namely new scrutiny over Julie Frye Mueller’s husband’s activities which are taking place concurrently with his work as a lobbyist, and acting as her legislative liaison to LRC:

“When will the attacks end?” Frye-Mueller asked in a statement issued Wednesday evening, noting the proposed ban on lawmaker spouses doubling as lobbyists.

and

“Are you a spouse or a lobbyists? Because it was hard to tell,” Rohl said. “My bill is to start a conversation related to the appropriateness, and conflicts of interest of having the ability to claim both spousal and lobbyists privileges simultaneously.”

Read the entire story here.

Attorney General Submits Budget Request to Joint Appropriations Committee

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley Thursday presented a budget recommendation of almost $35 million to the legislative Joint Appropriations Committee for its consideration.

“This fiscal year 2024 budget request meets the day-to-day needs of the office and its programs that ensure public safety in our communities,” said Attorney General Jackley.  “While many people know about our criminal and civil litigation efforts, we also are involved in areas such as forensic testing, consumer protection, elderly abuse, and law enforcement training.”

Among the one-time budget requests the Attorney General presented to the committee was $3.5 million for a computerized criminal history system and more than $370,000 for digital radios. On-going budget requests include $626,000 for maintenance of the computerized criminal history system, almost $140,000 for miscellaneous operating expenses and $338,000 for federal fund expenditure authority.

“We appreciate the discussion with the legislative committee today and their interest in the Attorney General’s office and public safety,” said Jackley. “Our goal is to be efficient with the taxpayer dollars we are given and use those funds to protect the people of South Dakota.”

The Joint Appropriations Committee will make final budget decisions at a later date.

-30-

Gov. Noem Signs Bills into Law

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem has signed several bills into law.

On Wednesday, Governor Noem signed SB 2, which revises Department of Corrections reporting requirements concerning abuse and neglect of individuals in private contracted facilities.

Today, Governor Noem signed the following four bills into law:

• SB 22, which streamlines examination reports;
• SB 26, which transfers a property tax relief program, changes income requirements for certain property tax relief programs, and indexes certain income schedules to inflation;
• SB 29, which revises certain references to the Internal Revenue Code; and,
• SB 43, which revises certain provisions regarding money transmission.

Governor Noem has signed seven bills into law this legislative session.

###

From twitter:

Babies who are born alive during a botched abortion should be given the same basic medical care that would be afforded to any other newborn.

That’s why I’m proud to join @SenatorLankford in introducing the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. pic.twitter.com/fdydfIyXvE

— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) February 1, 2023

I read this yesterday and was a bit shocked.

Vice.com is identifying a Brookings, SD man as a neo-Nazi & the “go to guy” for vetting new white supremacist recruits:

A prominent neo-Nazi recruiter and podcast host has been unmasked as a 29-year-old South Dakota man whose podcasts, until today, were widely available on popular platforms like Audible, Deezer, and Spotify. These slickly produced podcasts have helped promote dozens of neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups, including a Nazi homeschool network based in Ohio.

and..

Riggin Lynn Scheer, from Brookings, South Dakota, has been operating in the midwest under the name “Gordon Kahl,” in homage to the original Kahl who was a neo Nazi and anti-government protester from North Dakota who ultimately was shot and killed by law enforcement during a shootout in northern Arkansas in 1983.

and..

Scheer has been active in the midwest’s neo-Nazi space for years. National white supremacist groups have used Scheer as their go-to person in the Midwest when they needed new members vetted, according to the researchers who have been tracking Scheer’s career for years.

Read the entire article here.

Well, that might explain a couple of incidents that have happened around the community from time to time.

Scary and highly unusual stuff for South Dakota’s largest University community.