On unanimous ballots, Marilyn Oakes was re-elected State GOP Secretary and Brett Koenecke was selected to return to the job of treasurer after Justin Bell assuming that role for the last decade.

In the race for Vice chair of the SDGOP, during the last speech, we all heard what a “collundrum” is, and thankfully, Mary Fitzgerald was elected as vice-chair for the SDGOP.

Fitzgerald was elected over Tammy Weis on a vote of 113 to 57.

State Senator John Wiik wins chairmanship of the South Dakota Republican Party on a vote of xxx 103 (correction) to 66 over Tom Brunner

The South Dakota Republican Party is currently tallying ballots for the chairman contest between State Senator John Wiik and Tom Brunner. 

An announcement on the race will be coming shortly.

This morning in the South Dakota Republican State central committee, the group rejected a proposed amendment to remove precinct committee people from participating in the state convention at this time.

Suprisingly, the group held off an any amendments to the precinct proposal, leaving the state’s republican party in the same position as it left the last convention, where concerns were raised over precinct people not representing the voters in their precincts, and not participating after convention.

This may drive further action by the state legislature, who is set to hear Senate Bill 40 in the near future, which is proposed to change how several statewide candidates are nominated for the November election by political parties.

The group did agree to consider further amendments at a later date, with several discussed at the meeting to be forwarded to the bylaws committee.

The SDGOP Winter central committee meeting is approaching quickly in the coming minutes, and it’s already proving lively.

City police had to pop by after being called by the Sgt at Arms to reinforce getting out of the way by some goofy guy with a camera. A bunch of people who have no voting rights at the meeting are carrying signs in the back hall for Tom Brunner.

A little more lively than some of the GOP meetings I’ve been to, but I suspect things will settle down as we get down to the meat of things.

Sad news tonight comes that former South Dakota state legislator Dick Kelly passed away today.

Kelly was first appointed to Senate, July 1, 2002, to fill vacancy of Kermit Staggers, and served through 2006.

Kelly was first elected to the Minnehaha County Commission in 2008, and served two terms. He was Sioux Falls Central District’s representative on the City Council from 1997 to 2002

Flags at Half-Staff at State Capitol Friday in Honor of Former Senator David Laustsen

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol from sunrise until sunset on Saturday, January 14, in honor of former state Senator David Laustsen. He served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 1977-1984 and in the South Dakota State Senate from 1985-1987. 

Funeral services for former Sen. Laustsen will take place on Saturday, January 14, at the Joseph A. Fluehr III Funeral Home, 241 East Butler Ave. in New Britain, PA. His interment will follow at Doylestown Cemetery.

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An organized phone spamming effort is being made in reference to the South Dakota Republican Party’s proposed bylaw changes. Myself and many others are receiving the following text messages on our cellphones:

It’s not really his phone number the messages are coming from, but one used by spam messages and prior candidates in the Rapid City area, including “Friends for Funke.”

I do wonder if they need a campaign disclaimer for this one, since obviously somebody is spending money on it.

South Dakota’s economy has been thriving over the past few years, but even though our unemployment rate in 2022 was the lowest it’s been in our state’s history, we still have 23,000 open jobs in our state. These are growing pains, and we’re tackling them head on. That is how we will continue to build and advance the American Dream.

Occupational licenses are a great place to start. My first year in office, I signed legislation that recognized occupational licenses for military spouses who moved to our state. Then I proposed and signed legislation to recognize the healthcare licenses of folks moving here from other states, helping us fill jobs. Now, we have an opportunity to finish the job we started by providing a path to recognize the licenses of nearly every profession in the state.

States with similar policies have seen workforce growth almost immediately. Arizona’s workforce has grown by about 5,000 workers since their law was implemented, and thousands more are sure to come. That’s the kind of drastic workforce boost that we need here in South Dakota.

I am working with legislators like Senator Jim Stalzer on this bill. He is leading this effort because he knows the lasting impact this will have on South Dakota’s workforce. I want to thank him for his support.

The Governor’s Office of Economic Development worked with partners to help facilitate $1.7 billion in new economic investments in South Dakota over the last year, creating 2,400 new jobs. During my first term we delivered more economic investment in South Dakota than in the previous 10 years combined. That’s the kind of success you only see in a state where government is limited, personal responsibility is central to everything, and the private sector is unleashed.

South Dakota continues to attract the careers of the future. Last year, we expanded Dakota State University’s cyber research capabilities, which will bring 500 six-figure jobs to Sioux Falls. More importantly, it will allow future generations to pursue the career of their dreams right here in South Dakota. I promised to bring the next big industry to South Dakota – and this is it.

We also broke ground on Gevo’s Net-Zero 1 Site, the largest economic development project in state history. The first billion-dollar investment in South Dakota will literally turn corn into jet fuel.

We aren’t just bringing new businesses to South Dakota – our existing businesses are growing and thriving. Valley Queen in Milbank began a $200 million expansion that will create an additional 140 jobs for the community. South Dakota’s total milk production has risen 11% in the last year, and that will continue to increase with the completion of this project.

We were the only state to reject the additional elevated unemployment benefits offered by the federal government. Our people kept working, our unemployment rate remained low, our economy remained strong, and new businesses moved here. Now, our healthy unemployment trust fund balance gives us the opportunity to cut the unemployment tax, delivering an estimated $18 million savings to South Dakota businesses.

When people move to South Dakota to join this record-breaking economy, they are literally pursuing happiness. They are choosing South Dakota to build the American Dream, and we need to be ready for them. We will do this by continuing to tackle our workforce challenges, inviting businesses and Freedom-loving Americans to join us, and providing a level playing field where everyone can succeed.

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