Gov. Noem Appoints Melissa Magstadt as Secretary of Health

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Gov. Kristi Noem appointed Melissa Magstadt as Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Health. Melissa’s appointment will be effective on the next state work day, which will be Tuesday, December 27.

“Melissa has proven her ability to provide innovative and cost-effective healthcare to the people of South Dakota,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “She will bring a fresh perspective to the department. We’ve set an example for the nation over the past several years by trusting our people to exercise personal responsibility over their healthcare decisions. Melissa will advance that vision for the people of South Dakota.”

Melissa is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (ARPN). She is a co-owner of Quick Care SD, an organization that provides quick and affordable healthcare access across Eastern South Dakota. She also owns an integrated medicine practice called SG Essentials in both Watertown and Pierre. Melissa served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 2011 to 2014 and was a member of the House Committee on Health and Human Services. She has been involved in South Dakota healthcare for more than 30 years.

“South Dakota should be on the forefront of supporting proactive quality of care for our people,” said Melissa Magstadt, South Dakota Secretary of Health. “Our state has unique health challenges, which vary from our rural communities to our big cities. We can tackle these challenges by focusing on an innovative, forward-looking approach to public health, rather than simply reacting to difficulties.”

Melissa has a Master’s in Science from South Dakota State University with a focus as a family nurse practitioner. She also has a Master’s in Business Administration from Mount Marty University. She is a graduate of the Great Plains Public Health Leadership Institute at the University of Nebraska. And she is a fellow at the University of Arizona’s Center for Integrated Medicine.

Melissa and her family live in the Castlewood and Watertown area. She was born and raised in South Dakota.

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From Facebook:

The Rapid City Journal is reporting today that Congressman Dusty Johnson has several policy items he’s going to be focusing on over the next two years while in the House majority, including curbing inflation, fixing the United States’ border with Mexico, and addressing China’s encroachment on US Consumer data:

Johnson’s Day 1 priority for the 118th Congress is tackling inflation. The latest inflation rate, published for the 12 months ending in November 2022, is 7.1% — down from a high of 9.1% in June, but still far above the 1.2% rate in November 2020.

He has repeatedly called on the Biden Administration to cut back on spending, and joined 206 of his Republican colleagues in voting against the Inflation Reduction Act in August.

and..

Between tackling fentanyl and foreign-owned ag, Johnson’s ready to take on the Farm Bill. Reauthorized every five years, the Farm Bill addresses everything from sustainability to forestry. He’s expecting to chair a subcommittee that will draft the omnibus law’s next iteration, and said it will give South Dakota a “great seat at the table.”

Read the entire article here.

Dusty also focused on his “Block the Tok” Legislation introduced this last September to stop the China based TikTok from being installed on Government devices, and for the FTC to investigate to see if they’ve engaged in unfair trading practices.

Despite being a supposedly conservative group, the South Dakota Family Heritage Alliance has been throwing rocks at Governor Kristi Noem from not acting quickly enough on their agenda.

And Governor Noem, having to operate in those pesky constraints of government, has had about enough of it, telling the FHA that she’s done with them until they get their act together, and make “changes in their operational leadership.”

“As a result, my office will no longer work with the Alliance until and unless its executive director chooses to act professionally,” Noem said, criticizing Woods for “sending this letter and releasing it to the media at the same time, instead of reaching out to my office to have a productive conversation about how we can work together.”

and..

Woods accused Noem of ignoring the student-led drag show that took place at South Dakota State University on Nov. 16 in Brookings and requested the Governor’s Office to work with the Attorney General’s Office to determine if child endangerment laws were broken.

and..

Noem said in her response, accusing Woods of “unbecoming behavior” that’s “become a pattern in recent years.”

Read it all here (Subscription required).

Boom.  Unfortunately for the Family Heritage Alliance, they need a friendly Governor’s office far more than the Governor needs them.

In recent years, since the group parted ways with Dale Bartscher, who remains well respected by legislators and is now at South Dakota Right to Life, FHA has gotten more and more demanding, and under Woods has pushed harder for immediate implementation of their wish list, no matter how radicalized it may be.

Whether FHA likes it or not, Governor Noem represents all South Dakotans, and has to consider the interests of the state as a whole, as opposed to kowtowing to one group’s agenda.

And this time they might have just pushed it too far.

Gov. Noem Says GAB Board Made the Right Decision

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Gov. Kristi Noem issued the following statement on the Government Accountability Board’s (GAB) decision to dismiss the frivolous complaint regarding her use of the state airplane to conduct state business.

“From the beginning, this was a political attack by a disgraced, impeached, and removed former Attorney General who killed a man, lied about it, and abused his office to try to cover it up,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “I have always used the state airplane according to state law and the precedent set by previous governors. The GAB Board made the right decision to dismiss this frivolous attack.”

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Governor Noem Closes State Government Offices Statewide for Winter Storm

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Gov. Kristi Noem ordered all state government executive branch offices statewide to be closed Thursday, Dec. 22, because of the winter storm in South Dakota. With offices already closed on Friday and Monday for Christmas, state offices are planning to be open on Tuesday.

While executive branch offices in the rest of the state will be closed, employees will be working remotely.

Blizzard and near blizzard conditions will impact the entire state beginning today and through the day Thursday.

Citizens should be prepared to stay home Thursday if possible. Many state highways already have no travel advised, and numerous roads are physically blocked. If they get stranded or have vehicle maintenance issues, the situation may become life-threatening. If they must travel, they should check the sd511.org or the SD511 mobile app.

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Gov. Noem Announces Next Steps on State Investments in China

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem has announced the next steps that she is taking in her effort to stop state taxpayer dollars from being sent to nations that hate us, like Communist China. Governor Noem wrote to the United States Congress asking them to pass legislation endorsing state efforts to divest from China.

“I am requesting that Congress pass legislation to authorize state and local governments to divest assets or prohibit the investment of assets in China,” Governor Noem wrote in her letter to Congress, which can be found here. “Congress has an opportunity to prioritize our nation’s security. States stand ready to act, and legislation endorsing divestments from China would be a great tool to help us do that.”

Governor Noem also wrote to Vanguard asking them to create an emerging markets fund that does not include investments in Communist China.

“I am requesting that Vanguard create a new emerging markets fund that does not include China. This would provide states the opportunity to safely invest our state trust fund and pension dollars without exposure to the threat of the CCP,” Governor Noem wrote in her letter to Vanguard, which can be found here.

According to the review conducted by the South Dakota Investment Council (SDIC), no internally managed funds are invested in Chinese companies any longer. The SDIC has already divested from three Chinese companies.

Approximately 1.3% of the SDIC’s portfolio is invested in Chinese companies through an emerging markets index ETF. Another 0.7% of the portfolio is invested in Chinese real estate through external real estate and private equity partnership funds.

Governor Noem has called on the SDIC to provide alternative options for these investments.

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Thune: Effective Use of Federal Broadband Funds Will Help Bridge the Digital Divide

“Oversight of how federal broadband dollars are being spent is necessary to ensure that agencies aren’t mishandling billions of taxpayer dollars and, most importantly, to make sure the funding is going to areas that are actually unserved.”

Click here or on the picture above to watch the video.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today discussed his nationwide broadband oversight effort that will hold agencies accountable and ensure that previously authorized broadband funding is being used in the most efficient way possible to protect taxpayer dollars. Thune noted that in the last two years, Congress has allocated nearly $80 billion in funding for broadband-related services, which is split among 133 programs at 15 different agencies.

As part of Thune’s effort, he recently sent a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Inspector General Peggy Gustafson for her failure to fulfill congressionally mandated oversight of previously authorized broadband funding. Thune also sent a letter to a diverse group of stakeholders, including broadband associations, public interest groups, and free-market think tanks to seek their input on the current broadband regulatory structure.

Additional statewide elected officials endorse John Wiik for South Dakota Republican Party Chairman

BIG STONE CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA – A head of the January 14th Chairman vote, John Wiik announces endorsements from statewide elected officials, outgoing Republican State Party Leadership, and State Central Committee Members.

“John Wiik is the right man for the job and a strong voice for conservative values and common sense leadership,” said Senator John Thune. “John will be an experienced and committed executive for the state party and I fully endorse and support him as our next GOP chairman.”

“John and I have talked about his vision for the South Dakota Republican Party.” Said Senator Mike Rounds “I’m confident John’s conservative values and leadership skills will help lead our party to even greater success. John will make a strong chair and I’m proud to endorse him as our next GOP Chairman.”

The following statewide elected officials have endorsed John Wiik’s race for GOP state party Chairman:

• Governor Kristi Noem
• Lt. Governor Larry Rhoden
• Senator John Thune
• Senator Mike Rounds
• Congressman Dusty Johnson
• Attorney General Elect Marty Jackley
• Treasurer Josh Haeder
• Secretary of State Monae Johnson
• Auditor Rich Sattgast
• Public Utilities Commissioner Chris Nelson
• Public Utilities Commissioner Gary Hanson
• School & Public Lands Commissioner Elect Brock Greenfield

The following 78 GOP Leadership and Central Committee members have endorsed John Wiik for GOP state party Chairman:

• Republican State Party Chairman Dan Lederman
• RNC Committeeman Ried Holien
• State Republican Party Vice Chairman Linda Rausch
• State Republican Party Treasurer Justin Bell
• State Republican Party Secretary Marilyn Oakes
• Aurora County Chairman Dan Hargreaves
• Aurora County Vice Chairman Marlene Hargreaves
• Aurora County Committeewoman Estelle Konechne
• Aurora County Committeeman Mike Konechne
• Beadle County Vice Chairman Nancy Ziegeldorf
• Beadle County Committeeman David Wheeler
• Brookings County Chairman Jim Gilkerson
• Brookings County Vice Chairman Stephne Miller
• Brookings County Committeeman Jim Schade
• Brookings County Committeewoman Lillian Hellickson
• Brown County Chairman Katie Washnok
• Brown County Committeewoman Jen Hieb
• Brown County Committeeman Wayne Bierman
• Brule County Vice Chairman Patti Geibink
• Codington County Chairman Bret Holien
• Codington County Vice Chairman Brenda Hanten
• Codington County Committeeman Byron Callies
• Custer County Chairman Lea Anne McWhorter
• Custer County Vice Chairman Fred Mills
• Custer County Committeewoman Marilyn Oakes
• Davison County Chairman Josh Klumb
• Deuel County Chairman Mary Klockman
• Deuel County Vice Chairman Eli Pieper
• Edmunds County Chairman Julie Johnson
• Edmunds County Committeeman Vaughan Beck
• Grant County Chairman John Wiik
• Grant County Vice Chairman Carol Halverson
• Grant County Committeewoman Cheri Meagher
• Grant County Committeeman Chris Giesen
• Haakon County Chairman Stephen Clements
• Hamlin County Chairman Randall Frederick
• Hamlin County Vice Chairman Cynthia Frederick
• Hamlin County Committeeman Brock Brown
• Hamlin County Committeewoman Stephanie Sauder
• Harding County Chairman Betty Olson
• Hughes County Chairman Jason Williams
• Hughes County Vice Chairman Terra Larson
• Hughes County Committeeman Mike Mehlhoff
• Hughes County Committeewoman Lorian Naasz
• Lawrence County Chairman Mary Fitzgerald
• Lawrence County Vice Chairman Gary Coe
• Lawrence County Committeewoman Karen Brandt
• Lincoln County Chairman Nathan Block
• Lincoln County Committeewoman Dee Van Deest
• Lincoln County Committeeman Justin Smith
• Lyman County Chairman Rebecca Reimer
• Lyman County Vice Chairman Christian Skunk
• McPherson County Chairman Charlie Hoffman
• McPherson County Vice Chairman Linda Schauer
• McPherson County Committeewoman Cindy Flakoll
• McPherson County Committeeman Herb Flakoll
• Meade County Chairman Linn Hendrickson
• Meade County Committeewoman Sandy Rhoden
• Minnehaha County Chairman Maggie Sutton
• Moody County Chairman Les Heinemann
• Moody County Vice Chairman Anne Beal
• Moody County Committeewoman Lisbeth Heinemann
• Moody County Committeeman William Beal
• Pennington County Chairman Jeff Holbrook
• Pennington County Vice Chairman Lauri Davis
• Pennington County Committeeman Ed Randazzo
• Perkins County Committeeman Shane Penfield
• Spink County Chairman Larry Nielson
• Spink County Committeewoman Julia Ratushny
• Tripp County Committeewoman Abby Jorgensen
• Tripp County Committeeman Cody Jorgensen
• Union County Chairman Dan Lederman
• Union County Committeewoman Bonnie Lohry
• Union County Committeeman Dirk Lohry
• Walworth County Chairman Dana Randall
• Yankton County Chairman Debra Bodenstedt
• Yankton County Committeeman Greg Adamson
• Ziebach County Vice Chairman Gary Cudmore

The South Dakota Republican Party will vote for Chairman on January 14th, 2023.

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From end-of-year deadlines, performance reviews, next-year planning, data analysis, end-of-year budgets, businesses do a lot to close out the calendar year. This year, it seems Congress has one thing in common—the budget.

Although the fiscal year ended on September 30, Congress didn’t complete negotiations to pass a full spending package. Instead, Congress passed a continuing resolution to keep last year’s funding levels until December 15. It didn’t surprise many people when yet again, Congress couldn’t negotiate by the deadline and extended it another week.

By now, most people have finalized their important end-of-year projects and are spending time with family, prepping for Christmas parties, baking cookies, and drinking hot chocolate. However, Congress is back in Washington, D.C. to vote on an omnibus spending package to keep the federal government open and funded through the rest of the fiscal year.

Don’t get me wrong, I know passing a budget is necessary, which is why I introduced the GET IT DONE Act. This bill would motivate Members of Congress to work to pass a budget on time, and without repeated extensions, like how it has been done for years.

If a small business can pass a budget on time and before its deadline, Congress should too. Year after year, we watch the can get kicked down the road. And it’s usually a pretty expensive can.

In the end, I’m confident Congress will keep the lights on, but it shouldn’t have to be this way. I’m hopeful that in the new Congress, a Republican House Majority will pass a budget on time, just like South Dakota businesses do.

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