While the big news yesterday was Governor Kristi Noem pledging to support a repeal of the sales tax on food, it doesn’t sounds as if the municipal sales tax on food is going to join the State Sales tax in going away, as it is the lifeblood of many communities:

Though both Gov. Kristi Noem and Rep. Jamie Smith – her challenger in the November election – say they want lawmakers to exempt milk, bread and other food items from the list of goods the state now taxes at a 4.5 percent rate, both stop short of a full repeal of food sales tax in South Dakota.

Noem’s campaign said Wednesday after announcing her plan to bring a food sales tax repeal bill to the Legislature during the next session that her proposal – if re-elected – would not apply to a 2 percent sales tax rate that cities across the state are entitled to.

And the Sioux Falls Democrat, who for years has called for an end to state taxation on food, also prefers leaving municipal sales tax alone.

Read the entire story here. (Subscription required)

Interestingly, I had this very conversation yesterday with a State Legislator who voiced the concern that for many small towns, the sales tax on food is their main source of tax revenue. South Dakota Municipalities are likely to line up against cutting a source of revenue where everyone, property owner and renter alike have some skin in the game in funding city services. Especially in communities where they just don’t have that much. Because the alternative would be higher property taxes, or new forms of revenue.

It was another busy week out in DC! My schedule was packed with committee hearings, floor votes and meetings with South Dakotans. Although we have long days filled with work, we had fun moments throughout this week, including presenting some special awards and receiving some pretty cool awards, too. Here’s my Weekly Round[s] Up: 

South Dakota groups I visited with: Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, Xcel Energy, SDN Communications, KBR Contracting, Associated General Contractors of South Dakota, South Dakota Native Homeowner Coalition, South Dakota leadership class and superintendents and principals from schools in South Dakota who utilize impact aid. I attended the Out of the Darkness walk in Sioux Falls organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

I also had the opportunity to meet with John and Beth Hughes, my nominees for this year’s Angels in Adoption Award. John and Beth have helped with over 500 adoptions in 45 states during their 31 years of practice. It was great to see them out in DC and recognize them for all of their hard work.

Other meetings this week: Jane Fraser, CEO of Citi Bank; Admiral Richard, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command; John Garrison, the CEO of Terex; Electronic Transactions Association’s Fintech policy forum; and Dr. Shereef Elnahal, VA Undersecretary for Health.

We also had our weekly Senate Bible Study (1 Corinthians 13:1 was our verse this week) and our Senate Prayer Breakfast (Senator Hagerty from Tennessee was our speaker).

Met with South Dakotans from: Aberdeen, Bonesteel, Box Elder, Canton, Chamberlain, Custer, Dupree, Eagle Butte, Fort Pierre, Martin, McIntosh, McLaughlin, Mission, Mobridge, Pierre, Pine Ridge, Presho, Rapid City, Renner, Sioux Falls, Timber Lake, Wagner, Wall, Webster and Winner.

I was able to meet with Robbie Willard, a Vietnam veteran from Renner, and award him a Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin to thank him for his service.

Topics discussed: The reveal of the B-21 Raider bomber coming this December, the upcoming continuing resolution to keep the government funded for a few more months, and the need for increased mental health services.

Votes taken: 9 – Most of these votes were on nominees. We also voted on the ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, a treaty concerning the environment that could increase costs for South Dakotans. I voted no.

Hearings: There were two hearings in the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee again this week. The first one was focused on US sanctions on Russia. In the second hearing, we heard from the CEOs of America’s seven largest banks. I was also ranking member had a Housing subcommittee hearing on the Department of Agriculture’s rural housing service. There was an Armed Services committee hearing on US nuclear policy. We also had a Veterans Affairs committee hearing, where we heard from VA Secretary McDonough on timely care at the VA facilities and the Care in the Community program. I appreciated the opportunity to follow up with Secretary McDonough about the long wait times at the Sioux Falls VA facilities.

Classified briefings: We had a briefing on the ongoing situation in Ukraine.

My staff in South Dakota visited: Burke, Chamberlain, Kimball, Mount Vernon, Pierre and Sioux Falls.

Staff happenings: Some of my DC staff came out to Nationals Park after work on Wednesday to support me and my colleague, Senator Jon Tester from Montana, in Anheuser-Busch’s Congressional Brewing Competition. We made a beer called the 17 Finger Select using barley from Jon’s farm in Montana. We took home both trophies – the People’s Choice Award and the Brew Democracy Cup, which was voted on by a panel of judges.

Steps taken this week: 52,880 (or 24.8 miles)

The battle for Republican Leadership is less of a battle at this point, as much as nudging and elbowing as people position themselves in line.  Who are the names that you should keep an eye on as we roll past November 8, and Republican legislators plan to get together amongst themselves to decide who will be leading the Class of 2023?

HOUSE

Coming off previous sessions in the House, which many outside observers rate the running of the State House from poor (under Steve Haugaard) to dysfunctional (under Spencer Gosch), at least on the surface, there seems to be an appetite for a change. Now, that’s not a guarantee that the House and Senate are going to get along and agree on everything, but there’s the possibility that a Republican House would spend more time governing than attacking the Republican Governor.

Who are the players to keep an eye on in the various contests for leadership?  Things can develop quickly, and a lot of how races come out will depend on which Republicans are sent to Pierre in the fall.

Speaker of the House:

This is the big contest. In the House, the Speaker has the authority to decide committee assignments, seating, and a host of other official duties. The buck stops with them, for better or worse. And we’ve had a lot of worse over the past couple of years.

The current word in the Speaker race is that several are in the contest. State Representative Hugh Bartels from Watertown is the first name at the top of many lists, followed by State Representatives Greg Jamison of Sioux Falls and Jess Olson of Rapid City.  Current Speaker Pro Tempore Jon Hansen of Dell Rapids is also said to be running, but given that he was the chief lieutenant under Gosch, conventional wisdom is that legislators may step forward and break with tradition.

 

House Speaker Pro Tempore:

This internal caucus race is kind of quiet at the moment, but the name that I hear is Mike Stevens of Yankton. Stevens, an attorney by trade, is an experienced hand in his second run of being in the legislature and would be viewed by most as a respected, steady hand at the wheel.

Republican House Majority Leader:

Here’s where some of the jockeying has been going on recently. Long-time politico and Pierre-area attorney Will Mortenson is said to be leading the chase for Majority Leader after Mike Derby was said to have stepped back from the race, throwing his support to Mortenson. Current Majority Whip Rebecca Reimer of Chamberlain is also said to be campaigning for the spot, as well as Representative Scott Odenbach from Spearfish.

 

Assistant Republican Majority Leader:

This office has had those holding it move on to bigger and better things, such as Kristi Noem, current Governor, former Congresswoman, and former Assistant Majority Leader for the 2009-2010.   And you never know, as Sioux Falls State Representative Taylor Rehfeldt campaigns as hard as the Governor did back in the day.

Rehfeldt is probably the most visible of the names that has popped up for the contest, with State Representatives Randy Gross of Flandreau, and Representative Kirk Chaffee of Whitewood also said to be running for the position among their colleagues.

 

SENATE

The Senate is not thought to be looking wholesale change in the coming term, or at least there are no thoughts of it based on who we anticipate will be elected.

Compared to the House, it might even be said to be a little boring, but boring is good for what has worked over the last two years.

President Pro Tempore:

Senator Lee Schoenbeck of Watertown who has led the Senate through all of the rocky waters over the past 2 years of his tenure, including leading on redistricting, and being the voice of sanity during 2 years of impeachment investigations and proceedings is not facing any challenge at the moment.  During the past few years, Lee has been an effective leader in building coalitions and steering the Senate at a time when the House had been divided and struggled.

Senate Republican Majority Leader:

With Current Majority Leader Senator Gary Cammack termed out, Senator Casey Crabtree of Madison is fully in the driver seat for Senate Majority Leader contest, and has taken a lead on efforts including helping Senators to get re-elected.  He should win this contest handily, and no opponents are out there.

Senate Republican Assistant Majority Leader:

Senator Mike Diedrich of Rapid City is definitively in the contest, but there are rumors that another Senator is looking at a run. We’ll see how they develop, as it’s still early for this chamber. The sense of urgency for the internal Senate caucus campaigns are not as urgent as the House’s, just because of fewer numbers and a less disparate group.

Senate Majority Whips:

I’m told that we can expect Senators Duhamel, Wheeler, Tobin, Schoenfish, Bolin and others will be running for whip positions, with most current whips attempting to return to their positions.

That’s what I know at the end of September, with more fierce campaigning for these internal positions on both sides of the Capitol Building to come after the election on November 8.

Stay tuned!

Governor Kristi Noem Announces Largest Tax Cut in South Dakota History

RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA – Today, Governor Kristi Noem promised South Dakota families the largest tax cut in South Dakota history: eliminating the sales tax on groceries. She made the announcement at Dakota Butcher in Rapid City, surrounded by parents and their children.

“I have seen families across South Dakota struggling to make ends meet with rising inflation because of President Biden’s policies. His failed liberal agenda has caused the cost of food to skyrocket, and family budgets are being stretched thin,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “This permanent tax cut will put hundreds of dollars in the pockets of the average South Dakota family.”

Eliminating the grocery sales tax reduces the tax burden on South Dakotans by $100 million.

“South Dakotans work hard. They get up every day and provide for their families, but the Biden Administration’s policies are destroying their ability to feed their children. Senior citizens, working parents, and single moms are all struggling with rising food and gas prices. South Dakota will continue to do the right thing and protect our people from a disastrous White House,” continued Governor Noem.

Prices have skyrocketed at grocery stores. Since President Joe Biden took office, the price of a pound of ground beef has increased 25%. The price of a gallon of milk has increased 20%. The price of a dozen eggs has increased a whopping 113%. These data points are according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Because of Governor Noem’s approach, South Dakota has the strongest economy in the country, and tax revenues have been the strongest in the state’s history. South Dakotans’ incomes have grown by 21% in the past 3 years, the highest in the nation. South Dakota’s budget surplus for the 2022 budget year was $115.5 million. Sales taxes grew by 12%. The state’s rainy-day fund grew to $422.6 million, 20.5% of the state’s budget.

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Hadn’t heard that term used in South Dakota until now, but locally, District 7 Democrat Legislative candidate Cole Sartell is injecting some views on gender that we don’t usually hear expressed in South Dakota State Legislative contest.

Candidate Sartell was instructing a legislative forum audience last night in reference to a discussion on the debate over abortion that “we don’t deserve the right to make a decision for an individual who can get pregnant.”  Which you can watch starting at about 28:00 minutes into the video here.

He follows his comment by mentioning in favor of his position on abortion that we didn’t go to medical school.

I suppose if he’s referring to women as individuals who can get pregnant, as if someone who isn’t a woman can get pregnant, that much is obvious.

I’m sure law enforcement will get out and check Chris Nelson sign disclaimers for Jeff Barth as soon as they get done catching all the murderers and rapists.

Chris Nelson says his signs comply. “I’ll agree with Jeff on one point, the signs are from my campaign – and I’m proud of the work my volunteers put in to create them and help put them up and appreciate my wife making the required disclaimers which are attached to each sign.” https://t.co/vTYYjxRTHE pic.twitter.com/M0Q1LsTkuI

— Joe Sneve (@DakotaScoutJoe) September 27, 2022

Seriously? Did Jeff just not get out of his car?

Kristi for Governor Launches New Ad: “Extreme Jamie Smith: Endangering Families”

PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA – Today, the Kristi for Governor campaign launched a multi-week, six-figure ad buy for a new ad, “Extreme Jamie Smith: Endangering Families.”

“Extreme Jamie Smith wants complete government control over your family,” the ad begins. The ad highlights Smith’s support for mask and vaccine mandates; his support for Black Lives Matter and President Biden’s open border policies, which have led to higher crime and drug trafficking; and his support for policies that infringe on the 2^nd Amendment. Each of these policies endanger South Dakota families.

“Jamie Smith is too extreme for South Dakota,” said Ian Fury, Communications Director at Kristi for Governor. “He continues to lie about his position on COVID mandates and his position on the 2^nd Amendment, so this ad will bring the facts to the people of South Dakota.”

To learn more about Rep. Jamie Smith’s support for President Joe Biden and radical liberal policies, visit JamieandJoe.com.

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State Treasurer Josh Haeder Elected President of National Association of State Treasurers (NAST)

Pierre, SD: South Dakota State Treasurer Josh Haeder was unanimously selected to serve as the 2023 President of the National Association of State Treasurers during the organization’s annual conference last week.

“It’s an honor to be selected by Treasurers from around the nation to serve as the next President of the National Association of State Treasurers,” Haeder said.

“NAST serves as the nation’s foremost authority for responsible state treasury programs and related financial practices, policies, and education. South Dakota has a balanced budget, we have one of the best public retirement systems in the nation, we focus on protecting money from fraud, and are now on the cutting edge of technology implementation. South Dakota has been a leader in returning unclaimed property to citizens, reaching thousands of South Dakotans through our marketing campaigns. As the NAST President-elect, I’m excited to collaborate with my colleagues, continue to grow our organization, and share South Dakota’s successes with Treasurers across the nation.”

Haeder’s term as president begins in January 2023. He is the first South Dakota President of NAST since Treasurer Dave Volk was elected to serve as president of NAST in 1976-77

Haeder is currently serving as the 2022 Senior Vice President of NAST.

NAST’s membership is comprised of all state treasurers or state finance officials with comparable responsibilities from the United States, its commonwealths, territories, and the District of Columbia, along with employees of these agencies.

Before being elected South Dakota’s 33rd state Treasurer, Josh Haeder was the managing partner of Haeder Organization, LLC based in Huron, SD. Haeder Organization is a property management company that focuses on affordable housing and lodging.

Treasurer Haeder has been married to his wife Amanda for ten years and they have two young daughters.

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This one made made laugh out loud this AM. The Democrat Blog SD Standard makes a wacky claim this morning that a path to victory exists for Democrat US Senate candidate Brian Bengs on the basis of a push poll from a Democrat Polling firm.  (No, really).

“After testing four frames giving the respondents additional information — one positive Bengs frame, one negative, one positive Thune frame and one negative — Bengs ultimately led Thune 45% to 38%,” according to the release.

Read that here.

So after trashing Senator John Thune on the phone, they managed to get some people to move their opinion? Well, they buried the lede about the problem that the Bengs has.

Name identification is a major hurdle for Bengs even as the campaign approaches the final month. The poll indicates he is largely unknown to voters, with 81% having no opinion or never having heard of him. That includes 75% of registered Democrats who were polled, who either did not know who he was or had no opinion of him.

and..

The release said the poll indicates the pathway to victory for Bengs is introducing him to voters by “using the recommended message simulating equal spending” in the race.

That is far from the case, with Thune having raised more than $11 million this cycle and having more than $16.9 million in cash on hand as of June 30. Bengs had raised almost $151,000 and had $31,307 on hand on the same date.

Read that here.

So, Brian Bengs has a name ID among South Dakotans hovering around 19% going into absentee voting and the last 45 days of the election…  but ridiculously claims that he has a path to victory?  Ha ha ha. That’s pretty darned funny.

Good gosh. I don’t know of any candidate in South Dakota with name I.D. less than 20%, who could seriously think they have a way to win.

I mean, how do I frame how bad that is?  Let’s look back to an earlier time and an earlier poll…

According to our KELO TV scientific poll, if the election were held today, Thune would defeat Democrat Jay Williams by a wide margin, 65% to 27%, 8% are still undecided.

Only Williams doesn’t see it that way.

“Maybe the polls are trending, because I just saw a poll yesterday where it had 58% to 38%, I had virtually the same numbers as Secretary Clinton had, which I hope is the case,” Williams said.

and..

If you recall, when it comes to name recognition only 2% of the voters didn’t recognize Thune, but 52% don’t recognize Williams’ name at all.

Read that here.

In the recent past, when Democrats could find a candidate, one of the mediocre offerings was Jay Williams. Even he managed to achieve name id of 48%.  Yet Bengs isn’t even half of a Jay Williams yet as he struggles to get past 19%.

In that 2016 race, Senator Thune beat Jay 72-28%.

I don’t anticipate it’s going to be much different 6 years later.

There is an undeniable crisis at our southern border. So far this fiscal year, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has encountered more than 2 million illegal immigrants, far exceeding the Biden administration’s previous record, which it set last fiscal year. This doesn’t include known “gotaways,” immigrants who evaded apprehension after crossing the border – more than 1.1 million combined in the previous two fiscal years alone.

President Biden recently claimed he’s put a process in place to manage migrants and that he is working to make it safe, orderly, and humane. Conditions at the border contradict the president’s claim, as well as his vice president and appointed border czar’s recent assertion that the border is secure. Border Patrol is overwhelmed, local police departments are stretched thin, and border facilities and private shelters are beyond capacity. One Texas sheriff worries illegal immigrants may be released into communities with minimal or no screening because Border Patrol is so strained. This is especially concerning as convicted criminals, large shipments of drugs, and  individuals on the terrorist watch list are known to be crossing the border.

Deaths at the southern border have surged under the Biden administration. The Department of Homeland Security reports 748 migrants have died crossing the border in fiscal year 2022, surpassing last year’s record. The number of CBP search and rescue missions have substantially increased as well. These conditions have resulted in the United Nations International Organization for Migration declaring the U.S.-Mexico border “the deadliest land crossing in the world.”

The situation at the border is neither safe, orderly, nor humane. It is also clear the border is not secure. An illegal immigrant recently told a reporter, “Everybody believes that the border is open.” This is the message that President Biden’s immigration policies have conveyed since he first took office more than 20 months ago. The longer this inaction continues, the more individuals will be encouraged to attempt the dangerous journey across the southern border.

For months, as this crisis raged, Democrats have downplayed and outright ignored it. Democrats recently shoved their massive spending package through the Senate, containing hundreds of billions of dollars for Green New Deal priorities, but zero resources for addressing the border crisis. Republicans offered multiple proposals to provide resources to secure the border, but Democrats unanimously rejected all of them.

It was not until recently, when border-state governors began sending some illegal immigrants to places like New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., to alleviate their overstretched communities that there was a sudden and predictable outcry from Democrats who accused these governors of manufacturing a crisis. Washington, D.C., a city of 700,000 people, declared a state of emergency and requested federal resources when they received about 9,400 migrants over five months. New York City, with 8.4 million residents, has not received as many as the nation’s capital. Eagle Pass, Texas – population: 29,000 – sees 10,000 migrants each week. Where is the real crisis?

The situation at our southern border is appalling, but it’s preventable. If the president has any real interest in making it “safe, orderly, and humane,” he would make border security a priority. His record so far suggests it’s more likely we’ll see the scenes of chaos and human suffering continue.

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