Rounds Introduces Legislation to Blacklist China from Buying American Farm Land and Agriculture Businesses
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced legislation that would blacklist China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from investing in, purchasing or otherwise acquiring land or businesses involved in agriculture.
“Protecting American farmland is critical to maintaining our national security,” said Rounds. “As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I was alarmed when a Chinese company recently purchased farmland near an Air Force base in North Dakota. This acquisition could threaten our national security by allowing the Chinese Communist Party to closely monitor the operations and communications at a very important military facility.
“In my travels around South Dakota, I’ve heard from many farmers and ranchers who are concerned about foreign adversaries owning American farmland. It’s time to put a stop to this and take action. This legislation makes certain American interests are protected by blacklisting foreign adversaries from purchasing land or businesses involved in agriculture.”
On July 1, 2022, Representative Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) introduced the House version of the PASS Act. Rounds’ legislation retains key provisions of the House version and adds additional language related to foreign investments, agricultural land acquisition and reporting by the Secretary of Agriculture. The new provisions are outlined below:
Blacklists China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from purchasing or investing in agriculture land and companies.
Requires reporting from the Secretary of Agriculture on the risk to the American agriculture sector of foreign takeovers and/or investments in agriculture companies or land used for agricultural purposes.
Allows the President, after reporting to Congress on why doing so is vital to the national security interests of the United States, to waive the requirement prohibiting a transaction on a case-by-case basis.
The full text of this legislation can be found HERE.
For those of you following the carbon pipeline which will connect state ethanol plants with solutions for Carbon Dioxide, as well as provide hundreds of jobs and millions in tax revenues for South Dakota, Farm Bureau just held a forum at Dakotafest for Carbon Pipelines which is also available to watch on-line. The Summit Pipeline currently has 7 ethanol plants signed up in South Dakota.
Moderated by Scott VanderWal with South Dakota Farm Bureau, the panel also included representatives of Glacial Lakes Energy, Summit Carbon Solutions (who advertises on the right), and staff from the Public Utilities Commission.
An Associated Press article is up on the Argus Leader’s website from a few days ago, pointing out how the Convention of States dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into state legislative contests, and managed to narrowly eke out one race in South Dakota, which isn’t really attributable to their efforts:
The fliers piled up in mailboxes in central South Dakota like snow during a high-plains blizzard: “Transgender Sex Education in Schools?” one asked. “Vote Against Sex Ed Radical Mary Duvall for State Senate.”
The mailers were part of a $58,000 campaign against the five-term Republican lawmaker, an enormous sum of money in a place where the cost of running for a statehouse seat is typically in the low five figures. Despite the subject of the attack ads, Duvall was targeted not for her stance on sex education but for her opposition to a longshot bid by some conservatives to force a convention to amend the U.S. Constitution.
and..
The track record of the convention group’s spending is spotty. In South Dakota, where the group and its affiliates spent more than $200,000 targeting four state Senate seats, Duvall was the only one of its targets to lose. And the challenger who beat her, Jim Mehlhaff, said in an interview that he thinks the group’s intervention hurt him.
“I didn’t appreciate the negative tone of their mailers. It probably cost me some votes,” said Mehlhaff, a former member of Pierre’s city commission who had his own base of support in the district before the intervention of Convention of States. “This is South Dakota. People don’t like negative campaigns.”
Mehlhaff was baffled at the notion that a possible constitutional convention factored so heavily in his race: “Convention of states is not my issue at all,” he said.
As I noted in a previous article on the topic, Convention of States didn’t get the results they were looking for in the primary election. And in fact, their scorched earth campaign is going to have a negative effect for their issue.
Watch for calls for more disclosure in campaign finance for out-of-state groups pouring money into the state, as a result of this group trying to buy their way to the legislature they wanted. And as a result of their tactics Convention of States legislation will be utterly and completely DOA in South Dakota for the forseeable future. As one legislator quipped to me, they almost feel sorry for whoever is unfortunate enough to be hired to lobby for them.
PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA – Today, the Kristi for Governor campaign launched a multi-week, six-figure ad buy featuring two new commercials. “C’mon Man” compares Rep. Jamie Smith’s liberal voting record to President Joe Biden. “On All Fronts” features Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden recalling how he and Governor Noem stood up to defend the freedoms of South Dakotans.
“He’s South Dakota’s version of President Joe Biden,” the “C’mon Man” ad states. It notifies viewers of Rep. Smith’s “F” rating from the NRA and his vote to allow boys to play in girls’ sports. The ad directs viewers to JamieandJoe.com, a website that shows how closely Representative Jamie Smith aligns with President Joe Biden and how out of touch he is with South Dakota values.
“Governor Noem and I will never stop defending our state and your Freedoms,” Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden promises in the “On All Fronts ad. “When they tried to shut down small businesses, we stayed open, and our economy thrived. When they tried to put boys in girls’ sports, we passed the strongest law in the nation to stop it. And when they came after our kids with Critical Race Theory, we blocked their propaganda.”
Under Governor Noem’s unwavering conservative leadership, South Dakota is thriving. Because of the Governor’s refusal to accept one-size-fits-all, big government overreach, South Dakota has the number one economy in the nation, leads the nation in personal income growth, ranks number for new housing development, and our schoolchildren lead the nation in educational outcomes.
“South Dakotans deserve strong, principled leadership like Governor Noem and Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden,” said Ian Fury, Communications Director at Kristi for Governor. “Jamie Smith is lying about his record because it doesn’t match the values of South Dakotans. Governor Noem will always shoot straight with voters and be clear about what she believes.”
Gov. Noem Releases Report from Department of Education on Critical Race Theory and Divisive Concepts
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem released a report from the Department of Education (DOE) detailing examples of Critical Race Theory and other divisive concepts in DOE policies, guidance, websites, trainings, content standards, or other materials.
“We are proactively removing Critical Race Theory before it has any opportunity to take hold in our schools,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “We are taking action to promote America’s true and honest history, including the history and culture of our Native American tribes, without any influence of Critical Race Theory or other divisive concepts.”
The report does not extend to the policies, materials, and resources of local schools. This report was prepared pursuant to Section 6 of Executive Order 2022-02. You can find the DOE report here.
“Out of the thousands of items reviewed, a very small number were deemed to be out of alignment with Governor Noem’s executive order,” said Tiffany Sanderson, Secretary of the Department of Education. “The department is taking action to modify or discontinue those items. I am proud of the department’s work, and we will continue working to ensure that South Dakota students have the opportunity to receive a robust and honest social studies education.”
Earlier this year, Governor Noem also signed HB 1012, which bans mandatory college trainings and orientations based on Critical Race Theory and other divisive concepts.
Joe Sneve and Jonathan Ellis announced this morning that they will be launching their new venture “The Dakota Scout” on September 1st, noting it to be “South Dakota’s leading alternative, independent and locally-owned newspaper, with a focus on state and local government and politics in Sioux Falls and at the South Dakota Capitol.”
We are so excited to be entering a new era of South Dakota journalism and can’t wait to begin bringing you news that matters in just a few short days… pic.twitter.com/DpcZ9d62w0
Congratulations to Joe & Jon on the effort. It might be nice to have something that’s related to what area residents actually want to read about. You can sign up to hear about their publication here.
Gov. Noem Announces Draft Social Studies Standards
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem released draft social studies standards for K-12 students in South Dakota.
“South Dakota’s children deserve the very best social studies education in the nation,” saidGovernor Kristi Noem. “These standards raise the bar for the breadth and depth of civics and history education. They feature a true, honest, and balanced approach to American history that is not influenced by political agendas. And under these standards, our students will focus more on Native American history and culture than ever before.”
The draft standards were compiled by the Social Studies Content Standards Commission, which was facilitated by former Hillsdale College professor William Morrisey.
“We are grateful for the efforts of the working group to approach these draft standards from a wide variety of perspectives, including parents, teachers, college professors, administrators, historians, and experts in Native American history and culture,” said Department of Education Secretary Tiffany Sanderson. “Retired Hillsdale College Professor Will Morrisey did an excellent job guiding the conversation and ensuring that all perspectives were represented.”
“I couldn’t be more thrilled with the new social studies standards. They are substantial and straightforward standards that emphasize our founding documents, our pursuit of freedom, and treat our nation’s history honestly,” said Representative Sue Peterson, Vice Chair of the House Education Committee.
These standards feature expanded South Dakota and Native American history and civics, representing the most robust emphasis on Native American history and civics of any draft standards to-date.
“I am glad that Native American heritage and culture will be well represented in these standards,” said Joe Circle Bear, member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and member of the Commission. “Governor Noem promised to tell our story as part of American history, and these standards do that.”
“I am very proud of the work we as a committee have put into the new Social Studies Standards,” said Stephanie Hiatt, doctorate in education, member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and member of the Commission. “The new standards offer a chronological history of the founding of America. With these new standards, I am confident South Dakota students will develop a historical appreciation that will foster hopeful and prosperous communities.”
In preparing the draft standards, the Commission focused on the four following goals:
Genuine content in the form of specific stories, historical figures, maps, research, images, and historical documents;
Sound skills for making sense of the past, understanding their neighbors, earning a livelihood, and exercising the rights and responsibilities of citizenship with prudence;
Honest, balanced, and complete accounts of historical events and debates that foster a love of country that is not blind to faults; and
History and civics instruction free from political agendas and activism.
The standards feature integrated civics, ensuring that civics-related topics are interwoven into history classes.
“The standards developed by the Social Studies Commission represent a raising of the bar for social studies education in South Dakota,” said Jon Schaff, Director of the Center for Public History and Civic Engagement at Northern State University and member of the Commission. “We should be proud that our state is taking the lead in promoting civic education firmly grounded in the admirable principles of the American founding. Students educated under these standards will be ready to take on the role of educated citizen.
Last year, Governor Noem became the first candidate or public official in the country to sign the “1776 Pledge to Save our Schools.” At the time, she and Dr. Ben Carson co-wrote an article for Fox News outlining the Pledge and why it is important.
“Since becoming the first office holder in the country to sign the ‘1776 Pledge,’ Governor Noem has followed through with action to promote a true and balanced telling of American history,” said Adam Waldeck, President of 1776 Action. “These standards will set the bar for social studies education in this country. I look forward to continuing to work with Governor Noem to restore honest, patriotic education.”
The draft standards made several other notable adjustments to previous South Dakota social studies standards, including:
Enhanced Content to ensure that standards are meaningful and clear;
A Spiraled Sequence to ensure that students have the opportunity to build on what they have previously learned; and
Streamlined Identification to improve accessibility and allow for easier use by both teachers and parents.
“I am very proud of the work we’ve done, and I encourage people to read these standards,” said Dr. Ben Jones, South Dakota State Historian and member of the Commission. “I believe South Dakotans will see that American history education now includes a great deal of American Indian history and South Dakota’s history in ways that speak to all students and provide a greater foundation for understanding America and their home state after students graduate.”
The Department of Education intends to offer comprehensive professional development to support teachers in building their own knowledge and skills for teaching social studies. Events will be held beginning summer of 2023 and continue throughout the school year to ensure educators are well equipped to implement the standards.
