Rounds Introduces Bipartisan Native American Rural Homeownership Improvement Act
Legislation would improve access to affordable capital for Native communities in South Dakota, nationwide

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.), members of theSenate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to help Native families living in rural areas achieve homeownership.

The Native American Rural Homeownership Improvement Act would expand an existing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) pilot program, in which the USDA has partnered with Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to leverage their deep ties in local communities and deploy loans to eligible Native borrowers. Specifically, the relending program would create a $50 million annual set-aside within the Section 502 program, allowing Native CDFIs to re-lend this money to eligible Native homebuyers. Because of CDFIs’ vast experience operating on Tribal land and their ability to provide financial and homebuyer education, their participation will improve utilization of the USDA loans and help more Native families achieve the dream of homeownership.

“For many Americans, home ownership is part of the American dream and a key step toward creating wealth,” Rounds said. “The USDA Rural Development’s Section 502 Direct Loan program provides home loan assistance to rural families with low or modest income, but this program was failing to reach tribal members in a meaningful way. In order to better serve Native American communities, the USDA launched a 502 lending pilot program in 2018 which partners with Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to help Native American families realize that dream of home ownership. In South Dakota, nearly all the funds from this pilot program have been obligated and are in this process of being repaid. I am introducing legislation with Sen. Smith to permanently reauthorize this pilot program, so even more tribal families in South Dakota can access affordable home loans.”

“I’ve had the great privilege of visiting and meeting with Tribal leaders from Minnesota to hear firsthand about how the affordable housing crisis impacts their communities. I’ve heard over and over again about how high mortgage costs and barriers to capital contribute to disparities in homeownership,” said Smith. “I’ve worked with Sen. Rounds on Native housing issues for several years, and I’m glad to have him as a partner on this effort to expand the role Native CDFIs can play in helping families find a safe, stable place to call home. Helping families achieve the dream of homeownership should always be bipartisan.”

“NAIHC is excited to see efforts to expand the successful USDA relending pilot program that utilizes Native CDFIs to expand homeownership in tribal communities. NAIHC would like to thank Senator Smith, Senator Rounds and all of the cosponsors for their work on tribal housing issues and NAIHC stands ready to help support passage of the Native American Rural Homeownership Improvement Act,” said Adrian Stevens, Acting Chairman of the National American Indian Housing Council.

“The 502 Relending Pilot in South Dakota has allowed Four Bands to unlock federal capital to help our clients buy and build the homes of their dreams.  This opportunity has created an unprecedented homeownership demand which is starting to stabilize wealth for generations to come,” said Lakota Vogel, Executive Director of Four Bands Community Fund.

You can learn more about the legislation—which is also supported by Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii)—here and access text of the bill here.

The senators’ bill is endorsed by the United Native American Housing Association, National American Indian Housing Council, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Native CDFI Network, National Rural Housing Coalition, National Low Income Housing Coalition, South Dakota Native Homeownership Coalition, Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC), Housing Assistance Council, Opportunity Finance Network, Four Bands Community Fund, Mazaska Owecaso Otipi Financial, Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association, National Congress of American Indians, Enterprise Community Partners and Oweesta Corporation.

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Had a couple people from Sioux Falls point out to me recently that while former Sioux Falls City Councilwoman Theresa Stehly has been living/working in Mobridge, she appears to have missed a notice sitting in her mailbox for some property she has back in Sioux Falls.

According to the Minnehaha County Treasurer (as screenshot today), Stehly is running almost 60 days past the due date for the first installment on her property taxes:

About 15 years ago, I had an empty lot where the notice went to an old address, so I do know it’s tough to keep track of those things when you’re living and working in another town, and not paying attention to a secondary property.

For the sake of the City of Sioux Falls City, the School District, and Minnehaha County, hopefully she’ll get that in sooner than later.

The board of regents put a crimp in the lifestyle of those who want to treat what ails them with pot at their meeting yesterday:

“CRT” in Our Schools
by State Rep. Trish Ladner

As a legislator, I’ve been concerned for quite a while about what our children are being taught and that they are not being taught “history” as it actually occurred, but a rewritten fabrication of our history that reflects a political/social economic agenda that is not factually true nor accurate. Because of the pandemic lockdowns, parents have taken the opportunity to look at what their children are being taught. As a result, parents of all social economic backgrounds and races are standing up against Critical Race Theory. I decided to take a look for myself and got a hold of a “new” revised history book and read the account of the Battle of the Bulge during WWII. My Uncle Paul was one of the only surviving servicemen from that battle. We spent many hours at family gatherings recalling war stories from uncles, relatives and family friends who fought in WWII in both the European and Pacific Theatres. Their stories transported us to the battle. We were like sponges soaking up the challenges, hardships and the victories. Unfortunately, after reading the “new” version of our history, my greatest fears were realized. The recount of the Battle of the Bulge was nothing like I learned from my uncle.

Critical Race Theory seeks to teach American history in a way that elevates the role of racism in the nation’s history, and the impact they claim racism still has on the nation today. CRT is referred to as “project-based civics,” or “action civics.” We can draw a comparison between CRT and Hilter’s indoctrination of the German youth. According to ushmm.org, “Education in the Third Reich served to indoctrinate students with the National Socialist world view.” Hitler’s plan was aimed to indoctrinate the younger population through reforming the education system.  His plan went undetected and succeeded. Children were turning against parents and families in order to support the goals they were taught in school.

Xi Van Fleet, a Virginia mom who immigrated to the US after enduring Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution recently came against CRT stating, “We are teaching our children to be social justice warriors and to loathe our country and our history.” She added: “Growing up in China, all of this sounds very familiar. The Communist regime uses the same critical theory to divide people. The only difference is that they used class instead of race. This is indeed the American version of the Chinese cultural revolution.”

A number of state officials, including Governor Noem, have indicated that they would like to ban “Critical Race Theory” (CRT) at the next possible opportunity and I support that. The debate over the curriculum is not just happening in South Dakota, but in several states across the country. A number of Republican controlled states have already committed to banning Critical Race Theory and it is likely that South Dakota will be addressing this during the upcoming 2022 state legislative session. I’m proud to note that during the 2021 legislative session, Governor Noem signed a bill into law that allotted $900,000 to additional civics instruction in the state.

At this point, we can’t afford to be complacent. We need to be proactive which isn’t always easy in this “Woke” culture of correctness; a culture that makes it unacceptable to discuss our country’s freedom or the amazing opportunities America offers to every citizen (if they choose). Heaven forbid we teach our children about them or stand up against radical movements that put our children, our freedoms, and our safety in jeopardy. I am unapologetically proud to be an America, proud of the men and women who have fought for our freedom and who continue that fight and I am committed to fight alongside you to the best of my ability.

Representative Trish Ladner
District 30

The Washington Post interviewed South Dakota US Senator Mike Rounds on a variety of issues today, including voting rights, infrastructure, and the cattle market.  You can watch it all here, courtesy of the Washington Post:

South Dakotan Joins Thune at Hearing to Highlight Need to Build Strong and Resilient Broadband

“This Committee, which has jurisdiction over telecommunications policy, has a real opportunity to support efforts to close the digital divide and if we work together in a bipartisan manner, we can ensure Americans have access to these important services.”

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

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, today helped lead a subcommittee hearing on building resilient broadband networks. Denny Law, CEO of Golden West Telecommunications, testified at the hearing and discussed the challenges of deploying strong and resilient broadband in rural areas.

In his opening statement, Thune highlighted multiple bills he has introduced, including the Rural Connectivity Advancement Program Act, Telecommunications Skilled Workforce Act, and STREAMLINE Small Cell Deployment Act, to help improve internet connectivity in communities across South Dakota by strengthening broadband and investing in 5G deployment. Reliable, fast internet is an essential element of our nation’s infrastructure. Like roads and bridges, strong internet networks keep our economy going.

From Twitter:

Can you tell I’m a little excited I got to wave the green flag to start the races tonight? Thank you to everyone at @HusetsSD for inviting me! Great crowd for the @WorldofOutlaws pic.twitter.com/W8wsRoV550

— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) June 22, 2021

Had someone send me a screen shot this AM.

Apparently, 3-time.. 4-time… (I’ve lost track) multi-party candidate for Governor Lora Hubbel is playing true confessions over in the comment section of Democrat website Dakota Free Press, as she tells people who she supported for Governor in the last election after she broke the spine of her political party at the time, the Constitution Party:

So, in case you’re trying to keep track, Lora first ran in the Republican primary against Gov Daugaard. Then she was running for Lieutenant Governor against Republicans as an Independent. In the following election, she was running again as a Republican until she couldn’t/didn’t go out and get enough signatures, and then switched again to run for Governor under the Constitution Party – a group so radically conservative they call Republicans liberal.  And after breaking the back of THAT party with intra-party fighting, Hubbel supported the candidate who once declared he “liked the policies of Bernie, but I’m going to be voting for HIllary.”

Of course Lora – who claims to be conservative, despite her now known voting bias – is declaring she’s going to be running for Governor again.

We’ll have to wait to see what she decides to believe in for the 2022 election.

Ballot Committee Formed in Support of Taxpayer Protection Amendment

SIOUX FALLS, SD – South Dakotans Against Higher Taxes today announced its recent formation of a ballot committee to support the passage of the Taxpayer Protection Amendment that South Dakotans will vote on in June 2022. The Taxpayer Protection Amendment, if passed, will protect South Dakotans against higher taxes by requiring future ballot measures that raise taxes to have a 60% voter approval. The Constitutional Amendment will also require any spending that exceeds $10 million annually to receive the same benchmark for approval.

State Representative and House Speaker Pro Tem Jon Hansen will serve of Chairman of the ballot committee. Rep. Hansen issued the following statement regarding the committee’s formation: 

“We are excited today to share the formation of South Dakotans Against Higher Taxes. Our central goal with this effort is to protect South Dakota families and their check books against major tax increases or bloated government spending that works against their best interests and their families’ bottom line. We hope you’ll join us in saying ‘yes’ to taxpayer protections next June.” 

For any questions about the committee or to request an interview, please contact Jon Hansen.

Background:

The Taxpayer Protection Amendment protects South Dakotans against higher taxes by requiring future ballot measures that raise taxes to have a 60% voter approval. Under the Taxpayer Protection Amendment, any ballot measure with a tax increase or spending that would require more than $10 million annually in the first five years would have to receive 60% at the ballot to pass.

This proposed Constitutional Amendment will make it harder for your taxes to be raised and for ballot measures to commit South Dakota to huge increases in government spending without a way to pay for it.

State Senator Lee Schoenbeck and State Representative Job Hansen are in the news today, as they’ve apparently formed a ballot measure committee to support the notion that ballot measures that are going to cost taxpayers more than 10 million should be subject to a 3/5 vote – the same as any legislative measure would:

Sen. Lee Schoenbeck and Rep. Jon Hansen have formally filed with the Secretary of State a committee to financially back the passage of Constitutional Amendment C, a proposal to require three-fifths approval for ballot measures that would raise taxes or force state government to spend $10 million or more within five years.

Read it here.

Predictably, Rick Weiland, who makes money running ballot measures for out of state organizations in South Dakota was crying about the Republican’s efforts.