I’m reading the Rapid City Journal this AM, specifically comments from the opposing sides on House Bill 1217, and I can’t help but think that given the level of hysteria, it’s not the worst thing in the world that the Governor hit the pause button on the measure so better legislation can be crafted to protect Title IX and women’s participation in sports. Because some of the comments coming out of the debate in the days after are a bit ridiculous:

Rep. Taffy Howard, R-Rapid City, said the pair of executive orders are “absolutely ridiculous” and that Noem is more interested in empty words than actions. Howard, who was a co-sponsor of the bill, said 1217 was a good bill vetted by attorneys across the nation, and the executive orders are worthless as there is no enforcement mechanism.

and..

“I’m tired of politicians who claim to be conservative with their words but don’t follow through with their actions.

Read that here.

The problem with HB 1217’s “attorneys across the nation” is that they’re working for the people who want to add South Dakota as another notch in their belt of passing the measure, and they could care less about the consequences in the state.. unlike the people who have to live here.

And of course, there’s the opponents:

Susan Williams, executive director of the Transformation Project Advocacy Network, also said the new executive orders would hurt transgender children as well as all trans South Dakotans.

and..

“This morning I laid in bed for five hours comatose, just trying to practice self-care,” Williams said Tuesday afternoon. “We’re going to take some time to reflect and help each other heal from a horrid legislative session, which didn’t even give trans people a chance to breathe — the hits kept on coming.”

Also read that here.

Umm.. yeah.  I don’t know that the executive orders are going to do much more than give some minimal guidance to the Dept of Ed, and Regental institutions as they try to figure things out. So they can probably turn down the drama & hyperbole, and rouse themselves from their self-care.

Because we’ll all be back in Pierre soon enough for Round 2 on HB1217, as well as the legislature taking another run at Marijuana regulation legislation.

Stay tuned.

Governor Noem Declares State of Emergency for Drought and Fire Conditions

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem signed Executive Order 2021-07, which declares a state of emergency through June 1, 2021, due to severe drought and dangerous fire conditions.

This executive order is in response to the numerous fire incidents occurring throughout the state. The order will allow the state to provide greater assistance to the response efforts of local and volunteer firefighters. Governor Noem has spent the past two days overseeing the response to the Schroeder Fire outside Rapid City while monitoring other fire incidents.

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Westerman, Johnson, Noem Discuss Natural Resources Issues in South Dakota

WASHINGTON – Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) joined U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Gov. Kristi Noem to learn about the natural resources issues facing South Dakota.

“I want to thank Congressman Johnson for inviting me to South Dakota and Governor Noem for joining us to meet with the Forest Service and discuss solutions to improve vital sawmill infrastructure around the Black Hills National Forest,” Westerman said. “This is critical to maintain the forest’s health and resiliency to fires, disease and insects like the Mountain Pine Beetle. Congressman Johnson and I also spoke with employees of Mount Rushmore Forest Products, a mill that is set to close due to steep reductions in timber supplies from the Black Hills National Forest. These workers will lose their jobs, paychecks and ability to provide for their families. Our visits with these mill employees and several South Dakota ranchers were powerful reminders of how federal policies are life changing for rural communities. I look forward to taking what we learned back to Congress to craft thoughtful, innovative legislation and fight for rural Americans across the country.”

“This morning Ranking Member Westerman and I sat down with two timber professionals who’ve lost their jobs because of the mill closure,” Johnson said. “They are husbands, fathers and people who care about their community. It was among the most powerful experiences I’ve had in Congress. These men want to protect the other timber jobs in the Black Hills and they want to be good stewards of our incredible forest. I’m thankful for the time we had with them, mill owner Jim Neiman and leaders at the US Forest Service to brainstorm new approaches to keeping timber harvest levels at a level that will serve both the forest and the timber industry.”

Background

Westerman and Johnson began their visit last night by hosting a dinner with South Dakota ranchers, learning more about grazing and ranching issues on both public and private lands in the region.

Westerman and Johnson continued their visit with a tour of Mount Rushmore Forest products in Hill City, S.D., a family-owned lumber mill that is closing soon due to the U.S. Forest Service’s decision to scale back logging in the Black Hills. They wrapped up the day by meeting with Noem and the new Forest Supervisor for the Black Hills National Forest.

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Former Independent/Constitution Party Member/Republican Lora Hubbel is back at it again and posted this video to social media yesterday, claiming she’s going to be running for Governor.

I notice she’s noncommittal about what party, but by gosh, she’s running.

(We’ll see if she can raise more than $100 this time.)

And whether she can get on the ballot, unlike the last time she tried. Getting on the ballot usually helps.

As promised, after the House of Representatives spent their time pontificating, and failed to fix House Bill 1217, Governor Kristi Noem stepped in, and has issued 2 executive orders to ensure that women’s sports are going to be protected in South Dakota:

2021-05 by Pat Powers on Scribd

2021-06 by Pat Powers on Scribd

From Facebook:

Well, that House vote is now moot:

The Senate has adjourned, making what's happening in the House moot. HB 1217 is dead.

— Joe Sneve (@Argus_Joe) March 29, 2021

South Dakota Leading the Nation in GDP Growth

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota’s economy is growing faster than any state in the nation, according to last Friday’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) release from the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). South Dakota grew at an annual rate of 9.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020, more than double the national growth rate of 4.3 percent. Texas had the second highest growth rate at 7.5 percent.

“South Dakota is open for business,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “Because of the unique approach that we took to the virus, we’ve set our economy up for tremendous growth, both in the short-term and long into the future. Our real estate market is booming as families and businesses look to move to a state that preserves our way of life and respects freedom and personal responsibility.”

Click here to read the full BEA report.

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This morning, the House of Representatives rejected the Governor’s Style and form changes to the measure on a 67-2 vote, with only Rep’s Tidemann and Anderson joining the Governor’s position on the vote.

The question remaining is now, is where does the legislature go from here?

The Governor has been pretty clear about what she believes, which seems to indicate little interest in being any outside group’s legislative guinea pig for testing out legislation and the resulting boycotts and lawsuits.  And as far as her style and form rescissions, she took a pretty hard swipe at the parts that expanded government.

And she apparently underlined that position with an official full veto after it went back to her.

Gov. Noem has sent HB1217 back to the House as a vetoed bill.

— Joe Sneve (@Argus_Joe) March 29, 2021

So, now the ball is back in the House’s court.

Stand by.

From KELOLAND news comes a report that the Speaker of the House is at loggerheads with Governor Noem on her recommended style and form changes to HB 1217, and will be telling the House to reject them:

Noem’s changes aim to drop college athletes from those potentially impacted by the bill. She also seeks to drop a requirement that a student’s biological sex is verified every school year.

In a statement, Gosch said “I will be recommending that the House of Representatives rejects Governor Noem’s proposal as unconstitutional.”

Read it all here.