SDGOP Announces Convention Platform Committee

From the SDGOP website, GOP Chair Dan Lederman has appointed the platform committee for the upcoming Republican state convention:

The Republican State Convention’s Platform Committee will be chaired by Speaker Pro Tempore of the South Dakota House Steve Haugaard and includes:

State Representative Steve Haugaard (Sioux Falls, SD) – Chair

State Senator John Wiik (Big Stone City, SD)

State Senator Phil Jensen (Rapid City, SD)

State Rep. Lynn DiSanto (Box Elder, SD)

Dale Bartscher (Rapid City, SD)

Anne Beal (Colman, SD)

Matt Bruner (Winifred, SD)

Sara Timothy (Sioux Falls, SD)

Marilyn Oakes (Keystone, SD)

Read it here.

Eatery decides to refuse service to group. Group upset, and claiming discrimination.

From KEVN, a Rapid City Group is upset and howling to the media, because they were refused service by a business owner, possibly because of their beliefs.

The South Dakota Citizens for Liberty were asked to leave Pizza Ranch on Stumer Rd. Thursday evening after a dispute with the owner.

The Citizens for Liberty says they have been going to pizza ranch for bi-monthly meetings for awhile now. Mike Mueller, The president of the group, says they made reservations two weeks ago for a large group of more than 50 people. When they arrived, they were told that their reservation had been canceled, and two other groups were set to use them.

Mueller added when no one showed up to use the reserved rooms, they felt they were being discriminated against because they are a conservative group. He says after a conversation with the owner, police were called by management. No one was arrested.

Read it all here.

No pizza for Tonchi.

This is pretty funny, because in a meeting that “Citizens for Cherry-picked Scorecards” held in Pierre after the last day of session, Citizens for Liberty bigwig Tonchi Weaver had booted SDGOP Chair Dan Lederman from a CFL meeting being held at Pizza Ranch in Ft. Pierre after a legislator had invited him for the Lunch…. because he wasn’t conservative enough for Tonchi.

The allegedly conservative Citizens for Liberty group seems to have an odd affinity for taking their politics inside the conclave of the Iowa-based pizza chain.

Even odder that they’re howling claims of discrimination when they supposedly remove people from their own meeting for failing to pass a litmus test.

Pennington Co GOP seeking replacement for Sean McPherson (Dist. 32 House) on ballot

Pennington County Republican Party Chair Marguerite McPhillips is telling the Argus Leader tonight that she has only heard from one interested person to take over the GOP Nomination for District 32 State Representative Sean McPherson. Sadly, Sean passed away before winning the Republican House primary on Tuesday:

The South Dakota Republican Party bylaws and state law dictate that Pennington County Republican Party Central Committee members select a replacement to run on the November ballot.

and..

McPhillips said the party would aim to have someone selected prior to the state party’s convention.

Another candidate and executive director of the Family Heritage Alliance, Ed Randazzo, could be selected to run in the general election. He came up short in the primary by 409 votes.

McPhillips said Randazzo had expressed interest in the nomination.

“We haven’t heard from anyone else,” McPhillips said.

Read it here.

If you’re a Republican living in District 32, and you have an interest in being selected to run in Representative McPherson’s position, call the Pennington County GOP at 605.348.8396.

You might also try and e-mail Marguerite directly. According to her listing on the SDFRW Board of Director’s page where she serves as President, you can reach her at Trooper_1949@q.com

Trump nominates Jon Kobes to Federal Judgeship

Trump nominates Jon Kobes to Federal Judgeship
Sioux Falls Resident is Currently Serving as General Counsel to Sen. Rounds

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement on the nomination of Jonathan Kobes to be a circuit judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Kobes currently serves as Rounds’ general counsel.

“Jon’s wide range of experiences in both the public and private sectors provides a strong platform for this role as a judge,” said Rounds. “A lifelong conservative, he believes a judge’s role is to make decisions based on the law as it is written, not to legislate from the bench. President Trump has done a tremendous job putting fair-minded, conservative judges on the bench, and nominating Jon Kobes upholds that standard. I’ve relied on Jon’s sound counsel and advice since coming to the Senate and look forward to supporting his nomination.”

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Delegation Introduces Bills to Allow Tribal Grant Schools to Focus Resources to Improve Education

Delegation Introduces Bills to Allow Tribal Grant Schools to Focus Resources to Improve Education

Legislation would provide Federal Employee Health Benefits and Federal Employees Group Life Insurance eligibility for tribally operated grant schools

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) today introduced Senate and House companion bills that would allow tribal grant schools to participate in Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) and Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) programs. This change would free up resources to improve recruiting and retention efforts for professional educators in rural communities by allowing schools to spend less on health care and more on education-specific items. The grant schools would be required to pay the government’s contribution toward the insurance premiums, and the employees would be responsible for the remaining balance.

“We continue to work to ensure students in tribal communities have access to quality education, but meeting that goal comes with challenges,” said Thune. “This legislation makes an important investment in tribal youth by enhancing employee retention efforts and allowing tribal schools to prioritize funding for tangible education items to improve students’ overall learning experience.”

“Our legislation would allow employees at South Dakota’s 19 tribal grant schools to be eligible for federal health insurance programs,” said Rounds. “Under this bill, the schools would be required to pay the government’s contribution toward insurance premiums, and the employee would pay the remaining balance. This will save the schools thousands of dollars and improve teacher and administrator retention rates at tribal grant schools, which is an important factor in student success.”

“A good teacher can open the door to opportunity, hope, and upward mobility for students,” said Noem. “In many tribal communities, however, retaining good teachers is a challenge. By easing the financial burden on schools, I’m hopeful we can help them retain teachers with enhanced employee benefits while also preserving more resources for the classroom.”

Currently, tribal schools are operated either directly by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE); by tribes, through Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (P.L. 93-638) contracts; or through Tribally Controlled Schools Act (P.L. 100-297) grants, which are known as tribal grant schools. Currently, 129 schools nationwide operate as tribal grant schools, including 19 in South Dakota, while only one school operates through a 638 contract. BIE operates 53 tribal schools across the nation.

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SDGOP Names Brock Greenfield as chair of the 2018 SD GOP State Convention

Hot off the State GOP Website:

South Dakota State Senator Brock Greenfield to Chair 2018 South Dakota Republican State Convention

South Dakota Republican Party Chairman Dan Lederman announced today that he has chosen South Dakota State Senator Brock Greenfield to serve as the Chairman and presiding officer over the 2018 Republican State Convention.

“I’m excited today to tell South Dakota Republicans that a steady and experienced hand will be in charge as we elect candidates and set Republican policy statements for the coming election cycle,” Lederman said.

Greenfield, who serves as the President Pro Tempore of the South Dakota State Senate, represents Brown, Clark, Hamlin, and Spink counties. At the age of 43, Brock is the elder statesmen of the State Legislature. He has been serving in the South Dakota Legislature since 2001, and of currently elected legislators, Greenfield has the longest continuous service.

Read it all here!

Congratulations to my friend Brock Greenfield on being named Chair!

Noem to Host Thank You Reception in Rapid City on Friday! Be There!

Noem to Host Thank You Reception in Rapid City

RAPID CITY, S.D. – Kristi Noem will host a Thank You Reception in Rapid City on Friday, June 8, at 5:30PM. She looks to thank South Dakotans in person for their encouragement and support in the Republican primary election. The event is free and open to the press and public.

WHAT: Thank You Reception

DATE: Friday, June 8

TIME: 5:30PM-7:00PM (MT)

LOCATION: Holiday Inn Rapid City-Rushmore Plaza (505 N 5th Street, Rapid City)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: This event is free and open to the public.

Americans for Prosperity Reiterates Pro-Trade, Anti-Tariff Priorities

Americans for Prosperity Reiterates Pro-Trade, Anti-Tariff Priorities
Grassroots group highlights multi-year, multi-million-dollar campaign to promote trade, combat tariffs

PIERRE, S.D.—Americans for Prosperity-South Dakota (AFP-SD), one of 36 nationwide chapters of Americans for Prosperity, highlighted a new multi-year, multi-million-dollar initiative campaignfrom Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, the LIBRE Initiative, and Americans for Prosperity, to champion the far-reaching benefits of trade and oppose tariffs and other barriers to it. The grassroots group also reiterated the importance of trade to South Dakota and its economy.

AFP-SD State Director Don Haggar had this to say about the effort:

“With agriculture being one of the biggest drivers of South Dakota’s economy, anything that moves to restrict our ability to trade our products is a non-starter for us. Not only would this be detrimental to our financial prosperity, it would put hardworking South Dakotans out of jobs and generally mean less opportunity and freedom for our friends and neighbors. At the end of the day, trade is a cornerstone to a free and open society, and we will not stand idly by to see it taken away.”

The campaign, launched on Monday will include paid media, activist education and grassroots mobilization, lobbying and policy analysis – all intended to transform the way Washington and the rest of the country considers and values trade with other nations. The organizations released a list of trade principles and policy recommendations which the campaign will advance.

To supplement this effort in South Dakota, AFP-SD is launching a digital ad campaign aimed at educating citizens and encouraging them to contact their lawmakers, urging them to support pro-trade policies. You can view the effort (and contact your lawmakers!) here.

Additionally, AFP sent a letter on Wednesday to Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) in support of legislation the senator introduced to require congressional approval of tariffs. The letter highlights the benefits of trade and the consequences of trade barriers. You can read the full release and letter here.

Background

Don Haggar’s op-ed on trade, tariffs, and a possible trade war ran in the Capital Journal.

AFP, Freedom Partners and The LIBRE Initiative Urge White House to Abandon Harmful Tariff Policy in Official Comment to USTR

Freedom Partners, AFP Oppose New Auto Tariffs