2018 Brings us a Year Closer to America’s 250th Birthday
By U.S. Senator Mike Rounds

Over the past three years, many of you have heard me talk about what we want our country to look like in 2026, the year we celebrate America’s 250th birthday. I’ve said time and again that we must get away from the centralized, overregulated system of government that has stifled economic growth. In the past year, we’ve made great strides in getting back on track to a freer, less intrusive government.

Just before Christmas, President Trump signed historic tax relief legislation into law, the first major overhaul of our tax code in more than 30 years. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which takes effect immediately, will lead to more jobs and bigger paychecks for hardworking families. Additionally, lowering the corporate tax rate for American businesses will put them on a level playing field with the rest of the world, and allow them to be more competitive in the global marketplace, keeping jobs and income here at home.

In 2017, we were also able to undo a number of burdensome federal regulations. We were able to undo 15 Obama-era regulations under the Congressional Review Act, saving taxpayers $36 billion and more than 4 million hours of paperwork. The Trump administration has also withdrawn or reconsidered close to 900 ineffective and duplicative regulations. Some of these regulations include the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, the Clean Power Plan, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) power grab rule and retirement plan rules. Each of these ‘Washington-knows-best’ rules would have led to more paperwork, more government intrusion and less freedom for the American people.

In the Senate Banking Committee, we made progress this year on bipartisan legislation to provide relief to our financial institutions. Our bill, which includes six provisions I offered, will improve our nation’s financial regulatory framework by rolling back some of Dodd-Frank’s one-size-fits-all regulations. In doing so, our bill will help assure that South Dakota families and businesses have access to credit when they need it. This is critical as we work to grow a healthy American economy.

Our armed forces also received a much-needed boost. After years of underfunding, our military received additional resources for the second year in a row, allowing our military leaders to take necessary steps to regain the required level of readiness. I’m also pleased to report that the National Defense Authorization Act, the annual bill that specifies where funds should be spent, included eight of my provisions that will help our armed forces accomplish their missions and take care of our troops and their families.

With 2018 upon us, we are just eight years away from our 250th birthday. In 2017, we made significant steps toward a freer, less intrusive government that will help keep us safe and grow our economy. While we should be proud of the progress made, we will continue to work on the important issues that will shape our birthday celebration in 2026 and provide a stronger, healthier economy that we can pass onto future generations.

Can’t Change the Weather, but Can Change Policy
By Rep. Kristi Noem 

In 1963, more than 200 of the nation’s 435 congressional districts were defined as rural. Fifty years later, just over 30 districts carried that same distinction. It’s a shift that has dramatically changed the context in which federal policies are debated – a shift that requires rural representatives to fight harder than ever to be heard.

I was proud that despite the representation gap, the recently passed tax reform package reflected many of the priorities producers have shared with me over the years. More specifically, the newly enacted legislation allows for immediate expensing and enhances cashflow management tools. While I will continue to fight to fully and permanently repeal the Death Tax, tax reform does double the exemption level and maintain a stepped-up basis. Most notably, we have created a 20 percent small business deduction that many farms, ranches and agricultural co-ops will benefit from.

With tax reform complete, the next big item for agriculture will be the Farm Bill. The 2014 Farm Bill, which I helped negotiate, strengthened crop insurance, enhanced commodity programs, and improved livestock disaster assistance, among other South Dakota priorities. But improvements can still be made.

Over the last year, I’ve worked closely with the House Agriculture Committee to begin setting our priorities and introduced a series of reforms I’ll be fighting to include.

In July, I introduced the Donations in Rough Years (DRY) Act, which would permanently allow the hay harvested on certain CRP acres to be donated to farmers suffering from drought or fire. These natural disasters can leave thousands of acres bare, while farmers and ranchers elsewhere are forced to destroy good hay. We saw that happen too often last summer. With this commonsense provision, we could better use available resources.

At the same time, I’m pursuing reforms to the wetland determinations process. Waiting years before knowing whether a person can improve their land without jeopardizing a wetland or their participation in farm programs is a costly delay. My proposal would enact permanent reforms to make the determination process more efficient, accountable, and transparent.

Additionally, I’ve introduced the Fair CRP Payments Act, which would ensure CRP rental payments accurately reflect the current cost of renting farm ground. And after the success of the 2014 Farm Bill’s sodsaver provisions in the Prairie Pothole Region, I’ve proposed expanding the program nationwide to better protect native grasslands.

Most recently, I offered legislation to improve the Farm Bill’s Commodity Title. This Title is critical for many reasons. First, it provides an important safety net to producers. Additionally, by building programs like this into the budget rather than doing crisis-by-crisis emergency spending, we can better predict financial needs and avoid deficit spending.

The 2014 Farm Bill included two new commodity programs: Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC). During the implementation, USDA elected to prioritize county yield data from its National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), which has proven unreliable in many cases. My legislation would direct USDA to prioritize crop insurance data instead, which is a more dependable source.

Given the significant representation gap in the House, I’ll also need to spend part of 2018 educating those from urban and suburban areas about the need for a strong Farm Bill. My main message? While not everyone farms, everyone eats. It seems rudimentary, but people forget.

Our farm has been in the family for more than a century. We’ve survived bad droughts, bad floods, and bad federal policies. While we can’t change the weather, we can change policy. Tax reform did a lot to help producers, and I’m hopeful the work we do on the upcoming Farm Bill will complement those efforts and help more American farms and ranches last a century more.

The Legion Lake Fire
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard: 

There is no place like Custer State Park. Each year nearly 2 million people from all over the world come to see the buffalo, drive the wildlife loop, hike Lover’s Leap, fish on Legion Lake, and swim and kayak at Sylvan. The 72,000-acre getaway destination is home to the State Game Lodge – the historic building that President Calvin Coolidge used as his summer White House – and it is a place where memories are made.

Custer State Park employees could not have anticipated the events of the week ahead when they came to work on Monday, Dec. 11. That morning a call went out on the radio to relay that a fire had started near Legion Lake. As one staff member put it, “I wasn’t sure I wanted to go. Usually fires in December include a lot of mop up and just driving around.” But after arriving at the scene, it was clear this was going to be something entirely different.

Over the next two days, the weather conditions and terrain made things difficult. High winds, unseasonably warm temperatures, and dry conditions led the fire to grow to 54,000 acres, becoming the third largest recorded fire in the Black Hills.

We were very fortunate to have our own Type II Incident Command Team based in the Black Hills to lead the response. We could not have responded as quickly or as effectively without South Dakota Wildland Fire.

Professional and volunteer firefighters from all over the state and region responded. Local ranchers and Custer State Park staff all contributed. When high winds caused the fire to jump containment lines, firefighters, emergency responders, law enforcement and park staff went door-to-door to help families evacuate as the fire pressed at their heels. More than 340 firefighters worked that night, and in the days after, to protect primary structures. Their efforts helped abate the further spread of the fire into Wind Cave National Park, and limited damages to livestock feed, wildlife and timber. After containing the fire, they acted to mop up hotspots around Custer State Park facilities and to cut fire-weakened trees near roadways.

Thanks to the efforts of all involved, no lives were lost, no one was injured, and no homes or primary structures were lost. All 175 houses in the area were protected and the farmers, ranchers and local residents all had a home to which they could return for Christmas.

A fire can be healthy if it clears grass and undergrowth, and in many areas of the park, that’s what happened. Thankfully the buffalo herd and wildlife were largely unaffected. Custer State Park lost fencing, most of the winter pastures, and some stands of timber; but the recovery is well underway with fencing crews on site, hay purchases, and relocation of some of the buffalo to an unburned area.

The Legion Lake Fire could have been much, much worse, if not for the hard work and heroic efforts of our firefighters. It was South Dakota at its best – people from all across the state and region pulling together in a time of need. Thanks to the efforts of all involved, Custer State Park is open for business again. With good moisture, burned areas will turn emerald green next spring, as new grass emerges. By peak season, park staff will have the park in pristine condition, ready to give visitors the high-quality experience they have provided for decades.

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Despite ridiculous protests a year ago, North Dakotans are reaping the benefits of a completed Dakota Access pipeline, according to the Wall Street Journal:

The pipeline has significantly lowered energy transportation costs and energy companies to move their oil to the Gulf Coast, where it fetches a higher price. So it’s little surprise that energy production has surged since the Dakota Access Pipeline opened.

Between September and October alone, oil production grew by 78,000 barrels a day, the biggest month-over-month increase North Dakota has ever seen.

And…

The Dakota Access Pipeline has also reduced oil-train traffic within the state. The last time oil production was this high, North Dakota saw as many as 12 trains, or 1,200 cars, pass through daily. Today, only two trains do. That’s a victory for the environment and public safety, given that oil-spill accidents occur with much greater frequency on railways than in pipelines.

Read it here.

Gov. Daugaard To Appoint Michael Diedrich To District 34 House Seat

PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard announced today that he will appoint Michael Diedrich of Rapid City to fill the District 34 vacancy in the State House of Representatives.

Diedrich will succeed the late Craig Tieszen, who passed away in November. He will serve during the 2018 Legislative Session and his term will continue through the end of 2018.

Diedrich previously served in the South Dakota State Senate from 1987-91 and from 1993-95. He is vice president of governmental relations for Regional Health in Rapid City. During his almost seven years at Regional Health, Diedrich has also worked as associate general counsel and as interim VP of the compliance, human resources, and development departments. Diedrich previously spent 11 years in the Rapid City city attorney’s office, including seven years as city attorney, and also worked in private business.

“Mike Diedrich has extensive experience in the legislature, in private industry, and in the municipal and non-profit sectors,” said Gov. Daugaard. “With Rep. Tieszen’s sad passing, I appreciate that Mike is willing to step in and serve in the State House.”

Diedrich is a graduate of Rapid City Central High School, and earned his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of South Dakota. He also holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, and a master of laws in healthcare law from Loyola University School of Law.

“Craig Tieszen was dedicated to making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. I plan to serve with the same level of integrity, strong values and compassion that he displayed in all facets of life,” Diedrich said. “As a lifelong resident of Rapid City, I am humbled to represent my neighbors and community to positively impact change now and for future generations.”

Diedrich has served on many community and states board. He currently serves on the Rapid City Rushmore Plaza Civic Center board of directors, the Mt. Rushmore Society board of directors, the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce public policy and government affairs committees, the South Dakota Health Care Solutions Coalition, and the Boy Scouts of America district board. Diedrich is also a member of the board of directors of Black Hills Community Bank, N.A.

Diedrich and his wife, Connie, have two sons, Chris and Ross.

District 34 includes western Rapid City, generally including the areas west of Mt. Rushmore Road, Dinosaur Hill, and “the gap” on West Main Street, and including sites such as Camp Rapid, Canyon Lake, the Sioux San Hospital, West Middle School, and Southwest Middle School.

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– Editor’s note: I wouldn’t have guessed that Mike would come back to serve. It’s unexpected, but not unwelcome. Mike was always a good public servant, and a gentleman during his previous terms of office. – pp

The Secretary of State’s office quietly approved a measure for the ballot yesterday, approving petitions which vow to return some of the provisions overturned by the legislature as a result of not being constitutional after the last election:

Title & Official Petition	Official Ballot Number/ Letter	Validation Date
An initiated amendment to the South Dakota Constitution changing campaign finance and lobbying laws, creating a government accountability board, and changing certain initiative and referendum provisions (VERSION #1)	Constitutional Amendment W	Dec. 28, 2017

Amendment “W” (for Worthless) is the first measure approved for the 2018 election ballot.

I’ve got a number of chores to do today, but I wanted to bring you something fun, recognizing that it’s the last working day of the year.

So, here’s something to chew on: Here are the top 10 commented posts of 2017.

1	Bollen Pleads Guilty to Unauthorized Disposal of Personal Property Subject to Security Interest
2	Friends of South Dakota Public Broadcasting CEO privately calling for removal of all confederate items from Empire Mall
3	Ever have a time when you hope for mutually assured destruction? GOP’s Extreme Right degrades into Facebook slapping fight.
4	So, that was the version of the Hulk that just kind of sat there and gave credence to rumors?
5	Krebs joins Dem Secretaries of State to refuse voter fraud probe
6	SDGOP National Committeeman and Committeewoman break from Gov Daugaard’s choice, endorse Lederman for SDGOP Chair
7	Well, there went a productive session. Legislator to be investigated for conduct.
8	Secretary of State’s Vote 605 app directing people to Krebs for Congress Campaign Facebook Page
9	Gubernatorial Candidate claims Attorney General Marty Jackley is a “crook who belongs in prison,” and Gov. Daugaard forced “horrible sexual abberance” coming to SD
10	In case you were worried Lora Hubbel took a week off of being nuts….

 

It’s time for a rundown of what’s happening with Republicans at the statewide level in South Dakota. Who’s running for what, and who will probably not be running for what. it’s time for the GOP Tale of the tape New Years’ Eve edition:

Had a friend just send this to me. Apparently, State Representative Lynne Hix-DiSanto is advertising via facebook that she’s taking on a new job: