Noem, Johnson Reintroduce Bill to Keep Fugitives Off Social Security 

Washington, D.C. – Reps. Kristi Noem (R-SD) and Sam Johnson (R-TX) today reintroduced the Control Unlawful Fugitive Felon (CUFF) Act. If enacted, the legislation would prohibit individuals with outstanding felony warrants or parole violations from receiving Social Security disability or retirement payments. The bill is estimated to save taxpayers $4.92 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

“It’s incredible to think that a wanted felon can evade prosecution for months – even years – and yet somehow still receive government-issued checks every 30 days or so,” said Noem.  “I’m proud to again join Congressman Johnson in introducing this commonsense legislation. Taxpayers shouldn’t be asked to make payments to people who are running from the law. It’s as simple as that.”

“The fact that fugitives can collect benefits off the backs of hardworking, law abiding taxpayers is appalling,” said Johnson, Chairman of the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee.  “Even worse, these benefits can help felons further evade the law. That’s why I’m pleased to join Congresswoman Noem in reintroducing this commonsense Law and Order bill.  It’s the right thing to do – both for the safety of and respect for all upstanding American citizens.”

The CUFF Act discontinues Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits for those with an outstanding warrant or parole violation.  The legislation only applies to individuals subject to felony charges, or a crime carrying a minimum term of one or more years in prison.  Benefits can be restored once the individual resolves any outstanding issues.

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Despite the efforts of some to discredit her because she’s a woman, Cynthia Mickelson has been pushing hard in her race for Sioux Falls School Board, and has been building up to election day.

And this morning, she’s blasting an animated message to get out and vote via the Sioux Falls Argus Leader website:

If anyone visits the Argus website today, I don’t think there’s any danger of missing that ad!

Best of luck today to a fantastic candidate. And if you have friends in Sioux Falls, make sure you tell them to get out to vote for Cynthia.

Happy #605Day – celebrating our state’s singular Area Code while it lasts!

From my mailbox:

Dear Editor:

Circulators are currently passing around petitions to put end-of-life suicide on the ballot for the 2018 election. Before you sign the petition, consider South Dakota ranks seventh highest in suicide rate in the US.  In addition, suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth and young adults in our state, and is among the highest in the nation among Native Americans.

End-of-life suicide laws have only been successfully passed in five states, but in each of those states the over-all suicide rates among all people have substantially increased since passage of the law. In essence, it seems that legalizing suicide for one group of people sends a message to all people that it’s acceptable to take your life.

If you oppose suicide, the easiest way to defeat the measure is simply not to sign the petition. If supporters can’t get enough signatures, it won’t appear on the ballot.

Dr. Fred Deutsch
Vote No on Assisted Suicide

And Fred brings up an important point that I hadn’t heard before. That in the five states where they have a “kill grandma” assisted suicide law, “the over-all suicide rates among all people have substantially increased since passage of the law.”

That’s a pretty powerful point.

With epidemics of teen suicide in cities like Pierre, and Indian Reservations, do we really want to send a message that it’s ok to kill yourself?

If we believe that life matters, as a society, it’s ok to withhold permission for people to kill themselves.

Attorney General Explanation Released for Constitutional Amendment Regarding Initiated and Referred Measures

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today an Attorney General Explanation for a proposed constitutional amendment has been filed with the Secretary of State. This statement will appear on a petition that will be circulated by the sponsor of the amendment.   If the sponsor obtains a sufficient  number of signatures (27,741) by November 6, 2017, as certified by the Secretary of State, the amendment will be placed on the ballot for the November 2018 general election.

The amendment is entitled “An initiated amendment to the South Dakota Constitution regarding initiated and referred measures.”

Under South Dakota law, the Attorney General is responsible for preparing explanations for proposed initiated measures, referred laws, and South Dakota Constitutional Amendments. Specifically, the explanation includes a title, an objective, clear and simple summary of the purpose and effect of the proposed amendment and a description of the legal consequences. The Attorney General Explanation is not a statement either for or against the proposed amendment.

AG Statement for Initiated Constitutional Amendment 6.5.2017 by Pat Powers on Scribd

To date the Attorney General has released Attorney General Explanations for the following:

1. An initiated measure requiring students to use rooms designated for the same biological sex, and requiring public schools to provide a reasonable accommodation for students whose gender identity is not the same as their biological sex
2. An initiated measure authorizing a South Dakota-licensed physician to prescribe drugs that a terminally ill patient may take for the purpose of ending life
3. An initiated measure to legalize marijuana for medical use
4. An initiated measure to legalize certain amounts of marijuana, drugs made from marijuana, and drug paraphernalia, and to regulate and tax marijuana establishments
5. An initiated measure requiring people to use certain rooms designated for the same biological sex
6. An initiated measure to legalize all quantities of marijuana

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(Chart from Keeping Current Matters) According to the 2016 United Van Lines National Movers Study, last year South Dakota had the highest rate of inbound movers in the nation. According to United Van Lines, “the study is based on household moves handled by United within the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C. This study ranks states based off the inbound and outbound percentages of total moves in each state.”

What’s driving the numbers? According to the company’s survey, retirees are chasing tax benefits, and job seekers are looking for new opportunities.

The Indian Health Service Must Be Held Accountable
By Sen. John Thune

The Indian Health Service (IHS) is broken. It has been for a long time. And while it might shock some people to know that the federal agency whose sole mission is to raise the “physical, mental, social, and spiritual health” of Native Americans is so fundamentally flawed, it will, unfortunately, come as no surprise to the tribal members throughout South Dakota who depend on it for their health care needs. The IHS is in such dire straits that even a nominal improvement in health care delivery would be far less than what Native American men, women, and children deserve.

While there are many hard-working people who do good work for the IHS, too many systemic challenges remain. The status quo is unacceptable, and it has to change. Words are important, but we are far beyond the time for Congress to take meaningful action to correct these problems. I intend to be part of the solution.

Last year, I introduced comprehensive legislation that would reform the IHS and hold its leaders more accountable to Congress and the communities they serve. I drafted the bill with a colleague from a neighboring state who heard stories similar to the ones tribal members had shared with me. One story in particular stuck with me – a young mother who was in labor at an IHS facility was relegated to giving birth on a bathroom floor without a single medical professional there to help her. It was because of heartbreaking stories like this one that we put pen to paper on our IHS Accountability Act. Enough was enough.

After the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA) traveled to South Dakota to hear directly, again, from the tribal members whose lives would be affected by our bill. SCIA field hearings aren’t common, so I knew we had a unique opportunity to gather feedback that the committee likely wouldn’t otherwise receive. I’m still thankful that the committee gave South Dakotans such a strong platform to share their stories.

This year, with a new Congress upon us, we’ve teamed up with more senators and representatives to introduce an improved version of our bill. The Restoring Accountability in the IHS Act would accomplish several core goals I’ve sought to implement, including giving the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary greater flexibility to terminate poorly performing employees, streamlining the hiring process so IHS can get additional dedicated and talented medical professionals on the job faster, and creating and expanding incentives so those folks stay on the job longer.

None of this would be possible, though, without continued consultation with tribal leaders and members. Their feedback is critical. They know these issues better than anyone, especially D.C. bureaucrats who are disconnected from the day-to-day life in tribal communities throughout the Great Plains. Together we can accomplish the goal of bringing accountability back to the IHS, and I look forward to finally making it happen.

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