Press Release

Neal Tapio: Law Enforcement, Lawmakers and School Leaders Agree: Star Academy Closure Leaves Gaping Hole in South Dakota Juvenile Justice System

Legislation authorizing the state sale of the former Star Academy facility near Custer continues to inspire a growing concern from law enforcement and educational professionals in the state about what that decision means for an already crumbling juvenile justice system in South Dakota.

Several years ago, legislators approved Senate Bills 70 and 73, providing for wholesale changes in the way criminal justice is administered in the state while shifting away from institutionalized justice and rehabilitation facilities toward community based therapy and intervention options.

Now, growing community concerns indicates the unintended consequences of that change have put a strain on local resources including calls for additional jail capacity in local communities and leaving school officials relying on a legal system without sufficient deterrents to juvenile criminal behavior.

Republican State Senator Neal Tapio of Watertown says those dealing with the everyday problems of the current system are nearly unanimous in identifying the same deficiencies, but are reluctant to voice criticisms publicly for fear of political reprisal.

“We’ve spoken with dozens of sheriffs, states attorneys and school superintendents, and nearly all of them have indicated previous changes made to the system have taken the teeth out of juvenile justice,” Tapio said. “Reducing punishments to a slap on the wrist has failed miserably as many had predicted and removing Star Academy from that system leaves a gaping hole in our arsenal of resources to deal with the troubled youth of our state.”

A group of lawmakers today renews calls for halting the sale of Star Academy until a further review of the juvenile justice program in South Dakota which includes a comprehensive appraisal of increased usage of methamphetamine among South Dakota children.

Tapio and other lawmakers, in calling for Governor Dennis Daugaard to delay the sale of Star Academy have spoken with law enforcement and school superintendents across the state who say the present policy course in dealing with juvenile justice is disastrous on every level.

Republican State Representative, Julie Frye-Mueller, who represents the Custer area, agrees. “The current system has reduced punishment to a slap on the wrist and simply returns kids back to the same environment that caused problems in the first place. This policy is harming the school environment and puts other kids in danger,” Frye-Mueller said.

“Within the last week I have spoken with multiple school superintendents who agreed that the closure of Star Academy leaves school administrators and parents without effective tools to handle troubled children.” Frye-Mueller said.

Senator Neal Tapio says there is a near consensus for the need of a top to bottom overhaul of the state juvenile justice approach that strikes a balance between problems associated with institutional discipline and the deterrent impact that such facilities can have in preventing more serious forms of juvenile crime.

“If we treat kids as criminals they will act like criminals,” Tapio said. “It’s past time for a serious approach to rehabilitation that places a value on life skills, workplace and vocational training and changes in interpersonal relationships and coping skills for kids. I would like to see a new type of program that offers a purpose driven programming that would be volunteer focused and charity based.”

Tapio says a combination of government resources and facilities and private counseling and rehabilitation models must be blended for better outcomes for troubled youth.

“Government solutions are leaving out the most vital component to personal rehabilitation, because government eliminates a discussion of a God-centered lifestyle, and a value of teaching right and wrong as a pathway to a successful and happy life. Government programs, while good intentioned, are handcuffed in their ability to deal with the most important portions of personal growth and development. Private, non-governmental options have the flexibility and the freedom to deal with the whole person in ways institutions simply cannot.”

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Tax Reform Advances with Approval from Noem’s Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Kristi Noem today joined the House Ways & Means Committee in approving the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, setting the stage for the tax reform bill to be considered by the full House in the coming weeks. The legislation, which has found support from many South Dakotans, is expected to increase wages by 3.1 percent, add nearly 1 million jobs, and raise after-tax incomes by thousands of dollars, according to the non-partisan Tax Foundation. Meanwhile, the Joint Committee on Taxation found there would be “a tax benefit to all income categories,” and the Tax Policy Center found “the legislation would reduce taxes on average for all income groups.”

“It is the privilege of a lifetime to go through this tax reform plan line by line and fight for South Dakota priorities,” said Noem. “Today is an exciting day. This is the most significant step we’ve taken toward comprehensive tax reform in more than 30 years, and I’m proud of what we’ve put forward. It’s a plan that finally respects and rewards hard work. It delivers much lower tax rates and simplifies things enough so most people won’t need an army of accountants to pay their taxes or build their business. We’re making sure everyone starts playing by the same rules and can experience the benefits of higher wages and increased job creation. I look forward to continuing this debate in the full House and remain optimistic about what this plan can do for the hardworking people of South Dakota.”

Rounds Statement on Senate Tax Reform Proposal

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement on tax reform proposal introduced by the Senate Committee on Finance:

“The release of the Senate’s tax reform proposal today is another step toward delivering relief to American families and small businesses,” said Rounds. “We are committed to a tax reform plan that will provide more jobs, bigger paychecks and a fairer tax system for South Dakotans. I look forward to reading the bill in its entirety and working with my colleagues in the Senate to advance legislation that will boost our economy and put more money in American workers’ pockets.” 

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Senate Tax Reform Plan Would Help Middle-Income South Dakotans, Farmers and Ranchers

The Senate plan “lowers tax rates, doubles the standard deduction, and increases the child tax credit, all of which will put more money into the pockets of hardworking Americans …”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a member of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, today applauded the Finance Committee’s release of a comprehensive tax reform plan based on the unified framework. Several Thune-authored provisions from previously introduced tax reform bills were included in the broader Senate plan. These provisions, in addition to Thune’s work on the broader plan, will help middle-income families, small and medium-sized businesses, and family-run farms and ranches throughout South Dakota. As a member of the Finance Committee, Thune will play a critical role when the committee begins consideration of the plan on Monday, November 13.

“Middle-income Americans are tired of struggling under a weak economy. They are ready for relief. This legislation is good news for American workers and American families. The legislation the Senate Finance Committee unveiled today lowers tax rates, doubles the standard deduction, and increases the child tax credit, all of which will put more money into the pockets of hardworking Americans and give them more flexibility to care for their families. By lowering taxes on small businesses and other job creators, our bill also makes the reforms necessary to boost our economy and give Americans access to the kinds of jobs, wages, and opportunities that will set them up for a secure future. I commend Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch for his leadership and look forward to working with our colleagues in the House and the Trump administration to ensure a pro-growth tax reform package is signed into law.”

Since January 2017, Thune has introduced numerous individual tax reform marker bills that cover multiple portions of the tax code. Thune-authored provisions included in the Senate version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are:

• Modified portions of Thune’s Investment in New Ventures and Economic Success Today (INVEST) Act of 2017 (S. 1144), legislation that would simplify accounting rules and reform key parts of the tax code to help small and medium-sized business owners more quickly recover investment costs and certain other tax deductible business expenses. By accelerating cost recovery on property, equipment, inventory, and other common business investments, these provisions would encourage new business growth and help existing businesses, including farms and ranches, expand their operations, create new jobs, and grow the economy
• Thune’s New Economy Works to Guarantee Independence and Growth (NEW GIG) Act of 2017 (S. 1549), legislation that addresses the classification of workers – independent contractors versus employees – and creates a safe harbor for those who meet a set of objective tests that would qualify them as an independent contractor. This legislation is important for traditional independent contractor arrangements, like computer consultants, freelance writers, and delivery drivers, as well as all of those individuals who participate in the on-demand economy and provide a rapidly growing range of services.

Sen. Thune doesn’t believe death should be a taxable event, which is why he introduced the Death Tax Repeal Act in January 2017 and still strongly supports this approach. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes a provision that would provide additional relief (compared to current law) to more of South Dakota’s family-run businesses, farms, and ranches that are currently threatened by the death tax, which is important progress.

To learn more about Thune’s work on tax reform, please visit the tax reform section on www.thune.senate.gov.

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Its no question that broadband has become a vital part of life. It’s no longer a service for just watching YouTube videos or reading dakotawarcollege.com – it has become critical for people to access healthcare, take classes, improve agriculture, and grow their business.

However, there are still millions of Americans that don’t have reliable access to the internet. Especially South Dakota. One source cites us as being 33rd in the nation for Internet Access.

The rural broadband gap exists because it has been difficult to find a way to connect users in rural areas in a cost-effective manner. While I enjoy a nice fiber-op connection here in Brookings, the cost of fiber cable can run $30,000 a mile. This makes running cable to widely dispersed customers in rural areas ridiculously expensive.  In fact, just this past summer, a close friend of mine living in Summerset finally got cable internet – just on the outskirts of Rapid City – because a wealthy neighbor paid to have it brought all the way up the hill past him.

An average joe should not have to rely on the chance of having someone living in the neighborhood who is willing to pay the price to have it brought up a hill.

The answer to bringing broadband coverage to the 23.4 million Americans who lack access is adopting a mixed technology model. For 80 percent of rural Americans, broadband access is possible if we help Internet service providers and other companies take advantage of “TV White Spaces.” These unused channels below 700 MHz can be used to broadcast high-speed Internet as far as ten miles in hard-to-reach places. In other parts of rural America, the answer is fixed wireless or satellite coverage.

This mixed technology model is exciting because it represents a real, actionable plan that can bridge the digital divide in a cost-effective manner.

Connect Americans Now is a new coalition that has been formed with support from Microsoft and telecommunication companies. Connect Americans Now aims to use TV white spaces to bring high speed Internet to rural communities.

Connect Americans Now already has private sector backing but also needs the support of the public sector. In particular, the FCC needs to ensure that three channels below 700 MHz are available for wireless use on an unlicensed basis in every market in the country. This will allow multiple companies to provide high speed broadband without having any impact on broadcast channels.

It is important that the federal and state infrastructure funds include capital investments that will expand coverage in rural areas that currently lack broadband access. There also needs to be improved data collection on rural broadband coverage by the FCC, giving policymakers and the private sector pertinent information allowing them to make targeted investments.

Senator Thune has already voiced his concern over rural access to high speed Internet, and technology has proved to make this a realistic goal.

It’s time for the FCC to make this a reality.

Noem’s Committee Begins Formal Consideration of Tax Reform Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Kristi Noem today joined the House Ways & Means Committee as they began formal consideration of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. According to the non-partisan Tax Foundation, the tax reform proposal – which Noem played a pivotal role in drafting – would increase wages by 3.1 percent, add nearly 1 million jobs, and raise the after-tax income of the average middle-income family.

For the latest information, please visit Noem.House.gov/TaxReform. To watch the proceedings live, please visit WaysAndMeans.House.gov/Live.

“It’s taken decades to get to this point, but it’s essential we get this right,” saidNoem. “For the next week, we’ll be going through the bill line by line, making sure it reflects our priorities of building strong families and a strong future for all Americans. We’re committed to lowering tax rates, expanding pro-family credits, and creating a tax code that respects and rewards hard work. In return, taxpayers will see wages rise and job creation boom. After years of stagnation, it’s critical we act now. I’m eager to finish our committee work on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act so full House consideration can begin.”

Noem was selected for the House Ways and Means Committee in January 2015. Just over a year later, the committee released a blueprint for tax reform that outlined what a pro-growth, pro-family tax plan would look like. Over the course of the next year, Rep. Noem sat down with hundreds of South Dakotans to discuss the plan – both in the state and in her Washington, D.C. office. Noem also participated in more than a dozen formal Ways and Means Committee hearings on tax reform and brought South Dakota farmer Scott VanderWal to the table to testify on tax reform’s impact on agriculture.

All in all, the House Ways and Means Committee has been working on this proposal for more than six years, holding more than 40 public hearings since 2011.###

What They are Saying about Tax Reform

“This is a tax reform bill built for farmers, and Rep. Noem was integral in achieving that. From significantly lower tax rates to repealing the Death Tax, the Tax Cut and Jobs Act is more fair and takes a big step toward rewarding rather than punishing hard work and success.”

– Scott VanderWal, Farmer near Volga and SD Farm Bureau President, who testified before the House Ways & Means Committee on tax reform

“[Rep. Kristi Noem’s] hard work and persistence has made our progress to date possible and is our greatest asset in the serious fight to kill the Death Tax once and for all.”

– Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform

“I believe that the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act will help small businesses like mine invest in more equipment, develop better processes, and compete better in the global market which will, in turn, result in more opportunities for employment as we grow and invest in our future.”

– Robb Peterson, President at Glacial Lakes Rubber & Plastics LLC in Watertown

“High-quality child care can help more children be prepared to succeed in life. In fact, research shows that it can help to combat the major barriers that keep 71% of young Americans from being qualified to serve in the military. With child care costs on the rise, the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit is a critical support for working families….”

– Major General Donald J. Goldhorn, U.S. Army, Retired – Castlewood, South Dakota

“The National Indian Health Board is very pleased to see that the draft House tax proposal includes a provision to make the IHS student loan repayment program tax exempt.  This common-sense provision will not only create parity with other federal health programs, but will allow IHS to stretch their scarce resources further and provide more incentives for health professionals to work for the Indian health system… NIHB expresses our sincerest appreciation to Congresswoman Noem for her commitment to getting this included in the House tax legislation.”

– Caitrin McCarron Shuy, National Indian Health Board

“Prairie Aquatech will benefit from this tax plan by having a lower corporate tax rate and keeping the money locally to pay employees a higher wage.  Since we are a research and development company, the R&D tax credits, interest deductions and being able to write off the cost of new equipment will help us get started as a new business….”

– Dennis Harstad, VP of Operations/GM at Prairie Aqua Tech in Brookings

“Tax reform is absolutely necessary to ensure that ‘family’ remains the cornerstoneof our South Dakota farms and ranches now and for generations to come. Congresswoman Noem’s personal family farm experiences coupled with her position and influence on the Ways and Means Committee lend real life experience to the tax issues such as Estate Tax and Like Kind Exchanges that can be life changing for South Dakota farmers and ranchers.”

– Jerry Schmitz, President of the South Dakota Soybean Association

“Molded Fiber Glass Companies supports the proposed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act bill and sees it as a positive step in helping US, and in particular, South Dakota-based businesses, become more competitive with foreign-based businesses.  We also see it as having avery positive impact on Middle Class families which make up our workforce.”

– David Giovannini, Sr. Vice President at Molded Fiber Glass Companies in Aberdeen

“The simplification of the filing requirements, the elimination of the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), and modification of the estate tax will take out a lot of the pain, shock, anger, and frustration that Americans feel about their taxes.”

– Casey Peterson, Founder and Shareholder at Casey Peterson LTD CPAs and Financial Advisors

“There are three items in the proposed tax cut bill that I see as vitally important to South Dakota.  First of all, reducing the tax rate on the hard-earned business income of Main Street job creators….  Secondly, we need to preserve the home mortgage interestdeduction to help make the American Dream more affordable to our people….  And, last but not least, it is vital that the deduction for charitable contributions continues….”

– Joy Nelson, Founder of Joy Ranch and Co-Owner of Haugan Nelson Realty in Watertown

“Due to the bill’s provisions that will dramatically improve the competitiveness of US-based corporations (including the immediate and permanent 20% tax rate) and encourage US economic growth and investment, 3M supports H.R. 1 and urges its reporting from the Committee during this week’s markup….”

– 3M with facilities in Brookings and Aberdeen

“Every dollar is critical to the small business owner in South Dakota, especially those who are just starting out.  So any progress towards meaningful tax reform for the small business owner is welcome.”

– Jeff Eckhoff, State Director of the South Dakota Small Business Development Center

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I’m thinking about making some travel plans for this coming year, but the question is how much more expensive is travelling by air going to get?

When I was growing up in South Dakota, aviation used to be a luxury. In fact, I never had taken a commercial flight until I was in college because of the expense. Today it’s a necessity, and quite within the reach of average South Dakotans, as evidenced by the increasing number of people flying for business and leisure.

In 2016, there were over 200,000 airline passengers in South Dakota alone. With millions of people flying throughout the nation on a daily basis, it’s no surprise that current projections predict continued expansion of commercial air travel. Making air travel more affordable and accessible to larger segments of our population is a goal we all share.

Unfortunately, Congress may not be completely on board with that thought process. There is currently a proposal advanced by Senator Susan Collins that would nearly double the cap for what’s called the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC), a tax levied by airports and collected by the airlines every time a passenger books a ticket. With taxes and fees currently constituting 21 percent of a typical airline ticket, a drastic increase in the PFC will make commercial flights less affordable for thousands of passengers. While airlines have seen gradual growth in recent years, a PFC cap hike is going to restrict future economic expansion and lead to higher ticket prices.

Here’s the kicker: airports don’t need this increase. In the last decade, airports and airlines have finished or introduced over $100 billion in development projects. In addition, the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF), an entity that provides funding for airport improvements, currently has almost $6 billion in unspent funds waiting to be used. Since a PFC hike would result in a jump in ticket costs, overall airport and airline traffic would decrease. This lack of foresight by airports is disturbingly ironic: increasing the cost of something will lead to less of it, not more of it.

As conservatives, it is easy for us to recognize that this increase in the PFC cap will hurt travelers and economic prosperity in the long run. Airports have been unable to identify a single project that has gone unfunded due to a lack of a PFC increase, making the justification for it questionable.

On the contrary, the airports demanding this policy change are just another example of our bloated government bureaucracy. This cash grab will make air travel even more costly for thousands of travelers.

As South Dakotans, when airport lobbyists and career politicians make decisions that negatively affect our state, we should not stand idly by. In order to keep ticket costs affordable, we should encourage Senator Rounds and Senator Thune to keep up the good work in Washington, and to hold the line on airline taxes and fees for South Dakota consumers.

Let’s keep those planes flying!

From Fred Deutsch, South Dakotans Against Assisted Suicide issued the following statement regarding the successful effort to educate South Dakotans about the Assisted Suicide measure that did not receive sufficient signatures to make the ballot:

There are so many people to thank for our victory preventing assisted-suicide from coming to South Dakota.

This was an effort by well over a hundred key people, some of whom want to remain anonymous.  First and foremost my thanks goes out to my bipartisan board of current and former legislators: Brian Gosch, Rep. Lynne DiSanto, Rep. Ray Ring, Rep. Julie Bartling, Dennis Feickert, Scott Munstermann, Jon Hanson, and Rep. Steve Haugaard. I made a total of eight calls to ask these people to serve.  100% said yes.

Thanks also goes out to the many professionals that provided us pro-bono work – the corporate lawyer that drew up our organizational papers, the tax lawyer that applied for our tax exempt status with the IRS, the election-law lawyer that provided us guidance navigating South Dakota election laws, and the many others that have reached out to us to provide their gracious support – to each of you, thank you, thank you!

So many other South Dakotans stepped forward to help, I can’t name everyone.  We had literally dozens of South Dakota citizen-volunteers lined up to scrutinize petition validity and prepare for a court challenge – to all of you, thank you.

Our first and best strategy was to stop the initiative at the signature gathering phase through education. Thank you to everyone that invited us into your homes, businesses, community groups, coffees, political meetings, church groups, medical doctor meetings and other groups to talk about the many dangers of assisted-suicide.

I also need to thank the many people that reached out to us from other states and counties that have fought this battle before and provided us strategic advice. Also, many thanks to Nik Nikas and Dorinda Bordlee from the Bioethics Defense Fund, Barbara Lyons from the Patient Rights Defense Fund, Margaret Dore from Choice is an Illusion, and Clint Cline from Design4. We could not have accomplished this without your help.

Of all the different outcomes we prepared for, not qualifying for the ballot was far-and-away the best.  Thank you to everyone that made this a reality.

How many signatures did the “Kill Grandma” effort manage to collect?

According to their public Facebook, only around 8000, fully 7000 votes less than the measure they managed to turn in to the Secretary of States office.  Nearly 1/2 of the people who said yes to pot, said no to suicide.

At least they got it 1/2 right.