In case you missed it, the pendulum just swung hard the other way, in contrast to the Obama administration’s attack on religious liberties. From the Hill:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued legal guidance Friday directing federal agencies on how to protect religious liberty in employment, contracting and programming as they execute federal laws.

The guidance follows President Trump’s May 4 executive order directing the agencies to respect and protect religious liberty and political speech, made by both individuals and organizations.

The 25-page memo maps out 20 guiding principles reminding agencies that freedom of religion is a fundamental right and that the free exercise of religion “includes the right to act or abstain from action in accordance with one’s religious beliefs.”

And..

It states as an example that a Lutheran school may choose to employ only practicing Lutherans, only practicing Christians or only those who adhere to a code of conduct consistent with the precepts of the Lutheran community sponsoring the school.

It also said religious organizations may be exempt from following certain discrimination laws if doing so would conflict with the organization’s religious principles.

This would appear to suggest support for allowing religious organizations to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The memo claimed that the government can likely prohibit religious groups from discriminating on the basis of race but may not be able to prohibit other forms of discrimination.

Read it here.

Predictably, there are those who are objecting to the memo:

“This is a direct attack on women’s rights,” said Vanita Gupta, president and chief executive of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “The Trump administration is using the guise of religious liberty to carry out their ideological agenda to deprive women of basic reproductive health care.”

And civil liberties groups said there could be other effects. The principle allowing religious employers to hire only those whose conduct is consistent with their beliefs, for example, might allow a religious school to fire a teacher who had a child out of wedlock or a man who wed another man, said Louise Melling, deputy legal director at the ACLU.

Read that here.

Are we ever going to find a happy medium that people on both sides of the debate can live with?

From a reader’s mailbox:

Interesting.   They claim they’re protecting Obama’s legacy, blah, blah, blah…. and talk about their message. But… what about their candidates?  They just aren’t talking about them. It seems that the SD Dems have conceded ever winning elections in SD.

“Every dollar that you donate goes towards holding the GOP accountable.”  But in past appeals, it’s at least had some oblique mention about helping Dems get elected. But now? Nada.

You have to wonder, what exactly do candidates such as Tim Bjorkman and Billie Sutton feel about their open abandonment of their mission to elect candidates, instead focusing on “the Obama Legacy?”

So, is it standard operating procedure now for legislators to live-tweet from legislative hearings when they don’t get their way in committee, as opposed to paying attention to the business at hand?

We’re in hour one of day 2 of the Government Operations and Audit Committee, and Senator Stace Nelson is already tweeting away instead of paying attention to the hearing….

Oh look, taking audience pictures too. No selfies?

Really?  Pretty soon the chair is going to have to collect cell phones like in high school…

South Dakota GOP Launches “Don’t Sign on the Line” effort to encourage voters to educate themselves on ballot measures before they agree to them.

With South Dakota’s ballot continually being used as a mad scientist’s laboratory, the South Dakota Republican Party’s governing body, the State Republican Party’s Central Committee, adopted the position at a recent meeting that voters should fully educate themselves before committing to sign a petition for any ballot measure.

As a result, South Dakota GOP Chairman Dan Lederman launched the party’s education effort titled “Don’t sign on the Line” on social media this week.

Chairman Dan Lederman noted that “the effort is about educating voters to make sure they understand what they’re signing.  All too often, out-of-state organizations have thrown millions of dollars into signature collection, bringing in hired guns from out of state to circulate petitions who never establish an actual residency here, despite the requirements of the law.”

“The initiative and referendum process was established in South Dakota to allow a government that’s more responsive to its citizens,” Lederman said. “Not for whatever D.C. or California special interest group who could write the biggest check and send in armies for a slick, street-corner sell.”

The State Republican party is encouraging every South Dakotan who is approached by a ballot measure petition carrier, DON’T SIGN ON THE LINE, and that South Dakota voters can take a day, and hold off on signing until they have a chance to both research the measure, as well as to verify that the petition carrier can produce South Dakota identification.

“Only if they’re satisfied that its a measure that makes South Dakota better, and it’s a fellow South Dakotan making the ask, should they consider signing,” Lederman said.

GOAC in session in Sioux Falls. .@SenStaceNelson arguing his dissenting report should be entered into the record pic.twitter.com/UsLFfSlMXT

— Dana Ferguson (@bydanaferguson) October 5, 2017

Another legislator (not on GOAC) who is listening in offered this comment….

Yep… sounds like it’s going just peachy…

3:15 Update… (his colleagues inform me that) since they’ve moved on to the tri-valley matter, apparently Stace is bored now, and busy tweeting to his BFF during the GOAC committee hearing..

Apparently committee time is still twitter time, same as in 2014..

@SDSenate2014 Actually, @madvilletimes has a more conservative stance on (R) issues like Common Core, Crony-Capitalism, etc., than you. — Rep. Stace Nelson (@RepStaceNelson) February 7, 2014

I received a unique mailer today from the Dusty Johnson campaign for a big fundraiser in Sioux Falls later this month. Why is it unique? I’ll just “pop it up.”

The postcard sized mailing was tabbed and sealed, which has the user pull it apart to find…

It’s actually a pop-up mailer.  I suspect on per piece basis it was quite expensive, but if you’r emailing to a limited universe of big money donors, it’s worth getting their attention.

Thune and Noem Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral Effort to Expand Sodsaver Initiative

Sodsaver Legislation Would Close Crop Insurance Yield Substitution Loophole Nationwide 

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and U.S. Reps. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) and Tim Walz (D-Minn.), a member of the House Agriculture Committee, today introduced companion versions of the bipartisan American Prairie Conservation Act (S. 1913 and H.R. 3939). This new sodsaver legislation, which, according the Congressional Budget Office, would save more than $50 million over ten years, would disincentivize the conversion of native sod to cropland by closing a crop insurance yield substitution loophole in all 50 states. Thune first authored sodsaver initiatives in the 2008 and 2014 farm bills for nationwide implementation.

Sodsaver, which has only been implemented in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Montana, and Nebraska, is a cost-saving initiative that disincentivizes, but does not prevent, farmers from converting native sod to cropland.Farmers who choose to break up native sod and convert it to cropland face a reduction in crop insurance premium subsidy assistance and a reduction in guaranteed yields of insured crops.

“By closing loopholes and applying these more effective sodsaver provisions nationwide, we can save taxpayers money, eliminate an unintended crop insurance incentive to break native sod, and protect America’s diminishing prairie grasslands that are so important to our grazing livestock producers,” said Thune. “Not only is this an example of a good-government solution, but the savings achieved by our bill could be used elsewhere in an already cash-strapped farm bill.”

“The sodsaver provision we implemented in six Midwestern states as part of the 2014 Farm Bill has successfully reduced the conversion of native sod, saved taxpayer dollars, and encouraged wildlife habitat,” said Klobuchar. “Our bipartisan legislation would extend this small, commonsense change to the crop insurance program and boost conservation efforts and savings nationwide.”

“As an avid hunter and a lifelong farmer, I truly appreciate that in South Dakota our hunting tradition is just as strong as our commitment to agriculture,” said Noem. “With the Protect Our Prairies language included, the 2014 Farm Bill has helped strike a healthier balance between production and conservation in the Prairie Pothole Region. With proven results and the prospect of additional savings for taxpayers, now is the time to expand the program nationwide.”

“I am proud to re-introduce this legislation that will conserve critical wildlife habitat while allowing farmers to manage their lands as they see fit,” said Walz. “By working together and promoting common sense conservation practices we can protect critical wildlife habitat, support our farmers, and support the hunting and fishing industry that is an integral part of our state’s economy.”

The American Prairie Conservation Act would:

• Apply sodsaver’s prohibition to substitute crop insurance yields on native sod that is converted to cropland nationwide;
• By requiring crop insurance premium subsidies and yield guarantees be reduced for a total of four cumulative years for any crop, close an existing loophole that allows certain noninsured crops to be planted four consecutive years with no reduction in crop insurance assistance for succeeding insured crops;
• Make crop insurance assistance more reflective of production capabilities on all native sod that is converted to cropland nationwide;
• Require producers who convert native sod to cropland to certify to the Farm Service Agency the number and location of acres of native sod that are converted in an existing automated crop certification system so the converted acres would be accurately tracked;
• Apply to both crop insurance and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.

A loophole in existing sodsaver statute allows producers to plant non-insurable crops on newly converted native sod for four successive years. After the four successive-year window, producers could then plant insurable crops, such as corn, wheat, and soybeans, without any reduction in crop insurance assistance. The American Prairie Conservation Act requires four cumulative years of crop insurance assistance reductions before insurable crops planted on native sod that are converted to cropland are no longer subject to sodsaver provisions.

U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) are cosponsors of the American Prairie Conservation Act.

###

Rounds: Fairer, Lower, Simpler Tax Code Will Unleash the Full Potential of the American Economy

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today delivered remarks on the Senate floor calling for a simpler, lower, fairer tax code that will improve our economy, create new jobs and increase wages for the American people.

“It is our intention to deliver policies that will jolt our economy, allow hard-working families to keep more of their paychecks and provide financial opportunities to lower and middle-class families,” said Rounds on the Senate floor. “I am encouraged by the ongoing discussions and progress being made to alleviate the tax burden on American businesses and hardworking families, and I will continue to work with anyone serious about lowering taxes and reforming the code to provide a much-needed jolt to our sluggish economy.”

I might have to work myself up to walking and chewing gum at the same time  🙂  But Sioux Falls Mayoral Candidate Paul TenHaken is looking for those who can do a bit more:

Mayor Candidate Greg Jamison demands release of Premier Center document

Greg Jamison Mayor candidate called upon the city administration to release all reports and documents related to the Premier Event Center.

“Hiding behind legal formalities to keep details secret on our city’s crown jewel is no way to run a city government,” said Jamison.

“We need to be completely transparent with taxpayers’ money and give the City Counselors all the information so they can better serve the taxpayers that have elected them,” Jamison added “not releasing this information and/or calling it a draft is bad public policy.”

This is not the first time Jamison has called on the current administration to be more open. One of the main issues Jamison has pushed in city government is full disclosure on how taxpayer funds are being spent.

As a State Legislator, he continued the fight for openness and proposed HB1166. The legislation would have curbed confidential agreements involving taxpayer money. At Jamison’s announcement, he once again put openness in government at the forefront of his campaign.

“Secrecy breeds mistrust and can cost taxpayers money and doesn’t reflect what the taxpayers want.  As mayor, I will have an open door, open books and an open mind,” Jamison concluded.

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