South Dakota’s Native American Heritage
By Rep. Kristi Noem

If you haven’t been to the annual buffalo roundup, believe me when I say it’s an event no South Dakotan should miss. “The rumble starts underfoot as the first of 1,300 buffalo crest the hill,” the event’s materials read. “One can feel the thunder as the mighty animals stampede toward the Buffalo Corrals.”

I’ve been able to take our horses out and help roundup the buffalo a handful of times, and each time, I’m reminded of this animal’s power and at the same time amazed by how close the species came to extinction. Fortunately, tribal leaders, ranchers, and conservationists came together to save this resilient animal. Today, one of the world’s largest herds is in South Dakota and the annual roundup is a critical part of keeping the herd healthy.

What the buffalo’s survival teaches about resilience is powerful to many, but the animal is especially important – both physically and spiritually – in Native American culture. Buffalo (or Tatanka, as they’re called in Lakota) offered food, shelter, tools, and clothing. Native Americans could make soap from the fat and homes from their hides.  Every piece was used, which is why buffalo were – and continue to be – a symbol of survival and a cultural example of how to live in a healthy and productive manner.

For all these reasons, I was proud to lead efforts to declare the buffalo as our national mammal last year. I’m hopeful that by finally recognizing the buffalo in this way, we’ll be able to celebrate the American frontier and the resilience that has long distinguished our country from others around the globe, while also sharing our nation’s Native American heritage.

In South Dakota, we set aside time to recognize this important heritage every year on the second Monday in October: Native Americans’ Day. Today, nine tribes find their home in South Dakota, and I continually fight for greater opportunity within their communities.

Last Congress, I helped champion the NATIVE Act, which was signed into law in 2016. This legislation aims to create more tourism opportunities in tribal areas, which I’m hopeful will help boost struggling economies. I also worked closely with those in Indian Country to create a permanent Office of Tribal Relations within the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of the last Farm Bill and helped advance the Tribal General Welfare Exclusion Act, which became law in 2014. This legislation ensures those who receive support, like school supplies, from tribal governments are treated the same as those receiving similar state and federal benefits.

But more must be done. I’m fighting hard to reform the Indian Health System, which has had several documented cases of mismanagement and fatal care. I’ve also introduced legislation to combat suicide in Indian Country by building stronger relationships between state and tribal governments. I was also very pleased to see a provision pass the House in late-September to make the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECV) Program, which helps provide services like parenting education, much more affordable to tribes.

Native American heritage is woven into South Dakota’s story, much like the buffalo is.  Tribal traditions have enriched our culture and played an important role in the American journey.  Please join me on Native Americans’ Day in recognizing and honoring their influential heritage.

The Man Who Labored To Preserve South Dakota’s Beauty
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

I couldn’t help but think of Gov. Peter Norbeck while I was in Custer State Park for the Buffalo Roundup this past week. I spent time at the Game Lodge, the historic hotel President Calvin Coolidge made into his summer White House. I went to Mt. Rushmore for a breakfast with business prospects. I drove Needles Highway and looked out at Sylvan Lake.

I wouldn’t have been doing any of those things if it hadn’t been for Gov. Norbeck. And neither would thousands of South Dakotans and visitors who gathered to watch hundreds of buffalo stampede across the prairie.

South Dakota’s visitor industry really began with Peter Norbeck. Norbeck brought Gutzom Borglum to South Dakota to construct his stone masterpiece, he convinced President Coolidge to spend a summer in the Black Hills and he was the father of Custer State Park.

Prior to his gubernatorial tenure, Norbeck had already envisioned the creation of a state park for wildlife on the edge of extinction and native vegetation to be maintained. He was a Teddy Roosevelt conservationist who wanted to preserve and share nature.

As a state senator, Norbeck was instrumental in passing legislation that repurposed land acquired by the federal government for a game preserve. Under the Norbeck Administration, South Dakota combined those game preserve lands with acres purchased around Sylvan Lake, the Needles, and what was known then as Harney Peak to create Custer State Park. Gov. Norbeck then served as the chairman of the park’s board.

His work on Custer State Park did not end with his gubernatorial term. As a U.S. senator, Norbeck continued to serve on the Custer State Park Board. In his new capacity, he helped the park obtain more lands – making it the largest state park in the country at the time – and assisted with the development of roads throughout the park and the Black Hills.

I arrived early to Custer State Park for this year’s Buffalo Roundup to celebrate the re-opening of an outdoor center named after Norbeck. The Peter Norbeck Outdoor Education Center is housed in the facility which previously served as the park’s visitor center, and has been renovated to enhance the Custer State Park experience for visitors, particularly kids.

The new exhibits include outdoor classrooms with building, art, and digging areas, and a mine. The revamped facility also contains indoor exhibits: a life-size oak tree, a prairie dog town with its own burrow to crawl through and a cave to explore. It’s a place where kids are encouraged to dig in the dirt, build things with sticks and play in the water.

The Norbeck Center will be a good addition to South Dakota’s most visited state park. It is a place where kids can be kids and visitors will surely want to visit. It’s a fitting tribute to the man who, as a marker placed in the park says, “found a wilderness for [his beloved people] and labored to preserve its beauty unspoiled for them and for their children’s children.”

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From Americans for Prosperity – Guidance on signing ballot measures:

STOP before you sign another ballot question petition.

THINK before you sign. Is this ballot question easy to understand as written? Look for red flags in the Attorney General’s Explanation on the petition; does it say “The measure is likely to be challenged on constitutional grounds.”? If so the measure may be unconstitutional.

ASK the person collecting signatures if they are from South Dakota. Only South Dakota residents can legally gather signatures for ballot questions. They must show you their driver’s license if requested.

You can also ask the person to see a copy of their circulator handout. This is a one-page document that describes the ballot measure in detail and tells you whether the person is a volunteer or paid circulator. If they’re being paid, it will tell you how much they are being compensated and by whom. This handout can help you understand what exactly the measure will do.

Here’s a little bit of South Dakota confluence with the recent Alabama election where Judge Roy Moore was elected over Luther Strange. Apparently Strange shares the same consulting company with South Dakota Congressional hopeful Shantel Krebs

If you remember from a little while back..

* The Krebs campaign team consists of general consultant Sean Brown of Axiom Strategies, who is also handling Direct Mail.

Read that here.

Now check this out from CNN:

Fresh off his insurgent candidate’s big win in Alabama, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon is making clear he is seeking retribution against fellow Republican campaign operatives who work against him.

“The populist movement is going to do a house cleaning of all those individuals that made a living off the conservative grassroots while stabbing them in the back,” a source familiar with Bannon’s thinking tells CNN.

and…

As for Roe, Bannon is even telling potential GOP candidates that he won’t meet with them if they hire Roe, a veteran strategist who managed Sen. Ted Cruz’ presidential campaign in 2016.

Contacted by CNN, Roe declined to comment on Bannon’s threats, but did note that his political consulting firm, Axiom, is already working for a large number of candidates on the ballot in 2018 — more than 50.

Read that here.

Interesting.

Thune Introduces Bipartisan Autonomous Vehicle Legislation

“By playing a constructive role in the development of self-driving transportation systems, our government can help save lives, improve mobility for all Americans – including those with disabilities, and create new jobs by making us leaders in this important technology.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) today announced the introduction of S. 1885, The American Vision for Safer Transportation Through Advancement of Revolutionary Technologies (AV START) Act. Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) are original cosponsors. The Commerce Committee will consider the legislation at alegislative markup on October 4.

“This legislation proposes common sense changes in law to keep pace with advances in self-driving technology,” said Thune. “By playing a constructive role in the development of self-driving transportation systems, our government can help save lives, improve mobility for all Americans – including those with disabilities, and create new jobs by making us leaders in this important technology. I’m proud of this bipartisan legislation but recognize there are still opportunities to make it even better, and I look forward to working with colleagues as we head toward a committee vote next week.”

More than 90 percent of the 35,000 motor vehicle crash fatalities in 2015 were attributable to human error.  Highly Automated Vehicles (AVs) have the potential to significantly reduce the tragic loss of life on our roads and bring dramatic mobility and efficiency benefits to America’s transportation system.  In order to realize these benefits, strong federal leadership must be in place to govern safe testing and deployment of self-driving vehicles.

Click here for the full text of S. 1885.

Click here for a section-by-section summary of the legislation.

Highlights of S. 1885, the AV START Act:

Provides Enhanced Safety Oversight – Requires manufacturers to submit safety evaluation reports to the Secretary of Transportation with information addressing important factors including safety, crashworthiness, and cybersecurity through documented testing, validation, and assessment. Such reports must be submitted prior to the testing or deployment of a self-driving vehicle.

Reinforces Federal, State, and Local Roles – Utilizing bipartisan provisions from the SELF-DRIVE Act (H.R. 3388), which passed the House of Representatives without objection, ensures the Department of Transportation’s continued responsibility for automated vehicle design, construction, and performance while maintaining state and local roles in determining traffic laws, registration, and licensing.  Directs additional research and coordination with state and local governments on traffic safety and law enforcement challenges. Creates specific requirements for manufacturers to ensure that all self-driving vehicles account for state and local traffic laws.

Reduces Barriers to Deployment – Expands the Secretary’s existing discretionary authority to implement an enhanced review and approval process for federal motor vehicle safety standards to prioritize safety for up to 100,000 vehicles per manufacturer three years after enactment.

Maintains Status Quo for Trucks and Buses – Clarifies that new authorities for self-driving technologies in the AV START Act apply to vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less. Maintains existing Department of Transportation authority for advancing automated truck and bus technology in the future.

Brings Existing Rules up to Speed – Directs the Department of Transportation to act quickly to modernize existing federal motor vehicle safety standards, which were written before self-driving vehicles were envisioned.

Strengthens Cybersecurity – Directs the Secretary of Transportation to work with manufacturers to adopt policies related to coordination around and disclosure of potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities.  Requires manufacturers to develop and execute a comprehensive written plan for identifying and reducing cybersecurity risks to self-driving vehicles.

Improves Vehicle Safety and Data Sharing – Establishes a committee of experts to identify and develop recommended standards, including for data recording and data access and sharing. Headed by the Secretary of Transportation, the committee will serve as a forum for stakeholders to make recommendations for these and other standards governing self-driving vehicles.

Promotes Consumer Education – Advances guidelines on responsible consumer education and marketing, including on the capabilities and limitations of advanced driver assistance systems and self-driving vehicles, through the establishment of a dedicated working group.

Americans with Disabilities – Improves mobility for Americans with disabilities by preventing the denial of a license to operate a self-driving vehicle on the basis of a disability. Develops best practices regarding self-driving vehicle accessibility.

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House Passes Noem’s CUFF Act

Legislation Keeps Wanted Felons and Parole Violators from Certain Social Security Benefits

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Introduced by Rep. Kristi Noem, the Control Unlawful Fugitive Felon (CUFF) Act today passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation would prohibit individuals with outstanding felony warrants or parole violations from receiving certain Social Security benefits. The bill is estimated to save more than $2 billion.

“Hardworking taxpayers should not have to pay people who are fleeing from the law. Not only is it unfair to ask taxpayers to do so, but it’s self-defeating to subsidize someone’s prolonged flight from justice,” said Noem. “Through the CUFF Act, wanted felons and parole violators would no longer have access to certain Social Security benefits, protecting taxpayers and helping law enforcement apprehend those who have committed the most serious of felonies, including murder, rape, and kidnapping.”

The CUFF Act – which is endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, National Sheriffs’ Association, and the South Dakota Sheriffs’ Association – discontinues Supplemental Security Income payments for those with an outstanding felony warrant, parole violation warrants, and probation violation warrants. Benefits can be restored once the individual resolves any outstanding issues.

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Thune Introduces Bill to Reform TSA Aviation Security

“This legislation responds to the challenges of aviation security, now and over the horizon, by creating more stability in the agency’s leadership and putting security assets in place that protect travelers and minimize delays.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who serve as the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, along with Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who serve as the chairman and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security, recently introduced S.1872, the TSA Modernization Act. The legislative proposal includes reforms of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA’s) organizational structure, provisions to advance development and acquisition of new security technologies, improvements of public area security, and pathways to mitigate frustrating security delays. In addition, S. 1872 would authorize funding at TSA for three years, $7.81 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2018, $7.85 billion in FY 2019, and $7.89 billion in FY 2020, while reauthorizing TSA aviation security policies and programs. The total budget authority for TSA in FY 2017 was $7.77 billion.

“This legislation responds to the challenges of aviation security, now and over the horizon, by creating more stability in the agency’s leadership and putting security assets in place that protect travelers and minimize delays,” said Thune. “TSA must learn from disappointing security testing results, terrorist attacks abroad, and traveler frustration to rise to the occasion, embrace necessary changes, and meet its critically important mission of keeping travelers safe and secure.”

Earlier today, Thune questioned a panel of witnesses about the effectiveness of the TSA Modernization Act at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing.

Highlights of the TSA Modernization Act:

• Five-year administrator term – Establishes a five-year term for the TSA Administrator to help maintain leadership stability at TSA and bridge administration transitions (similar to the current FAA administrator).
• Addressing shortages in trained K-9s– Requires TSA to develop certification standards that allow for use of third party explosive detection dogs by TSA and aviation stakeholders to increase assistance in the screening of passengers, property, and air cargo 
• Expanding PreCheck – Requires TSA to establish at least four private sector partnerships to promote and make it easier for passengers to enroll in the TSA PreCheck program so more travelers are vetted in advance and receive expedited screening. Directs TSA to meet the following targets for expanding PreCheck enrollment from its current five million enrollees: FY 2018 – seven million, FY 2019 – 10 million, FY 2020 – 15 million.
• Wait times in real-time – Requires TSA to make information on wait times at each airport security checkpoint available to the public online and in airport terminals to inform and improve the travel experience for aviation passengers.
• Deploying new security technology– Instructs TSA to authorize third party testing and evaluation of security screening equipment and to harmonize and recognize international testing and evaluation in order to enable faster deployment of the latest and most effective screening technologies.

Click here for the full text of the TSA Modernization Act.

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Not that I’m trying to pick on Jordan Mason today, but someone who read my prior post on his involvement with a group funding anti-tax attacks on lawmakers coming before what appears to be support of a ballot measure raising taxes pointed out that there’s some irony I missed.

If you recall his Facebook ad about “making positive change:”

This comes on the heels of a few comments he had on June 23rd:

“From grassroots groups to everyday people in South Dakota, more and more are turning to ballot measures to push their political agenda, with little resources and little understanding of the costs involved. This last election over $12.3 million was spent supporting or opposing the 10 measures that were on the ballot, and this coming 2018 South Dakota mid-term election projections show there could be as many as six ballot measures, with over $7 million being spent at an average of $1.2 million per measure. All this in a state that has more cattle than people, with a population that doesn’t even top a million people statewide.

Ballot measures are a high-stakes, all-or-nothing political game, with little to no return on the investment. From 2008 to 2016 only 35 percent of all ballot measures passed, with millions of hours and dollars spent in the process.”

and..

“So be careful taking your issue to the boss too early, try every other method you can beforehand, because once you take it there, its expensive and risky, and the decisions are often final.”

Read that here.

“Be careful taking your issue to the boss too early, try every other method you can beforehand…”

I think he’s going to see that one again.

Thune: Tax Reform Will Provide Relief to the Middle Class

“Our tax reform plan will ensure that these families are no longer left behind.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) discussed the tax reform framework that was released this week by the Senate Finance Committee, of which Thune is a member, the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Trump administration. The framework supports Republicans’ five principles that should guide pro-growth, comprehensive tax reform, which include: providing tax relief to the middle class; increasing wages, jobs, and economic growth; keeping good-paying jobs in the Unites States; increasing American competitiveness in the global economy; and simplifying the tax code.

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