South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that the South Dakota Supreme Court has upheld the Attorney General ballot explanation for Initiated Measure 21, which sets a limit of 36% as the maximum that certain money lenders are permitted to charge on loans.

Today, South Dakota Secretary of State Shantel Krebs announced that a new recognized political party has been formed. The Constitution Party submitted 7,655 valid signatures.

On March 16, 2016, the South Dakota Attorney General held a community meeting inviting the press and the community in order to provide an update on the death and financial investigation into the Gear Up program. Prior to beginning the meeting, a pastor opened with a general prayer. The ACLU has characterized the prayer as a constitutional violation.

The “Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” (SB 72) becomes law in South Dakota on July 1, thanks to the overwhelming support of our compassionate legislators and Governor Dennis Daugaard. South Dakota has become the 13th state to take this step toward life and the sanctity thereof!

I just got word that Rep. Fred Deutsch, the sponsor of the bill, has changed his mind and will seek to override the governor’s veto in both the house and senate. According to the representative who approached me, there are more than enough votes on the House side, but they are four votes short of a veto override on the Senate side.

We sincerely believe that the Governor missed an opportunity to get out in front of this issue and help accommodate both sides in a peaceful and respectful manner.

Sadly, I was not too surprised when I read that South Dakota’s RINO Governor Dennis Daugaard vetoed HB 1008, a bill which simply said what people considered “Duh-level obvious” just a few years ago, i.e. that if you are a biological male, you are to use the male’s restroom/locker room, and if you are a biological female, you are to use the female’s restroom/locker room.

There are a lot of bills being considered by the South Dakota Legislature today, including ones dealing with education, taxes, Second Amendment rights, abortion, and relations with Israel.

Bills being considered by the South Dakota Legislature today include protecting religious liberty, the education sales tax increase, relations with Israel, and protecting persecuted religious groups abroad.

During the Rapid City Legislative Crackerbarrel meeting this morning, Jim Hansen, head of the Rapid City Board of Education, asked what is the plan to get us out of the education problem we’re in, if the recommendation of the Blue Ribbon Task Force isn’t the answer. Hansen claimed legislators would “decimate our schools” if they did not fund an education funding increase.