Kristi Noem an absentee Governor

 

As the Iowa caucuses finish, former President Donald Trump’s rivals for the Republican nomination have conceded defeat. In the coming days, after taking his victory laps, Trump will move on to the next stage of his campaign: choosing his running mate. The favorite (according to multiple betting websites) is our own South Dakota governor Kristi Noem. Governor Noem has established herself as a fiercely loyal defender of President Trump, having spent the last several years stumping for him.

While Noem has certainly served herself well in her campaign for VP, the impact on South Dakota citizens remains undiscussed. In her fight to be VP, she has already been notably absent in the State Capitol. She has also used public funds, including the cost of running the state plane. FEC documents for 2021 and early 2022 showed that she spent just shy of $100,000 of her campaign money on political trips, a figure which almost certainly grew as the caucuses drew nearer. Governor Noem also consistently pared-down her public engagements as Governor. Missing important days like previous State of the Tribes Address, while she was in D.C. asking Trump to come visit Mt. Rushmore.

If South Dakotans are concerned about her chronic absenteeism from the state, they will only see it grow worse if she is selected as Trump’s running mate. South Dakota does not have “resign-to-run” laws, which require that those holding elected office resign if they seek election in a different office. Governor Noem clearly has national ambitions, above and beyond any responsibility she has to South Dakota and its citizens. South Dakotans should demand that their governor work for them, not for herself.

Since the adoption of medical cannabis laws in South Dakota, the State legislature has tried to establish rules and regulations that balance the needs of the growing industry with patient safety concerns. This year, multiple bills have been introduced that change or increase standards related to medical cannabis.

In the Health and Human Services Committee, we heard bills that modify state cannabis laws, including Senate Bills 42 and 43, which establish reporting and licensing criteria for medical cannabis facilities on state land.

While these bills have their merits (they are intended to protect patient safety) their inevitable result is the further divergence of our Tribal medical cannabis programs and the state program. Tribal members in South Dakota already face barriers to accessing medical cannabis, including the fact that tribal cannabis cards do not work at state cannabis facilities.

The Department of Health and our nine Native Nations in South Dakota ought to work together to provide continuity of care to all South Dakotans, tribal members or otherwise. Instead, the Department of Health has written off working with Native tribes, arguing that its “not their job” to regulate cannabis clinics on tribal land.

While the Department of Health is correct that they have no authority on sovereign tribal land, that does not mean that collaboration would be a detriment to our shard communities. I encouraged the Department and our Native nations to work together to continue to find solutions to this matter.

Last week in the Senate Committee on Taxation and on the floor of the Senate, I had the opportunity to vote “YES” to SB 3, which allows for state-tribal tax agreements to operate for 10 years at a time, doubling the operating length of these agreements. Tribal-State tax agreements have been important for our Native Nations in South Dakota because they provide for much needed revenue. These agreements have historically taken years to iron out and implement, which means that tribes and states are often expending unnecessary time and resources to renew these agreements every five years. Expanding the length of time from five years to ten years will save both State and Tribal dollars. I urge my House colleagues to pass SB 3.

We have to drop bills and resolutions this week. I am still working on a number of bills that I am proposing regarding tribes such as putting the Office of Indian Education back in the Dept of Education. I appreciate any testimony to help educate state lawmakers about the tribe’s perspective on issues. I also plan to request a Commission on Indian Affairs be brought back and request a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I will bring back the bills I had on hunting/fishing and state park fees being waived for SD natives. 

Next week, I will have a more extensive list as I get them in the system for the language to be developed.

If you need assistance for anything in Pierre, you can call me at 605-773-3454 or email me at the Shawn.Bordeaux@sdlegislature.gov. 

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