U.S. SENATE CONFIRMS GOVERNOR KRISTI NOEM AS SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
WASHINGTON, D.C. – South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has been confirmed as the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) following a Senate vote on Saturday morning.
Noem received 59 votes in favor and 34 votes against, easily clearing the simply majority threshold she needed for confirmation.
President Donald Trump selected Noem for the role based on her strong stance on immigration. She has been a loyal supporter of Trump.
Historically, cabinet nominees normally received bipartisan support in the Senate, but in recent years, increasing partisanship has made confirmation votes more uncertain. Friday night, Vice President JD Vance had to break a 50-50 tie to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, after three Republicans defected to vote with all of the Democrats.
Noem’s confirmation appeared likely after a favorable hearing with the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Jan. 17. The committee voted 13-2 to recommend her confirmation, with several Democrats there voting to advance Noem’s nomination.
DHS employs more than 260,000 people and oversees federal organizations like the Coast Guard, Secret Service, FEMA, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
GOVERNOR LARRY RHODEN ‘READY TO SERVE’ AFTER MONTH’S LONG TRANSITION
PIERRE, S.D. (Austin Goss / SDBA) – South Dakota’s 34th Governor Larry Rhoden says he is ready to take over after Kristi Noem’s resignation Saturday.
Rhoden, 65, who ascended to the role after the U.S. Senate confirmed Noem to become the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, spoke publicly for the first time about the transition process that his been underway since President Donald Trump nominated Noem on Nov. 12.
In preparation for the ascension, Rhoden says he has held briefings with Noem and top cabinet officials, as well as sought out advice from long-time allies like Matt Michels and former Speaker of the House Tim Rave. Michels will join Rhoden’s administration as a policy advisor, according to The Dakota Scout.
Rhoden had not done any interviews or issued any public statements about the transition up to this point.
“Until now, I have kept my extensive preparations for this succession to myself. I would have loved to have spoken openly sooner, but the time was not yet appropriate,” Rhoden said. “I have kept my preparations private, but South Dakotans can rest assured I’m ready to serve.”
Much of Noem’s staff is expected to remain in place, though details are still forthcoming. Rhoden will take the oath of office Monday and is expected to address the state legislature later in the week. A new lieutenant governor will also be named soon.
SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REPORTS PERTUSSIS DEATH
PIERRE, SD – The Department of Health is reporting the death of a child due to a co-infection of Pertussis and influenza. The last Pertussis death occurred in 2023 among a pediatric patient.
“I, along with everyone at the Department of Health, extend our heartfelt condolences to the grieving family during this unimaginable loss,” said Department of Health Secretary Melissa Magstadt.
South Dakota is currently experiencing Pertussis cases in multiple communities and influenza activity state-wide. The Pertussis component of DTaP and Tdap vaccines and the influenza vaccine are the best protection against infection. Protection is highest among those fully vaccinated, but that protection decreases over time.
“Pertussis or whooping cough can be a very serious illness,” said Dr. Joshua Clayton, State Epidemiologist for the Department of Health. “Taking preventative measures like washing hands often and staying current with the pertussis vaccine helps protect you and your family.”
During respiratory season, we encourage all South Dakotans to take the following steps to avoid becoming sick or spreading disease:
Avoid close contact with sick people;
If sick, limit contact with others;
Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze;
Cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands, if you don’t have a tissue;
Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand gel; and
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Pertussis is spread from person to person when breathing in respiratory particles from an infected person. The respiratory particles are spread when a person with pertussis sneezes or coughs.
It usually takes seven to 10 days after exposure to develop symptoms. Early symptoms resemble the common cold with runny nose, low-grade fever, and mild cough which are more severe at night. Later symptoms (within two weeks) include numerous rapid coughs followed by a high-pitched whoop, and mucus discharge or vomiting following a coughing episode.
Antibiotics are effective at stopping a person who is sick from spreading pertussis. Five days of treatment is needed to stop the bacteria from spreading, even though the person may continue to cough. Without antibiotics, a person can spread the pertussis bacteria for 21 days.
For more information on pertussis, please visit the DOH Website.
SOUTH DAKOTA LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE PASSES BILL TO LIMIT CARBON CAPTURE PIPELINE EMINENT DOMAIN
PIERRE, S.D. (Austin Goss / SDBA) – A South Dakota legislative committee passed a bill Friday aimed at limiting carbon pipeline projects by stripping the power of eminent domain for carbon dioxide transportation.
House Bill 1052, which passed 10-3, would prevent companies like Summit Carbon Solutions from using eminent domain to acquire private land for pipeline construction.
The bill’s prime sponsor, Speaker Pro Tempore Karla Lems, called the legislation “the people’s bill,” saying it responds to voter opposition to a similar pipeline measure last year.
“Eminent domain is a power that can be easily abused,” Lems said.
Supporters of Summit’s pipeline warned the bill would effectively end the project in South Dakota. Summit attorney Brett Koenecke argued that eminent domain is necessary for negotiation, pointing to an example where a landowner was offered nearly $500,000 for land access.
The South Dakota Chamber of Commerce opposed the bill, questioning its narrow focus.
“If this is truly about property rights, and only about property rights, it doesn’t seem to make sense to me that it is only about CO2,” said Chamber President David Owen.
Despite opposition, the bill passed the committee with strong backing from anti-pipeline activists.
“You have a mandate from the people, they have spoken definitively,” said landowner and activist Amanda Radke.
The bill now heads to the full House for a vote.
BILL REQUIRING SOUTH DAKOTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO DISPLAY AND TEACH TEN COMMANDMENTS PASSES COMMITTEE
PIERRE, S.D. (Josh Haiar / South Dakota Searchlight) – A committee of South Dakota lawmakers voted 4-3 to endorse a bill Thursday in Pierre that would require public school districts to teach the Ten Commandments and display them in every classroom. It came during Thursday’s South Dakota Senate Education Committee meeting.
The vote came after an hour of testimony that included opposition from public school groups. The legislation now heads to the full state Senate.
The bill would mandate 8-by-14-inch posters with “easily readable font.” It would repeal existing language in state law allowing local school boards to choose to display the Ten Commandments.
The bill would also require the Ten Commandments to be taught as part of history and civics classes three times during a student’s education — at least once during each of the elementary, middle and high school years. Additional provisions in the bill would require instruction on the state and federal constitutions, the federal Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence.
The bill would require the Ten Commandments to be presented “as a historical legal document, including the influence of the Ten Commandments on the legal, ethical, and other cultural traditions of Western civilization.”
A freshman lawmaker, Sen. John Carley, R-Piedmont, introduced the bill. He said early American textbooks, like the New England Primer and McGuffey Readers, featured the Ten Commandments.
“I don’t think that there’s a singular document, perhaps outside the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, that has been more ubiquitous in law, in government and education and media and culture, than the Ten Commandments,” Carley said.
Elijah O’Neal from the American Journey Experience Museum in Texas also spoke in favor of the bill. The museum’s website says it covers topics including “Biblical Worldview” and “Christianity’s Influence in America.” He said the Ten Commandments provide timeless moral guidance.
O’Neal also spoke on behalf of WallBuilders, a Texas-based organization supporting similar legislation in North Dakota. The organization says it helps Americans “celebrate and safeguard the authentic history of our nation.”
Earlier this year, Louisiana became the first state to enact a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all classrooms. The Louisiana law is being challenged in court by parents who allege that it violates the First Amendment’s prohibition against state-sponsored religion. Similar legislation failed in Texas in 2023, but supporters plan to try again this year.
Legality debated
Opponent testimony came from the South Dakota School Administrators Association, the South Dakota Association of School Boards, the South Dakota United Schools Association, the South Dakota Large School Group, American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota, and some local religious leaders.
Opponents said the bill violates the state and federal constitutions. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits laws “respecting an establishment of religion.” South Dakota’s constitution says “No person shall be compelled to attend or support any ministry or place of worship against his consent nor shall any preference be given by law to any religious establishment or mode of worship.” It goes on to say that “No money or property of the state shall be given or appropriated for the benefit of any sectarian or religious society or institution.”
The Rev. Lauren Stanley, an Episcopal priest, said the bill violates the separation of church and state.
“Teaching the Ten Commandments as a basis for our laws, which is what this bill calls for, is clearly a violation of the right to religious freedom,” she said.
Bill supporter and Texas attorney Matt Krause said a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, concluded that public displays of religious symbols “rooted in history and tradition” are constitutionally permissible. In that case, the court ruled that a high school football coach’s on-field prayers were protected under the First Amendment.
Krause is a Republican former Texas state representative who has been advocating for Ten Commandments legislation around the nation for the First Liberty Institute.
Rob Monson, representing South Dakota school administrators, said the bill removes local decision-making and imposes a one-size-fits-all mandate.
“If we believe putting the Ten Commandments on every classroom wall is going to have some sort of moral bearing on students, I think we’re horribly mistaken,” he said.
Opponents warned the law could provoke lawsuits, risking taxpayer expense. They also questioned how controversial or adult themes in the Ten Commandments, such as adultery, would be explained to young students.
Lawmakers split
Sen. Jamie Smith, D-Sioux Falls, voted against the bill. He is a former public school teacher and the lone Democrat on the Senate Education Committee.
Smith said there are different versions of the Ten Commandments, and he did not grow up with the version Carley wants displayed.
“There’s a lot of people in this room that have talked about indoctrination, especially towards me, because of the party that I’m a member of,” he said. “I’ve heard it over and over about the indoctrination of the left. And you’re going to stand here today and tell me we’re not trying to do something in the other direction right now?”
The committee chairman, Sen. Kyle Schoenfish, R-Scotland, also voted against the measure. He said a statewide mandate is not necessary when current law already allows schools to choose to display the Ten Commandments.
Sen. Sue Peterson, R-Sioux Falls, said a similar state law requiring the display of the national motto, “In God We Trust,” in public schools has been implemented without significant problems since the law was adopted in 2019. She said the new bill could follow a similar path.
The South Dakota Board of Education Standards would oversee compliance with the bill. The legislation includes no punishment for noncompliance.
Voting yes on the bill were Sens. Peterson; Sam Marty, R-Prairie City; Lauren Nelson, R-Yankton; and Curt Voight, R-Rapid City. Voting no were Sens. Smith, Schoenfish and Stephanie Sauder, R-Bryant.
Ten Commandments language
Sen. John Carley’s bill to require posting and teaching the Ten Commandments includes this version of the document:
(1) I AM the LORD your God, thou shalt have no other gods before me;
(2) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image;
(3) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain;\
(4) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy;
(5) Honor thy father and mother;
(6) Thou shalt not murder;
(7) Thou shalt not commit adultery;
(8) Thou shalt not steal;
(9) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor; and
(10) Thou shalt not covet.
