Kristi Noem

COMMENTARY
Gov. Kristi Noem speaks at a January 2022 event in the state Capitol at Pierre. (Twitter/Governor Kristi Noem)

A state that’s ‘pro-birth’ should also be truly ‘pro-life’

BY: - March 26, 2023

No matter where you fit on the political spectrum, the news on June 24, 2022, was staggering: The Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that guaranteed women the right to an abortion. Polls indicate that two-thirds of the country saw this as a crippling blow to the rights of women. For […]

Hemp grows at Papa G’s Organic Hemp Farm in Crawford County, Indiana, in 2022. (NRCS photo by Brandon O’Connor)

Noem vetoes bill that would increase THC limits for hemp processing

BY: - March 23, 2023

Gov. Kristi Noem vetoed a bill Thursday that would increase the amount of THC that industrial hemp processors can have in their products. THC is short for tetrahydrocannabinol, the compound in cannabis plants that produces a high when present in sufficient amounts. Hemp, unlike its cousin marijuana, is low in THC. Hemp plants can be […]

Governor Kristi Noem conducts a bill-signing ceremony in a military hangar at the South Dakota Air National Guard’s 114th Fighter Wing at Joe Foss Field on Mar. 22, 2023. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Noem signs ban on ‘evil foreign government’ contracts, takes questions on ag land and trusts

BY: - March 22, 2023

SIOUX FALLS — With a fighter jet in the background, Governor Kristi Noem conducted a bill-signing ceremony Wednesday in a military hangar where she celebrated efforts to mitigate the influence of what she called “evil foreign governments.”  “I’ll do everything in my power that I can to ensure that our people stay as free as […]

Gov. Kristi Noem attends an event Oct. 12, 2022, at a Sioux Falls grocery store. (John Hult/SD Searchlight)

Noem signs temporary tax reduction into law, vows to fight for permanent tax cut

BY: - March 21, 2023

After weeks of veto threats, Gov. Kristi Noem signed what some have called the “largest tax cut in state history” into law Tuesday. The move reduces the state sales tax from 4.5% to 4.2%, cutting an estimated $104 million from state revenues in the first year of implementation. But the tax cut has a sunset […]

COMMENTARY
Gov. Kristi Noem delivers her annual budget address Dec. 6, 2022, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/SD Searchlight)

Noem’s next move will reveal her level of tax-cut commitment

BY: - March 20, 2023

Will she or won’t she? After she signed the budget bill on Monday, that’s what South Dakota lawmakers have to be asking themselves right now as they wonder whether Gov. Kristi Noem will veto the state sales tax reduction they endorsed. At the end of the legislative session, lawmakers compromised on a state sales tax […]

COMMENTARY
Governor Kristi Noem uses a custom branding iron dipped in ink to issue her first veto of the 2023 legislative session. (Courtesy of the Office of the Governor)

Veto of lodging tax bill doesn’t align with Noem’s freedom-loving rhetoric

BY: - March 19, 2023

Gov. Kristi Noem could often be heard during the pandemic saying that South Dakota’s response to COVID-19 was based on freedom. Her message was that the state wasn’t going to tell local governments to shut down — that was up to them. It wasn’t going to shut down some businesses while designating others as essential […]

Gov. Kristi Noem, surrounded by National Guard members on March 16, 2023, in Rapid City, signs a bill into law that will increase tuition coverage for members of the South Dakota National Guard to 100%. (Courtesy of the Governor's Office)

New law provides 100% tuition coverage for SD National Guard members

BY: - March 16, 2023

Gov. Kristi Noem signed a bill into law Thursday that will provide 100% tuition benefits for National Guard members at South Dakota technical colleges and public universities. The increase from 50% to 100% coverage will benefit the Guard by providing another incentive for recruitment and retention, Noem said. Noem, whose father served in the National […]

From left, Gov. Kristi Noem talks with South Dakota Farm Bureau President Scott VanderWal, farmer Travis Mockler and Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden after a bill signing ceremony on March 15, 2023, at C&B Operations in Mitchell. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

New state law makes it harder to file a complaint or lawsuit against ag operations

BY: - March 15, 2023

MITCHELL — A new South Dakota law makes it harder to file a nuisance complaint or lawsuit against an agricultural operation and limits the amount of money that can be awarded. Governor Kristi Noem signed the bill on Wednesday at a farm implement dealership in Mitchell, after legislators approved it earlier this winter. The law […]

Gov. Kristi Noem speaks to reporters March 6, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre about her revived grocery tax repeal bill. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

Noem calls Russian invasion of Ukraine ‘Europe’s fight, not ours’

BY: - March 14, 2023

Governor Kristi Noem, who’s viewed as a potential Republican presidential or vice presidential candidate, described America’s military aid to Ukraine as a costly strategic mistake. “It’s pushing Russia into an alliance with China — meaning Russia may soon draw from China’s large weapon arsenal,” Noem told Tucker Carlson of Fox News. Carlson posted Noem’s written […]

Members of the state House of Representatives stand and applaud after a $104 million tax cut bill passed with unanimous support on March 9, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

Lawmakers approve temporary sales tax cut worth an estimated $104 million in first year

BY: - March 9, 2023

PIERRE — With just hours left in the last regular day of business in the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers compromised to approve what some described as the largest tax cut in South Dakota history. The plan would reduce the state sales tax from 4.5% to 4.2% for four years, saving taxpayers and costing the state […]

COMMENTARY
Reps. Mike Derby, R-Rapid City, left, and Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, shake hands after a $104 million tax cut passed the House unanimously on March 9, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight)

‘Biggest tax cut ever’? Depends on how you slice it — and on Noem’s reaction

BY: - March 9, 2023

Some legislators are describing the $104 million sales tax reduction they adopted Thursday as the “biggest tax cut in state history.” But is that true?  The answer is complex. It might be more accurate to call the current proposal the state’s largest single tax cut in raw, unadjusted dollars. The qualifiers are necessary because of […]

COMMENTARY
Gov. Kristi Noem testifies in support of a bill that would have eliminated the state sales tax on groceries in front of the House Committee on Appropriations on Feb. 21, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Journalism changing and thriving while Noem avoids press conferences

BY: - March 5, 2023

One of the features of the 2023 legislative session has been something of a head scratcher: Gov. Kristi Noem has quit making herself available to South Dakota media for weekly press conferences. She has chosen to give Capitol reporters the silent treatment at a time when journalism in this state has more outlets than ever […]