SDDP Statement on Passing of Jack Billion South Dakota Democratic Party Chair Randy Seiler issued the following statement on the passing of Jack Billion: “I would like to express my sincere condolences to the friends and family of Jack Billion on his passing. Jack served as a Democratic state legislator, the Democratic candidate for Governor, and the Chair of the South Dakota Democratic Party. His legacy of service and commitment to the principles of the Democratic Party continues to shape our party and our state.” ### The post SDDP Statement on Passing of Jack Billion appeared first on Sou ..read more

SDDP Announces Election of New Officers On Saturday, February, 25th, the South Dakota Democratic Party elected its new slate of officers and Executive Board. Officers will begin their term on May 1st, 2023. Larry Olsen, Toni Diamond, Jennifer Slaight-Hansen, and Shane Merrill (L to R). Chair Jennifer Slaight-Hansen Aberdeen “I was honored to be elected as the leader of the Democratic Party here in South Dakota. Democratic politics in this state is a challenging job. I know many of us feel ignored and looked down upon. Our voi ..read more

SDDP Statement on the Passing of Sen. James Abourezk South Dakota Democratic Party Chair Randy Seiler issued the following statement: “On behalf of the South Dakota Democratic Party, I would like to express my sincere condolences to Sen. Abourezk’s family and friends on his passing. Sen. Abourezk was a true South Dakotan whose talent and determination took him from Wood, South Dakota to the United States Senate. South Dakota couldn’t have asked for a better representative to the nation and the world than Sen. Abourezk. “Sen. Abourezk was a steadfast advocate for South Dakota’s tribal nations ..read more

Democratic Statement of Failure of Gov. Noem’s Food Tax Bill South Dakota Democratic leaders released the following statements: South Dakota Democratic Party Chair Randy Seiler: “Today, Gov. Kristi Noem’s bill to cut the food tax resoundingly failed in committee. Democrats have long supported cutting the sales tax on food in South Dakota, but Gov. Noem didn’t put in the work to do it right. She didn’t work with stakeholders, including tribal nations, or even show up in the Capitol to speak with legislators about the bill until the last minute. “Gov. Noem’s support for cutting the sales tax o ..read more

Democratic Leadership: Democrats Put South Dakota First Greetings from Pierre! We just wrapped up week five of the legislative session, and we are officially halfway through. Democrats have remained focused on the issues that matter to South Dakotans.  To start, HB 1075, which would reduce the sales tax on food from 4.5% to 0%, passed out of the House Taxation committee and was sent to the House Appropriations committee. This is an initiative that Democrats have long supported.  Republicans have made it clear that they are for limited government, except for when they aren’t. While ..read more

Action Alert: HB 1080 House Bill 1080 is a piece of mean-spirited legislation that will be on the South Dakota Senate floor tomorrow: Thursday, Feb. 9th. We need your help to let your legislators know why this bill is bad for South Dakota. HB 1080 will prevent doctors from providing life-saving medical care to transgender, nonbinary, and Two-Spirit youth in South Dakota. This legislation would create a hostile legal environment for healthcare providers who provide gender-affirming care for LGBTQ youth. Finally, HB 1080 would negatively impact the lives of young people, requiring any minor cu ..read more

Democratic Leadership: Democrats Lead With Kindness, Not Hate By Senate Democratic Leader Reynold Nesiba and House Democratic Leader Oren Lesmeister Hello from Pierre! Democrats had a busy week advocating for all South Dakotans. As we near the halfway point of the 2023 Legislative Session, the number of bills in committee and on the floor is increasing. We were incredibly disappointed to see HB 1080, a bill putting the government in the middle of medical decisions between parents and their children, pass with so much support through the House of Representatives. This bill is u ..read more

Democratic Leadership: Democrats In Pierre Work for the People of South Dakota By Sen. Reynold Nesiba and Rep. Oren Lesmeister It was another busy week in Pierre. We had a deadline to file bills this week, and Democrats have filed a lot of them. Bills should be coming to our assigned committees within the next two weeks, and we hope our Republican colleagues can look beyond partisan politics, see the value of these bills for South Dakota, and help us pass them.  As more legislation is introduced, we’re starting to get the sense some of the bills the Republican caucus brings, especially ..read more

Democratic Leadership: Republicans Deflect While Democrats Focus On The Real Issues By Senate Democratic Leader Reynold Nesiba and House Democratic Leader Oren Lesmeister Greetings from Pierre! We have finished week two of our legislative session, and things are really starting to pick up. Democratic legislators have continued to focus on the real issues for South Dakotans. Senate Bill 41, the $200 million infrastructure bill, made it to the House floor last week. This bill creates a mechanism to move $200 million approved last session for infrastructure and housing to ..read more

Democratic Leadership: An Action-Packed First Week of Legislative Session By Senate Democratic Leader Reynold Nesiba and House Democratic Leader Oren Lesmeister Last week kicked off the 98th Legislative Session in Pierre. After an election for Speaker of the House that demonstrated the fractures in the Republican Party, we had Governor Noem’s State of the State address. She said a lot of words but didn’t address the actual issues going on in South Dakota. Instead, she talked up her accomplishments with her sights clearly set on higher office. We heard the State of the J ..read more