Water Management Board Approves TransCanada Permits The legislative week began on Tuesday, but DRA staff & members were across the river in Fort Pierre for the conclusion of nearly a year of meetings and hearings around five contested water permits … Continued
Welcome to the Capitol–Let’s Have a Look Through Your Bags The 2020 Legislative Session opened on Tuesday, January 14th with the Governor’s State of the State address. Due to the KXL Water Permit Hearings taking place simultaneously, DRA staff was … Continued
Today, Plaintiffs and State agreed to settle the “Riot Booster” case, filed last spring by the ACLU on behalf of Dakota Rural Action and other organizations and individuals after Governor Kristi Noem signed into law an act to criminalize free … Continued
On Wednesday of this week, a federal court blocked enforcement of the unconstitutional provisions of several South Dakota laws, including the notorious, poorly-written “Riot Booster” Act. The bill was introduced in the waning hours of the 2019 legislative session … Continued
From Intro to Passage in Less Than 72 House: Governor’s Anti-Protest Bills Pass Both Houses Thursday Rumors swirled about pipeline-related legislation for weeks, but it was not until Monday morning of last full week of session (and far past the … Continued
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 8, 2019 Contact: John Harter, DRA Board Chair, johnharter11@yahoo.com, (605) 840-9478 Rebecca Terk, DRA Organizer & Lobbyist, rebeccat@dakotarural.org, (605) 697-5204 x260 Frank James, DRA Director, fejames@dakotarural.org, (605) 697-5204 x240 Anti-Free Speech Bills a Rush Job for … Continued
First Amendment Threat–Governor’s Anti-Free Speech Bills Pass Appropriations Committee Contact Members of the House NOW–and Thursday Morning to VOTE NO! We are aware that SB 189 & SB 190 must first pass the Senate, but we have been advised that … Continued
Governor Introduces Last-Minute Bills to Target Pipeline Protest In a last minute move to undermine public process, Governor Kristi Noem has introduced two entirely new, sloppily-written, and likely unconstitutional anti-free speech and pro-Keystone XL pipeline bills in the last full … Continued
Contact Senators By 2pm TODAY to Vote NO House Bill 1094 creates a registry for all (paid or unpaid) petition circulators, with their personal contact information available publicly. It further says that anyone who circulates a ballot measure, constitutional amendment, … Continued
Crossover Day Has Come & Gone–Less Than Two Weeks Remain Crossover Day–the day that all bills must make it through Committees and Houses of origin–was on Monday of this week, and now legislation that has survived its initial test will … Continued