How priorities of Noem's final budget address have fared
'Last year during this speech, I asked you to make a permanent tax cut for the people of South Dakota,' Noem said during December's budget address. 'And I am reiterating that request to all of you today. Our people deserve better than a temporary sales tax holiday, and I look forward to that conversation during this legislative session.'
Spring Creek fire spreads
In 2023, Noem signed legislation to drop the state's sales tax rate from 4.5% to 4.2%. However, it is set to return to 4.5% in 2027. Senate Bill 214 during the ongoing legislative session would have kept the sales tax rate at 4.2%; in other words, it would have made the cut permanent. But lawmakers on the Senate Committee on Appropriations decided to table the bill on Jan. 20. Noem also sought to set up vouchers to put public money toward private education and homeschooling.
'I am proposing that we establish education savings accounts for South Dakota students in this upcoming legislative session,' Noem said in December.
The legislation to make that a reality also failed, with the House Education Committee killing HB 1020 on Jan 29. HB 1025 also failed; in its original form, it would have appropriated money to build a new men's prison in Lincoln County.
'The current building is falling down,' Noem said in December. 'It's long past time for us to replace it for the safety of our people.'
But lawmakers gutted HB 1025 and eventually decided to not send it over to the Senate. Rhoden's office announced Wednesday afternoon that he is going to 'announce next steps for a new prison' Thursday morning.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
30 minutes ago
Democratic lawmakers demand information about 'Alligator Alcatraz'
A group of Senate and House Democrats is pushing officials at the Department of Homeland Security for more information about the use of the immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades known as " Alligator Alcatraz." In a letter sent late Tuesday to the heads of the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and FEMA, the lawmakers expressed concern that the Trump administration's decision to use what lawmakers called a "novel state-run immigration detention model" could violate federal law and make the federal government less accountable for the conditions at immigrant detention centers. The letter comes as the Trump administration has embraced the model of using state-run facilities -- as opposed to federal or private ones -- to detain noncitizens during immigration proceedings, including using a shuttered state prison as an additional site in Florida, dubbed "Deportation Depot," and expanding ICE detention space in an Indiana correctional facility dubbed the "Speedway Slammer" and in a Nebraska facility to be called "Cornhusker Clink." "Experts worry this novel state-run immigration detention model will allow Florida to create an 'independent, unaccountable detention system' that runs parallel to the federal detention system," the group of eight senators and 57 representatives wrote. The "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility has been the subject of intense political and legal scrutiny since it was rapidly constructed on the site of a rarely used airstrip in the Florida Everglades in June. The temporary detention center -- which currently can house 3,000 migrants awaiting deportation -- was toured by President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in early July. "They have a lot of bodyguards and a lot of cops that are in the form of alligators. You don't have to pay them so much." Trump said while touring the facility. "I wouldn't want to run through the Everglades for long." In the letter, spearheaded by Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the lawmakers asked the Department of Homeland Security to provide more information about the facility by Sept. 3. They asked the Trump administration to identify the legal authority that allows Florida to run the facility, confirm the facility meets federal standards for the treatment of detainees, and outline the criteria used by DHS to reimburse Florida for the facility. "Brushing aside concerns from human rights watchdogs, environmentalist groups, and Tribal nations, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has greenlit the construction of this expansive detention facility that may violate detained individuals' human rights, jeopardize public and environmental health, and violate federal law. We ask that DHS promptly provide critical information for the American public to better understand this detention plan," the Democratic lawmakers wrote. The lawmakers also requested additional information about legal access for detainees at the facility and the environmental impact of the site -- issues that have been at the center of two federal lawsuits challenging the facility. A federal judge has temporarily paused further construction at the site over environmental concerns, and a lawsuit over legal access was partially dismissed after the Trump administration established a nearby immigration court to handle issues stemming from Alligator Alcatraz. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the letter. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has previously said the facility complies with federal detention standards. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has lauded "Alligator Alcatraz" as an efficient way for Florida to work with the Trump administration to carry out deportations, and has encouraged other states to do the same. "I know that the administration has called on other states to follow suit and expand this type of capacity, and I would just reiterate that call. I think it's important. I think it will make a difference," DeSantis said at a press conference at the site in July. "The whole purpose is to make this be a place that can facilitate increased frequency and numbers of deportations of illegal aliens." Since "Alligator Alcatraz" opened in July, immigration advocates have been pushing for more information about the facility, arguing that the custodial and operational details were initially kept murky to prevent oversight. According to documents released in an ongoing lawsuit challenging the facility, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and Florida State Guard -- along with private contractors -- are running the site under a 287(g) agreement with the federal government. "While the aliens are in the physical custody of the State, they are for certain legal purposes treated as in the custody of the federal government," an attorney with the Department of Justice wrote in a court filing earlier this month. According to H. Marissa Montes, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, the model used by Alligator Alcatraz allows the federal government to outsource detention facilities to eager states and private contractors. While the federal government has long relied on county jails and for-profit prison companies to house detainees, facilities like "Alligator Alcatraz" expand the scale of individual states' involvement in federal immigration proceedings, Montes said. "Given that DHS is working directly with the Florida state government on a detention facility with alarming implications, DHS should ensure transparency and accountability surrounding the facility's financing operations," the lawmakers wrote in their letter. With Trump vowing to carry out the largest deportation in U.S. history, the use of facilities like "Alligator Alcatraz" contributes to a deterrent effect that encourages self-deportation, according to Montes, who runs Loyola's Immigrant Justice Clinic. "We've got an increased number of people who come in seeking to self-deport because they'd rather self-deport in a way that's dignified, right, than at the hands of the federal government," Montes said.
CNN
30 minutes ago
- CNN
Southern border wall will be painted black to deter people from climbing it during hot weather, DHS secretary says
Donald Trump Immigration National security Immigration politicsFacebookTweetLink Follow The wall along the southern border will be painted black in an effort to make the structure too hot to climb, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Tuesday, saying the suggestion came from President Donald Trump. 'It's tall, which makes it very, very difficult to climb, almost impossible. It also goes deep into the ground, which would make it very difficult, if not impossible, to dig under. And today we are also going to be painting it black,' Noem said during a news conference Tuesday in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, as she stood before the slatted steel structure. 'That is specifically at the request of the president, who understands that in the hot temperatures down here, when something is painted black, it gets even warmer, and it will make it even harder for people to climb,' she said. The black paint will also prevent rust on the steel, said US Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks. The move to paint the wall comes as the Trump administration claims there were just over 6,000 apprehensions at the southern border in June, 15% lower than a previous record in March. The southern border wall was a centerpiece of Trump's hardline immigration stance during his first term. Now in his second term, Trump's focus has largely shifted to deportations and heightened enforcement within the US. Noem didn't say how much it would cost to paint the wall, but the administration secured about $46.5 billion in funding through the Trump-backed 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' to modernize the border barrier system, including completing construction on 700 miles of primary wall. The government is building approximately half a mile of barrier each day, Noem said Tuesday. 'The border wall will look very different based on the topography and the geography of where it is built,' she explained. Noem also noted the department's deployment of 'water-borne infrastructure' and advanced technology, such as cameras and sensors.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Nebraska governor announces plan for immigrant detention center
Nebraska Republican Gov. Jim Pillen announced plans Tuesday for an immigration detention center in a farming area in the state's southwest corner as President Trump's administration races to expand the infrastructure necessary for increasing deportations. Pillen said he and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had agreed to use an existing minimum security prison work camp in rural McCook to house people awaiting deportation and being held for other immigration proceedings. The new facility was dubbed the "Cornhusker Clink" last week by Rob Jeffreys, director of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. It can accommodate 200 people with plans to expand to 300. McCook is about 210 miles west of Lincoln, the state capital. "This is about keeping Nebraskans – and Americans across our country – safe," Pillen said in a statement. Pillen announced he would order the Nebraska National Guard to provide administrative and logistical support to Nebraska-based immigration agents. About 20 Guard soldiers will be involved. He also said the Nebraska State Patrol would sign an agreement that enables troopers to help federal immigration agents make arrests. DHS said in a news release that the agreement with the state to expand Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention space was made possible by Mr. Trump's "big, beautiful bill" passed by Congress last month. The funding bill included $45 billion for ICE to expand its detention system, and nearly $30 billion for ICE agents and resources. Jeffreys said the 186 people currently at McCook will be transferred to other state corrections facilities so the camp can be repurposed. The facility will be run by the state of Nebraska but will be paid for by the federal government. All the people expected to be held there will be low to medium-risk detainees, Jeffreys said. Jeffreys estimated it will take 45 to 60 days to relocate all the current McCook population while a prison in Lincoln is undergoing repairs from recent storm damage. It wasn't immediately clear how quickly ICE might start sending detainees to McCook. But Jeffreys said it's already set up to house people, so detainees won't be housed in tents or other temporary quarters. "That facility has already been accredited. It's ready in the event that we are to move our folks out and move detainees in," he said. "Thanks to Governor Pillen for his partnership to help remove the worst of the worst out of our country," Noem said in a statement Tuesday. "If you are in America illegally, you could find yourself in Nebraska's Cornhusker Clink. Avoid arrest and self deport now using the CBP Home App." The Nebraska plan has already raised concerns. In a video posted to social media, state Sen. Megan Hunt, an independent, blasted a lack of transparency about plans for a detention center, citing her unfulfilled request to the governor and executive branch for emails and other records about the plan. She urged people to support local immigrant rights groups, and said any response by the Legislature would not come until next year — and only with enough support from lawmakers. "The No. 1 thing we need to do is protect our neighbors, protect the people in our communities who are being targeted by these horrible people, these horrible organizations that are making choices to lock up, detain, disappear our neighbors and families and friends," Hunt said. Six protesters sat in the hallway outside the governor's office Tuesday afternoon making signs that said, "No Nazi Nebraska" and "ICE = Gestapo." Maghie Miller-Jenkins of Lincoln said she doesn't think an ICE detention center is a good idea, adding the state should tackle problems like child hunger and homelessness. "This state has numerous things they could focus on that would benefit the constituents," Miller-Jenkins said. The Trump administration is adding new detention facilities across the country to hold the growing number of immigrants it has arrested and accused of being in the country illegally. Older and newer U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement centers were holding more than 56,000 immigrants in June, the most since 2019. Other new and planned immigration detention facilities in the U.S. include the remote detention center in the Florida Everglades known as "Alligator Alcatraz," which opened last month. It's designed to hold up to 3,000 detainees in temporary tent structures. When Mr. Trump toured it, he suggested it could be a model for future lockups nationwide. When federal officials announced the opening of the Florida detention center, they said its focus would be on rounding up individuals with a criminal record — people that Mr. Trump and border czar Tom Homan have called "the worst of the worst." However, many people who have been locked up there do not have criminal records, CBS News previously reported. The Florida facility has also been the subject of legal challenges by attorneys who allege violations of due process there, including the rights of detainees to meet with their attorneys, limited access to immigration courts and poor living conditions. Critics have been trying to stop further construction and operations until it comes into compliance with federal environmental laws. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced last week that his administration is preparing to open a second facility, dubbed "Deportation Depot," at a state prison in north Florida. It's expected to have 1,300 immigration beds, though that capacity could be expanded to 2,000, state officials said. Also last week, officials in the rural Tennessee town of Mason voted to approve agreements to turn a former prison into an immigration detention facility operated by a private company, despite loud objections from residents and activists during a contentious public meeting. And the Trump administration announced plans earlier this month for a 1,000-bed detention center in Indiana that would be dubbed "Speedway Slammer," prompting a backlash in the Midwestern state that hosts the Indianapolis 500 auto race. Trump sounds off on potential security guarantees for Ukraine London Zoo has its annual weigh-in for about 10,000 animals Reporter's Notebook: The death of "skibidi"? Solve the daily Crossword
