is about 40 minutes. back back. [applause] [applause]

[applause] >> good afternoon. go ahead and be seated. the tenant governor, mr. speaker, members of the house and senate, chief justice jensen, members of the supreme court justices the constitutional officers we welcome you. to overset fellow south dakota it's my job today is to give you a report on the state of our state. our state constitution requires me too appear before you and deliver this speech but gives little guidance on how long the speech should be or what snacks should be served. i have decided to take a few liberties. on your desk you will find a little bag of snacks from me because i like to eat. and you may find these snacks are reflective of this body. they are a little salty. sometimes they are suites and

there may be an nuts or two in the bunch. [laughter] so with that, let's get started. first we have with us several members of a south dakota national guard. they are rock stars so incredibly proud of them we have so many members of the military and veterans of the state of south dakota. would you all please stand so we can give you the honor than to do to you in the service or a great state and our nation. [applause] back speaking of great south dakota heavens, how about those jackrabbits, right? back to back at champs. i'm going to give it count up to three were going to yoko jackson.

>> three, two, one projects for. >> i love it, perfect the team the love that. we are in a different time then we were just a few short years ago. we talk about what we believe is conservatives we've always done that and to the importance of limited government low taxes, american values, personal responsibility. but then challenging times that are states and country in our world. we had to decide just how conservative we were really going to be here in south dakota. or we just going to talk about limited government and freedom are we going to fight for it? ?were we going to defend it? even when it is not the popular thing to do what we stood strong on our constitution and on our state's motto under god, the people rule. south dakota is doing better than every other state in this nation because we have embraced our conservative principles. i've often called our state small more like a pilot project for conservative reforms to prove they relate to work.

our people are thriving in our economy is growing our state has never been a more fiscal situation that is stable. we have cut taxes. we have created jobs together. and we have maximized opportunities. we've also learned that there is a trick to keeping that momentum going. we have learnt that we have to tell our story in order to succeed. we can govern conservatively but we also need to keep our foot on the gas. south dakota successes unprecedented we have a limited window of time with the eyes of the entire nation are on our states. we cannot miss the opportunity to capitalize on that. south dakota has proven is provenconservative policies p families thrive. we have shown freedom does work here. and that we are just getting started. during my second inaugural address last year i gave a top 10 list of things that surprised me about being governor. well, i think it's time for

another such top 10 list i cannot possibly cover for you today, all of the wonderful things going on here in our state that i can hit the highlights. so today and proud to present to you the top 10 list of things we are doing in south dakota to ensure that freedom works here. so let's get started number 10, the freedom to keep and bear arms. we protect our second amendment rights in south dakota. constitutional company it was a very first bill is signed into law's governor. two years ago you all work will be to make sure our state was first in the nation to waive all fees for concealed carry permits. [applause] we even pay for people's federal background check. it does not cost south dakota depending to exercise or sell the memory right lester assigned executive orders of the state

will not do business with any financial institution who infringes on secondment rights. we've been able to market our state as a second amendment haven. my office of economic development is actively working to recruit firearms businesses from states that do in french on a secondment right. last year california became the first state in america to levy a special tax on guns and ammunition. we immediately invited california gun manufacturers to move here to south dakota. we have proven read him works for the gun manufacturers the art moving here, they are growing, they are thriving. silencer center in sioux falls, their leadership that moved to south dakota for a better life. these folks have built thriving companies in a place south dakota and say help our people exerciser secondment rights at other companies like hs precision of black hills ammunition, custom precision rifles there all a big part of

helping the industry grow in south dakota. many of those leaders are here today with us i would like to recognize them for being an industry that is under attack, for standing strong and believing in our second amendment rights and find their home right here in south dakota so if you would stand on allows to honor and recognize you for all that you are doing for our economy in south dakota that would be fantastic. [applause] [applause] we are not going to stop there. just last month are a part of gained parks ground moving dirt on a world-class shooting range west river. south dakota's shooting sports complex of the premier firearms range in the midwest. but the biden administration is undermining this project.

they are changing the rules after they already signed off on it. so i'm going to work with game fish and parks to continue to build the range were going to host world-class events here in south dakota that will impact our economy right here in our state long term. now the number nine weight freedom works here is the freedom to enjoy the outdoors. my administration has made a priority to enhance our outdoor opportunities. every year we are ranked one or two for the most hunting licenses sold per capita. by second century initiative is expanding opportunity for out and will habitat across the state. south dakota's more than 5 million acres of public access hunting opportunities even though 80% of our land is privately owned. 2023 we broke the record for the most private land enrolled in public hunting access. the reason is very simple it is respect. we respect each other's private

property rights we seek permission to hunt on our neighbor's land before we stepped foot on their property. in the predator program is aimed at teaching respect for the outdoors and for the wildlife to our kids into our grandkids but every year participants turning 50000 tales of predators that would otherwise devastate our pheasant and wildlife population. this last year at 46% of the participants in the program were under the age of 18. that number continues to steadily increase every single year. we are getting more south dakota kids involved in trapping and fishing and hunting and that is a really good thing. [applause] effective got a fun story for you. might a part of game fish and parks were served at families to teach them and their kids how to hunts. for example this one family the gingrich family have three

children. would you please stand i think you were right over here while i talk about you so everyone can stare at you will i tell your story. morgan is 16 morgan, wave a little bit samantha 15, william is 13. this family signed up for the hunting 101 program to the department of game fish and parks they learn how to navigate comical outdoors to get their licenses. they learned firearms safety and when they went to practice at the range, they celebrate who nick 200-yard steel target by having a scream which is right after my own heart. that is a celebration i can get behind it. game fish and parks with the help of volunteer mentors work with them one by one to go out at attempt to feel their deer tags first william accompanied by his dad ruben had successful harvest.

story. [applause] these kinds of stories are possible because in south dakota we respect the freedom to enjoy the outdoors. number eight, the way south dakota continues to prove that freedom works is that we have

the freedom to farm and ranch. hunting is fundamental to the way of life but i can think of one thing that is more fundamental, farming. the top ten for production in 25 different agricultural communities and commodities. farmers, ranchers, providers took 30% of the state's economic output. south dakota farmers are free to farm and ranchers are free to ranch. last year i brought forward legislation that would have stopped adversaries from purchasing land in south dakota. china and other evil foreign governments are executing a plan to own the land and control the food supply. although last year's proposal to regulate didn't pass, we've continued to discuss solutions from all those folks that are involved in impacted. congress hasn't taken action. we can't afford to wait another year and in the past decade, china's ownership of american and the gland has increased by

over 5300%. it's too important of an issue to the national security. another year go by and do nothing. another foothold in the economy and food supply chain south dakota respects the freedom to farm and ranch. the freedom should not extend to our enemies which leads us to number 71 of the reasons we can't allow the adversaries to own south dakota and gland is because the air force base is going to soon be the home of the next generation bomber. it will keep america safe for decades to come. to be 21 raider took its first test flight two months ago and enemies are going to do everything they can to get intelligence on that bomber. it is our duty to do what we must do here in south dakota to ensure that they fail keeping america safe. sometimes keeping people safe

means we need to extend our efforts beyond south dakota. the biden administration failures at the border have been so well-documented that i don't need to talk about them at great length. for the first time in less than three years, troops have gone there to help. when i was there with the soldiers at the metal lies all the inhumanity of biden's failed policies. until the policies change, the lack of security is making south dakota less safe here at home. drugs and human trafficking are devastating the communities. more than 70% of the overdose deaths in america are now caused by fentanyl and in south dakota it's not immune to this. we've led the nation and the decrease in overdose deaths two out of the last three years. we are second lowest in the nation overall. but that doesn't mean we stop there. we have to tackle the rising

challenge of fentanyl and address this new drug that is being utilized. it's otherwise known and you've herded these referred to as the zombie drug. when mixed with fentanyl it makes a deadly drug deadlier and brings with it a whole host of negative consequences. my department is working with our attorney general and attorney general on drafting legislation to schedule it as a schedule three controlled substance to combat the challenge right here in south dakota. freedom works here because we have the freedom to also get a second chance. that leads us to the next bullet point. if south dakota is to get involved in another crime that shouldn't be the final word on their life. the punishment should match the crime but they also should have the opportunity to become

better. the prisons we are working on together will help us achieve that and they will be constructed to provide second chances. late last year i spoke at a graduation for the problem-solving court. it changed my life to hear the stories they told that today. there were eight different graduates that were there all of whom had been sober a year or more, some alcoholism, some different drugs. they stood up and shared their stories. they shared their hopes and dreams for their future and in fact more than 150 graduated from the initiative with different phases and requires different alcohol and drug testing and it's a proven strategy that reduces the recidivism, saves tax dollars in the long run and restores hope and dignity for all of those

individuals. we have someone with us today. her name is leda. she's a wonderful woman who's done incredible things throughout the community. when i spoke at the problem-solving court graduation, she was recognized for her contribution and for volunteer work. thank you for what you do. at the support, the prayer partner and we need more people like you helping us out in the world to recover and to support them through the process of healing. will you join me in giving a round of applause today?

[applause] i think everybody knows her. unfortunately, we can't provide this kind of programming in our overcrowded prisons. last month i commuted the sentence of a number who were qualified and giving them hope of a future. they had been incarcerated and are now on parole. now they can begin working with their supervised and transition back into their communities. we will continue to evaluate the opportunities for those that prove they deserve them. once individuals are out of custody and back in society, we want them to have an opportunity to build a career so they can provide for themselves and their families. in the last several years we have advanced as a variety of different ways and paths forward. there's another path that we should take during this

legislative session. my department of labor and regulation is bringing legislation to provide second chance licensing opportunities. this bill creates a set of standards to consider criminal histories and any possible rehabilitation right applicants and licensees. we need more plumbers, electricians, welders. he passed shouldn't stop past sp applicants from filling these roles. [applause] number five, the freedom to be respected. providing these kind of opportunities is about dignity and respect. we should respect every single person as an individual, as an equal, as an american. tomorrow if state of tribal relations day we will advance and effort i've been working on since i became governor. tomorrow we will hang the flags

in the rotunda of this capital. three years ago i signed a legislation that allowed the states nine native american tribes to have the respected flags hanging in honor of the capitol rotunda. we will hang the first of those standing right and the rosebud tribe. they are part of who we are as soft dakotans and we respect their heritage and i invite you all to attend that ceremony tomorrow. we will also continue to support the freedom of the jewish and israeli neighbors that need to be respected. on october 7th, terrorists committed atrocities against the nation of israel, some of which are so savaged that they are unspeakable. since then, further hate and discrimination has occurred in america at an increased rate of 388% over the last year. college campuses across the country have become grounds for disgusting anti-semitic acts.

recently there have even been some isolated incidences right here in south dakota. the more that happens, the more it will be normalized. we must stop it before that happens. and i'm so proud to support legislation that will come this year to define anti-semitism to make it easier to prove when conduct is motivated by anti-semitism. it strengthens the antidiscrimination laws and ensures that our allies and citizens are safe and that they will be protected. [applause] number four, the freedom to learn. this includes supporting the teachers who give our kids the opportunity to learn. salaries haven't kept up with increased funding to education. after this year we will have raised funding of k-12 and south dakota by more than 26% since i have been your governor.

the teacher pay is far behind and there were teachers deserve better. yes, i know the schools have their own challenges. but i also know this. the blue ribbon recommendation was into just the teacher pay would go up. the blue ribbon promise was the teachers would be the first priority that they would be paid more. so let's do it. in my budget address i discuss the particular program that is the jobs for america's graduates program which is preparing at risk high school students for college or career once they graduate. they are accomplishing incredible things. we have with us here today one student that i'm confident will accomplish fantastic things in the life that is ahead of her. she said i could call her mel. she's sitting right up here today if you want to stand. the first and current statewide president of south dakota. she's a junior and she has

represented south dakota at the national leadership conference in washington, d.c. twice. and because of her visits to dc, she's interested in pursuing a degree in political science and business and perhaps one day representing south dakota in a leadership role. maybe you can have this job now. she's working with other students to coordinate a community meal for the town which will be held this month. she's faced some challenges in her life. she could have let that stop her from succeeding but she's setting herself up for a lifetime of success and a bright, bright future. please join me in giving a round of applause today. [applause]

>> when the students graduate, we want them to have every opportunity open and available to them. some of them will jump right into a career and that's great. some of them will go to one of our colleges and we have some of the best tech colleges in the nation. some will go to college, some might even join the national guard and then go to college. the young adults that break cap that the choice to raise their right hand and serve the nation deserve our utmost respect. they deserve our thanks and support. [applause] last year this body worked with me to extended tuition for south dakota national guardsmen and women to 100% at the state universities. i'm asking you to finish the job and extend that to soldiers and airmen who choose to go to private colleges here in south dakota as well.

that leads me to number three. the ways freedom work is the freedom to be healthy. in south dakota we value living a healthy life no matter where you live. a very south dakota and should have the freedom to live where they want. but they shouldn't have to choose between a rural way of life and go to successful health outcomes. in rural communities, emergency responders are sometimes the only local healthcare providers that they have. they often show up at our very worst moments. but the nationwide turnover rate is at 36%. and in south dakota nearly 90% of the emergency medical services are done by volunteers. i've worked to support the dedicated men and women of this critical workforce. for the past two years, my department of health has been working to advance access to the state with a $20 million investment. we have put a brand-new state-of-the-art fifteens in the back of ambulances across south dakota. we've also worked with indian

health service was to get the devices at no charge in ambulances and in their crews. we also just completed a comprehensive analysis of the current state in south dakota. we had over 400 stakeholder meetings over the course of eight months. later this year the department will roll out a $7.5 million grant program to ambulance services. this is going to suffer the implementation of regional houses and much more. the transport times range from a few minutes to over an hour. during those transports, professionals are in the back of the ambulance caring for patients and often times alone. south dakota changed that. we are the first state in the country to implement. that means we are using telemedicine to connect physicians, paramedics with of the ems personnel in the field.

we work with our partners to do it and there's nothing else like it in the country. it is saving lives. nearly 90 ambulance services in the state of installed telemedicine and motion. one of the first major calls came last december out caring for his buffalo attacked by one of his animals. his injuries were life-threatening. dozens of injuries from the hood, multiple broken ribs, lungs were filling up, his neck was broken and much more. after pulling himself into his front end loader and driving back home for help, he was picked up by the local agency who connected via telemedicine. in all new board certified physician was on camera to help stabilize the rancher. they coordinated with of the receiving hospital and activated the carefully to team to

expedite the transfer to the patient to sioux falls. once the crew arrived at the hospital. after the patient recovered he should feedback with his care team. they held their life and my in my handsand then they gave io me. something that i will forever be grateful for. ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome that buffalo rancher and outfitter along with his wife, cindy, who is here with us today. would you please stand? [applause] jim is here with us today thanks to the dedicated work for the

telemedicine and motion partners in the sioux falls. ed is a volunteer but saved his life that today and he did it with the help of doctor katie along with casey hunter on the team and today i have a very special announcement that i would like to make. i would like to honor ed and doctor casey with of the governor's award of heroism, for thanking them for the incredible action they took the day to save his lives and for all they do. congratulations. thank you so much for being this year's recipient of the governor's award of heroism. please stand. [applause]

these efforts are an investment in the future of ems but more importantly, saving lives. we are down to number two. a second way that freedom works here is provides for the freedom for life. in order to have a healthy life, we must first have the freedom to get off to the right start. the freedom extends to -- that is perfect, isn't it? [laughter] that freedom extends to every single south dakota and before they are born, after they are born and until the day they die. later this week i will proclaim 2024 will be the freedom for life year in south dakota. the most important way that we will advance this is by taking care of both moms and their babies before birth and after. being pro-life doesn't mean you value of the child's life before their bruising throughout their life. it means you are valuing and protecting that mother's life as

well. [applause] the first 1,000 days of a child's life from the moment they are conceived until her second birthday are the significant of days of the development. research in the fields of science, biology and early childhood development has given powerful insight into how nutrition, relationships, behaviors and environments in the first 1,000 days shape future outcomes. mom and baby must both be cared for. that is emotional and mental growth as the baby's body and mind develops. poor nutrition in the first thousand days can cause irreversible damage to a child's growing brain. it can set up the stage for lower obesity or diabetes, other chronic health problems.

it can even contribute to the next generations risk of poverty and poor health and behavioral outcomes. if a baby is exposed to drug use, alcohol or tobacco use, poor health environments or sexually transmitted diseases, if there is a lack of even good hygiene in the home and well-child visits, if the child's mother is abused, if the child doesn't have a safe sleep environment, each of them can have countless negative impacts on the babies future. we care about the lives of our mothers and children and we have dedicated resources and time to this. we can still do more. particularly among the native americans living in tribal land. so, what we are doing here in south dakota, we are offering a brightest program. it's to get one-on-one nursing services to first-time moms into their babies from pregnancy until the child's second

birthday. the department of social services pregnancy health home will offer coordination to all pregnant mothers and enrolled in medicaid. these moms also have access to prenatal and postpartum coverage for up to a year after birth with well-child and health maintenance programs and exams. the majority of infant deaths can be directly tied to unsafe sleep environments. so the department of health has provided safe sleep recommendations and education to new and expecting parents. we help moms and families that struggle with smoking, with drugs and alcohol addiction and we will provide help for pregnant moms struggling with substance abuse disorder along with them holding them accountable in their treatment as well. we are doing all of this into so much more to help moms and families and their babies before their birth and after. you can find all of this information on life dot sd .gov.

moms can go to answer questions about pregnancy, parenting. available financial resources adoption and more. the number one way that we here in south dakota can show and talk about the fact freedom works here is by providing an opportunity for people to have the freedom to work. that is my final bullet point for today. this is what america was built on. south dakota will continue to remind the rest of the country the value of hard work. and the dignity that it brings when you do. we have the freedom to get up every single morning and to provide for ourselves and our families. that's the american dream. [applause] i always say south dakota's are some of the hardest working people that i know. we still understand the value of hard work and my goal as

governor has never been to create a government that does everything for people, but to create a government that empowers people to do things for themselves. when a global pandemic hits, many states closed down. south dakota, we just kept working. other states were experiencing record high unemployment rates we broke the national record for the lowest state employment just last year. we are creating opportunities for people to get into the career of their dreams. last week we announced an effort to expand opportunities for proportions across the state. we wanted to give workers an opportunity to get trained for a career while still bringing home a paycheck to their family. we wanted to give businesses the support they needed to start and understand apprenticeship programs. in the first two quarters since launching the effort, we've more than doubled the amount of apprenticeships from recent

years. and we are just getting started. i knew that if we could to tell our story that freedom loving americans from across the country would want to be a part of what we are doing here. i knew that we needed to celebrate our success and then take the opportunity to capitalize on it, to build on it. i knew we had to show all of america that freedom does work here in south dakota. we are continuing our workforce recruitment campaign. this campaign is only six months old. we have received thousands of applicants interested in moving to the state through this program. not counting those that independently made the move. they've been viewed by more than 850 million people nationwide. we did some research into some of the most needed professions. the results were proportions like electricians, plumbers, welders, and even accountants. so we've targeted ads towards

those. we needed to do more. last week we partnered with monument bird to rule out the latest ads to recruit nurses to the state. that is the single highest number that we need to fill. the ads are so successful because all they do is tell a south dakota story. our state licensing boards are recruiting huge increases of out-of-state applicants seeking licenses in south dakota including a 78% increase. a 44% increase in electricians. 43% increase in accountants. the labor force has grown by more than 10,000 people in just the last year. [applause]

relicensed recognition bill combined here is a powerful tandem to fill those much-needed jobs. that is a story that many people across the country have never heard before. folks are moving here in record numbers to become a part of the winning way of life. californians and new yorkers have never seen a state like ours. a state that actually trusts its people, one that embraces and promotes liberty and freedom. [applause] this is indisputably the most impactful workforce campaign in south dakota's history. and there you have it. that is my top ten reasons why freedom works here in south dakota. i'm sure there are more. there's probably 900,000 more reasons why freedom works here because every single resident represents our way of life.

our god-given rights and freedoms that we hold so dear. i will continue to challenge the status quo. i will continue to push for innovation. i will look for out-of-the-box solutions. be prepared. look at everything or state is accomplished in the last five years. we wouldn't be where we are today experiencing the growth that we have been experiencing the last several years if we have not figured out a way to keep our momentum of our success going. i'm not going to slow down. we can't afford it. not when people are flocking in here by the thousands to be like us. not when we are the few beacons of hope left in this country. freedom works here. people are thriving because of it. i want to thank you for all of your hard work that you help do to lead to the state. may god bless you and your family and continue to bless the great state of south dakota.

[applause]