This interview originally aired on "In the Moment" on SDPB Radio.
Our second pair of Dakota Political Junkies join "In the Moment" with their analysis of Tuesday's State of the State address.
Linda Duba was a Democratic representative in the South Dakota House. Jean Hunhoff was a Republican senator in the state Legislature.
The two former appropriations committee members dig into a data-driven look at the governor's top ten reasons the state will succeed in the future.
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The following transcript was auto-generated and edited for clarity.
Lori Walsh:
We're going to start with Senator Hunhoff. You listened to Governor Kristi Noem's presumably final state of the state address. Let's start with your initial impressions. What stood out to you?
Jean Hunhoff:
Well, I think what stood out for me is this was really her swan song in that she was highlighting what she's been accomplished or what she perceived she has accomplished the last six years as our governor.
And I think I take that from the sense when the lieutenant governor welcomed her, he shared the story about her and their beginning of their relationship and their friendship and their collegiality in serving as governor and lieutenant governor.
And then her closing when she handed him the bat, I guess I saw that as a handoff of "These are the accomplishments we've made together and maybe this is what you need to keep in mind as you lead for the next two years."
Lori Walsh:
Linda Duba, big takeaways to start us out with?
Linda Duba:
No. I mean, great summary. We listened to her top 10 greatest hits for almost an hour today, and I did like the shout-out that she made to Gladys Pyle. I mean, that's important for us to understand a little bit of history of South Dakota politics, especially where women are concerned.
But you're right. Larry kicked us off and the governor kind of brought it full circle when she handed the bat to him and said, "You're up to bat."
Lori Walsh:
So I want to ask a little bit more about that from both of you especially because I remember when she became our first female governor, there was a little bit of hesitation during the campaign to highlight that as an issue or significance.
And then, when she was inaugurated, you started to see her, I felt, become a little more comfortable with talking about it. And then we have after her tenure that this mention of Gladys Pyle. Meanwhile, we've seen the number of women increase in the state legislature.
Whether you agree with her politics or policies or not, how was she treated as a female governor? Did it matter in her tenure here, do you think, Representative Duba?
Linda Duba:
I guess, I don't think it did. I think we looked upon her as governor, as our chief executive and whether she's female or male, she might have a different opinion of that because she was actually doing the job. I just thought, "You're the governor. You set the policies and the priorities and you give us your budget and then we go forward." So I didn't know any different.
Senator Hunhoff may have a difference of opinion because she served under all male governors.
Lori Walsh:
Jean Hunhoff, what would you add to that? Did you notice the significance of that or the weight of that at all?
Jean Hunhoff:
Well, I did, and I guess I looked at it a little bit differently. I think she was politically savvy in her first run in the sense she didn't want to make anything of it, that she was the first woman and that she was a woman running against a male candidate. And I think she played that well.
And then I think after she was able to achieve it, she realized that there was an opportunity and that she would sort of be a role model or a mentor to get more women involved in government, bring them up.
And I think that's the way I perceive that. And I think the way she concluded by going back to Gladys Pyle, who certainly was the first woman in government in South Dakota. And you go back in those times, what she had to do for a struggle. And I guess telling the story about how she lost the governorship over so many votes.
But I think the interesting piece at the end of the day is that the legislation that was brought to put on the ballot to change the verbiage did not pass.
And so I have to think about that. And it's surprising some of those that were opponents were women that were speaking out. And it strikes me in a manner to say, did we really make progress that we can't go to a neutral place and say whoever is governor, to say "The governor" rather than say he or she?
And that's the piece that I think in a way was not something that was supported. And in a piece of it, going back to Gladys Pyle, maybe resurrecting again how we need to engage as women in the legislature.
Linda Duba:
Good point, Jean.
Lori Walsh:
Yeah.
Linda Duba:
You're right. And the way that that vote went on that constitutional amendment was shocking, but I think people viewed it as we were being woke versus we were trying to address the fact that anyone can be the chief executive.
So it's unfortunate that that went down the way it did.
Lori Walsh:
Yeah. All right, let's talk. Senator Hunhoff, you said here are her top 10 things that she is perceived as achieving and perceived is always the key because we need to look at what of those things stand out to you as being real signature achievements of her administration.
And then is there something that stands out to you as maybe being not as strong as perhaps you think, worth further examination, I guess?
So something that you think is a real signature achievement and something that she says is an achievement but maybe rings hollow with you?
Jean Hunhoff:
Well, I think there are levels of achievement but could have gone further. Certainly on education. I think she focused on reading and she focused on the teacher apprentice program, which I think are very good.
But then when we got into other pieces where we're talking about our economy and our jobs, I'm not sure that we've done enough, especially what's being recommended for how we're rewarding our teachers, our compensation, and are we going to able to sustain those people in the field to be teachers?
I think the other thing in health care, if it weren't for the federal dollars, we would not have had the telehealth and the regional mental health. And I think that is absolutely superb that she was willing to go that direction because those are two certainly priority areas.
But I am concerned that nothing was mentioned about long-term care. That's certainly an area we are not where we need to be.
And depending on what happens this session, we could lose a few more nursing homes. And I think the other thing that I've seen over the course of the years, it's always amazing that whoever the governor is, they can give this data out there that says what we have and what we don't have. In appropriations if we ask for that same data, the department says, "Oh, we can't get you that information."
And I guess the one thing that sort of hit on me was, I'm glad we have a high birth rate. I think that is absolutely positive. That says, I guess in my mind, the other end of it. We're not seeing abortions as highly.
But I think in that birth rate, I'd be very interested where those births are occurring. We know that historically South Dakota has had one of the higher birth rates, but that was mostly on the reservations that are providing those newborns for us. On the other side, we don't have what the mortality rate is, infant mortality. And so we can do those high numbers.
And the reason I say this because only recently we've heard that Winner Hospital is discontinuing their delivery services because they don't have the resources. That's in a prime key area.
And so if you have a high birth rate but you're not having services, and I think the other arena we don't know much about, we can get data from hospitals, we can get data from nurse practitioners, but we don't know what the midwives are seeing for volume if they're being able to service those individuals. So in highlighting those, I think there are caveats that you really have to look at.
Just because you have a high number, which again, where is it? Where are the services and are we going to able to continue? Those are just a few of the areas I was looking at.
Lori Walsh:
You would add to that Representative Duba? You're nodding your head and giving a thumbs up to a few of those.
Linda Duba:
I would. As Jean knows, I'm a stickler for data. When she talked about health care, that was so important. The telehealth advances that we've made actually started back in 2019 on a task force that I sat on. And we've really advanced things there.
And Jean's right, those federal dollars have just, we spent them well. But we heard that nurses working in the state have increased by 1,100. Well, I'm going to make this statement. I want to know — once an appropriator always an appropriator — I want to know the data behind the data.
Are those nurses that are moving to our state or is that as a result of all the work that we did to really prop up those programs in our colleges and our tech colleges and our universities? So that was interesting.
When she talked about the birth rate, one of the first things I wrote down is, "Okay, but what are the demographics of that? Where are the babies being born and how old are the moms that are birthing these children?" I want to understand what the risks are associated with the birth rate. And that to me is really important because we can do this.
And by the way, our Bright Start program is a bright shining light. I'm going to hand it to the governor. We've invested in that. It's a good thing.
But as Senator Hunhoff and I both know, it's needed even more, especially when we found out about the closing of OB-GYN down in the Winner hospital.
I looked at the whole piece on public safety. We've seen tremendous amount of natural disasters in the six years that I've served in the legislature and we've been able to meet the needs as they came. I found it interesting.
And I'm going to say this in the most — ah, what the heck? Why am I being a diplomat today?
We talked about agencies who were supportive. And there was tremendous criticism about the lack of response from the state regarding the National Guard. And that was a very interesting time as we had already deployed troops down to the border.
So when the governor talked about her new job, and it's a big job, I mean, God knows, I wouldn't want to go near it, she talked mostly about the southern border, but I wish I would've heard her speak about the devastation that we're seeing in California because FEMA is a big part of her job and we still have all of the victims of the hurricanes in both North Carolina and Florida.
So we have to keep in mind that Homeland Security involves a lot of different aspects of keeping people safe. And in fact, I never heard her once mention anything that happened on New Year's Day where we had two homegrown terrorists unfortunately decide to do some really bad things and people died.
So let's talk about yes, do we need changes down at the border? 100%. Congress, do your job. Okay?
And then when we do that, let's also think about all the other areas of Homeland Security that need attention. Okay?
And she did reference, I didn't appreciate it, and I'm sure some of our others in the audience didn't either, the cartels in the poorest communities. She did stop short of referencing our Native Americans, however we know where our poorest communities are, so.
Lori Walsh:
She did reference the tribal law enforcement training.
Linda Duba:
Yeah, and that's a good thing.
Lori Walsh:
Yes.
Linda Duba:
That's a good thing.
Lori Walsh:
Got a standing ovation, led by Native American legislators there who stood up for that. Acknowledged the people, the sheriffs, who made the suggestion to her.
But to your point, Representative Duba, at the end, it was back in the rhetoric in a way that was maybe one step forward, two steps back, or one step forward, one step back as far as language.
Is that what you're saying kind of?
Linda Duba:
Yeah. And I appreciate that and I was excited to hear that that's going to become the norm as it should.
Good luck to appropriations with funding that.
Lori Walsh:
I was going to say that we're back to funding, right? Making those things permanent.
Linda Duba:
Yeah, we are.
Jean Hunhoff:
Well, if I could just intervene on that.
Lori Walsh:
Please.
Jean Hunhoff:
I am glad that is. And I think we all knew that this program that they had this last summer, there wasn't funding there, but there would be some resources to come in to assist that.
I think the other question in addressing the resources that are needed, over the course of the years, we've been asked to contribute more to that LEOF, which is the Law Enforcement Officer Training Fund.
And the legislature has put in additional dollars over the course of time, and certainly the AGs that have been there have been challenged by those dollars to be available.
But I think what we're also seeing, and again, the data is not there. The technical colleges have started programming to do some of that training, which reduces the caseload at the law enforcement center in Pierre to be able to carry more classes. The other is that your larger law enforcement departments, I believe the Sioux Falls and Rapid City, have started their own classes also.
So if you look at that, if you don't have as many students going to Pierre for training, but getting in the outside periphery and now you're able to take on the tribal without that much additional resources. You've got the space, you've got the staff there to do that, I think it's an absolute great accomplishment to do that.
But I think again, back to appropriations, they need to look at what is that number at the Pierre office, at that training center, what's happening with those numbers and are these other programs being able to deal with that? And yet we're able to recruit the people to law enforcement.
Lori Walsh:
All right. In the top 10 list, in every headline there was something that she felt was an accomplishment and then maybe in almost all of them, a nod toward "Here's what we're working on next."
Everything from Medicaid work requirements to keeping farmers farming. And we only have a couple minutes left, but anything that you want to wrap up with some of the policy ideas for the future that you think are worth closer examination today?
Senator Hunhoff, let's start with you.
Jean Hunhoff:
Well, she highlighted the outdoor opportunities and I think they have just escalated.
I'm going to give kudos to those people that have been working in those areas. We're really increasing in those numbers. And again, keeping in mind it's licenses and fees that keep GF&P operating with their staff because they don't get state dollars to support that.
I think the other thing is tying the ag in the economy. She talked about Bel Brands expanding, and I believe that's dairy, if I've got that right.
Certainly there are areas of the state that don't want dairy. There are other areas that do. And then the transition from the farm program in the sense what First Dakota is working now with the Ag Foundation and taking that program on.
I think those are the things we need to look at. What are we going to have? Any costs that are related to that? What are the outcomes? What are we looking? They've had success with the program, but why the transition? What's the rationale? And again, what are we looking at outcomes for those programs?
Linda Duba:
She talks specifically about a grant from GOED for the first year.
So the specifics, the devil will be in the details. What's the amount of the grant? What are the specifics around that program?
And then going forward, again, new program, how do we fund it?
