Making Waves with Dave Roetman

Dave Roetman
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South Dakota politics, straight from the people making the decisions. Host Dave Roetman interviews South Dakota legislators, statewide officials and candidates about public policy, legislation, issues advocacy and South Dakota ballot issues. Every episode is a long-form conversation with the person who wrote the bill, cast the vote, or is asking for yours. Guests have included Attorney General Marty Jackley, State Treasurer Josh Haeder, Commissioner Brock Greenfield, Sen. Chris Karr, Rep. Scott Odenbach, Sen. Mykala Voita, Sen. Taffy Howard, Sen. Kevin Jensen, Rep. John Hughes and Don Haggar. Dave Roetman is a conservative civic and campaign activist in Sioux Falls. The show is free. Full episodes and show notes: https://daveroetman.substack.com Follow on X: https://x.com/DaveRoetman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61594671035802 Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@DaveRoetman daveroetman.substack.com

  1. 16 Oct

    From the Battlefield to the Ballot Box: Kerry Loudenslager for District 12

    Kerry Loudenslager is a Republican running for the South Dakota House in District 12, which is split almost evenly between Minnehaha and Lincoln counties in Sioux Falls. He was born in Sioux Falls, grew up in Brewster, Minnesota, where his father was the school superintendent, and graduated from USD. He enlisted in the South Dakota Army National Guard with the 147th Field Artillery, earned his commission, and served 28 years in the Army and Guard, including four years in Germany while the Berlin Wall still stood. He retired as a colonel; his last assignment was director of operations for a joint task force in Virginia. He then spent 15 years with a financial firm in Sioux Falls. He and his wife Doreen have been married over 40 years, and all three of their sons are veterans. Kerry backs a YES vote on all four constitutional amendments. On Amendment L he points out that the Legislature passed it by wide margins and that changing the Constitution should take more than a simple majority, noting the U.S. Constitution and many other states already set a higher bar. On Amendment I he explains the risk if Washington cuts its 90% share of Medicaid expansion, and on Amendment J he wants it written into the Constitution that only citizens vote. His priorities in Pierre are public safety and support for local law enforcement, funding education and keeping good teachers in South Dakota, property tax relief (Lincoln County homeowners have seen property taxes rise about 55% in five years against 16-17% income growth), a hard look at the state budget for waste, and protecting veterans' benefits. He's the only veteran in the race, and his family's service goes back to the Revolutionary War. Topics: Kerry's background · 28 years in the Army and National Guard · Amendment L and the 60% threshold · Amendment I and Medicaid expansion funding · education and teacher pay · public safety · property taxes in Lincoln County · Amendment J · veterans' benefits · why vote for Kerry Chapters * 0:00 Intro * 0:17 Kerry's background: Sioux Falls, Brewster, USD * 1:27 28 years in the Army and National Guard * 2:32 Second career, family, and why he's running * 3:55 The 2022 race and knocking doors * 4:58 Amendment L: why change the Constitution should take 60% * 6:54 Outside money and the No on L ads * 8:23 Amendment I: Medicaid expansion and the 90% federal share * 12:00 Funding education and teacher pay * 12:43 Public safety and law enforcement * 13:12 Property taxes in Lincoln County * 15:37 Amendment J and yes on all four amendments * 17:04 Veterans' benefits and family service back to the Revolutionary War * 19:35 Why vote for Kerry * 21:21 Closing Links Kerry for SD campaign site Meet Kerry Campaign Facebook SDPB Meet the Candidates Ballotpedia This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit daveroetman.substack.com

  2. 13 Oct

    It's Your Money: Melissa Hull on the Treasurer's Office and Amendment K

    Melissa Hull, the Republican nominee for South Dakota State Treasurer, joins me to explain an office most people never think about until something goes wrong. Melissa has spent nearly eight years as Treasury Manager under Treasurer Josh Haeder, running the state's banking: every tax dollar and grant coming in, every bill going out, all tracked through one checkbook with the State Auditor and BFM checking each other's work. She isn't learning the job; she's already doing it. We spend most of our time on unclaimed property and Amendment K. Forgotten bank accounts, refunds and insurance checks get turned over to the state, but they still belong to their owners, and for years Pierre simply spent them. That left about $1.2 billion in claims the state owes and has no money set aside to pay. A 2025 law started a trust fund and caps how much goes to the general fund. Amendment K puts that trust in the Constitution, locks the principal so it's there when owners come forward, and lets the Investment Council earn the kind of returns the other state trusts get, not the 3 to 4% it earns now. Treat it like the people's money, because it is. Yes on K, and Melissa Hull for State Treasurer. Learn more: Melissa Hull for State Treasurer (official campaign website) South Dakota State Treasurer’s Office (official site) Constitutional Amendment K, 2026 ballot question (SD Secretary of State) Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:17 Melissa's background: Philip and West River 0:47 What does the State Treasurer actually do? 2:07 The state's checkbook, and checks and balances 2:47 Her job: leading Treasury Services 3:45 What is unclaimed property? 5:21 Amendment K: where unclaimed property money has gone 6:52 The $1.2 billion liability 7:22 What changes if Amendment K passes 8:52 Yes on K 8:58 Final thoughts Links Amendment K (SJR 505), Final Attorney General's Statement (PDF) 2026 Ballot Question Pro/Con Pamphlet (PDF) SJR 505 as filed, the text of Amendment K (PDF) SB 155 (2025), which created the statutory trust and the general-fund cap (PDF) SDCL 43-41B-24.5, the trust distribution rule Search for your own unclaimed property (SD State Treasurer) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit daveroetman.substack.com

    It's Your Money: Melissa Hull on the Treasurer's Office and Amendment K

  3. 10 Oct

    Closing the Loophole: Sen. Taffy Howard Explains Amendment J (and Why She's Yes on K and I)

    Sen. Taffy Howard of District 34, the prime sponsor of Amendment J, joins me to explain why South Dakota needs to say plainly in its Constitution that only U.S. citizens can vote. Right now our Constitution guarantees the vote to citizens, but it never says non-citizens can’t vote. J closes that loophole by adding non-citizens to the list of people disqualified from voting. This isn’t theoretical. About 20 local jurisdictions in three states plus D.C. already let non-citizens vote in local elections. New York City tried to open its municipal elections to roughly 800,000 non-citizens until the courts struck it down under the New York Constitution. And on Oct. 1, a federal judge in Florida threw out a non-citizen voting charge, ruling that the 1996 federal law couldn’t be applied in that case because voter qualifications are for the states to set. That’s exactly why this belongs in our state Constitution. We also cover Amendment K, Taffy’s unclaimed property trust fund, which passed the Legislature unanimously. Unclaimed property is your money, not tax money, and the state has already spent about $1.2 billion of it that it still owes back to rightful owners. K puts those dollars in a permanent trust, like our other state trust funds, so they earn more for South Dakota instead of being spent. And Taffy makes the case for Amendment I: if Washington ever drops its 90% share of Medicaid expansion, I ends the expansion coverage so South Dakota taxpayers aren’t stuck covering the difference out of the general fund. Yes on J, yes on K, yes on I. Topics: Amendment J, SJR 503, citizen-only voting, non-citizen voting, New York City, federal court ruling, Amendment K, unclaimed property trust fund, Amendment I, Medicaid expansion, South Dakota Constitution, 2026 ballot “Do we have to be reactive to everything? Can we not be proactive and try to take care of an issue before it becomes an issue?” — Sen. Taffy Howard “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure in this case.” — Dave Roetman Amendment J: the Attorney General’s explanation Here is the Attorney General’s official ballot explanation for Amendment J, word for word as filed with the Secretary of State: Title: An Amendment to the South Dakota Constitution Clarifying that an Individual Must Be a Citizen of the United States to be Eligible to Vote. Explanation: Article VII, § 2 of the South Dakota Constitution defines who is qualified to vote in state elections. Among these qualifications are age, residency, and United States citizenship requirements. Article VII, § 2 also establishes that individuals may be disqualified from voting because of mental incompetence or a felony conviction. This constitutional amendment adds people who are not United States citizens to the list of individuals disqualified from voting, clarifying the existing requirement that only citizens may vote in state elections. “Vote ‘Yes’ to adopt the amendment.” “Vote ‘No’ to leave the Constitution as it is.” Source: Final Attorney General’s Statement for SJR 503 (Amendment J), filed with the SD Secretary of State on May 14, 2026 (PDF) Official ballot information (SD Secretary of State) * Amendment I (HJR 5001): Final Attorney General’s Statement (PDF) Ends expanded Medicaid coverage if federal funding drops below 90%. * Amendment J (SJR 503): Final Attorney General’s Statement (PDF) Clarifies that an individual must be a U.S. citizen to be eligible to vote. * Amendment K (SJR 505): Final Attorney General’s Statement (PDF) Establishes the trust for unclaimed property fund. * 2026 Ballot Question Pro/Con Pamphlet (PDF) AG explanations plus pro and con statements for I, J, K and L. * Listen: 2026 Ballot Question Pro/Con Pamphlet (audio) * SD Secretary of State: 2026 Ballot Questions All 2026 statewide measures, with AG draft and final statements. Show notes * 0:00 Intro * 0:07 Welcome, Sen. Taffy Howard * 0:28 Amendment J: the loophole in our Constitution * 1:13 Other states, D.C., and the federal court ruling * 2:48 A high-trust society, and an ounce of prevention * 3:19 Proactive, not reactive: New York City and L.A. * 4:25 How simple is J? The AG’s explanation * 5:49 Amendment K: the unclaimed property trust fund * 9:50 Amendment I: Medicaid expansion and the 90% match * 12:16 Wrap-up: yes on I, J and K Music: “Tales from the West” by Luis Humanoide (Pixabay). Transcript Lightly edited for readability. Timestamps match the episode audio. [0:07] Dave Roetman: This is the Making Waves Podcast. My name is Dave Roetman. We’re here with Senator Taffy Howard. Welcome, Taffy. [0:14] Sen. Taffy Howard: Thank you. It’s great to be here. [0:17] Dave Roetman: Thanks for being on. And we’re here to talk about Amendment J. Since you were prime sponsor on Amendment J, could you tell us a little bit about the background, why Amendment J is necessary, what it is? [0:28] Sen. Taffy Howard: Sure. So currently in our Constitution, it’s very clear that all U.S. citizens must be allowed to vote, unless they’re otherwise ineligible for, you know, some reason where we don’t allow them to vote. But all U.S. citizens must be allowed to vote. It does not say that you could not include other groups of people. It does not say you cannot include non-citizens and allow them to vote. So there is no prohibition in our Constitution currently to say you must be a U.S. citizen; no non-citizens are allowed to vote in our elections. [1:01] Dave Roetman: So I’ve heard from other places, states where they do allow non-citizens to vote. I thought that was madness, but apparently it’s constitutional. [1:13] Sen. Taffy Howard: Yep. There’s roughly, I think there’s 20 other jurisdictions around the country. There’s three other states plus D.C. that do have jurisdictions that allow non-citizens to vote, whether that’s in municipal elections or school board elections. So it’s not a theoretical issue. Thankfully we haven’t faced that here yet, and I hope we never will. But that’s one of the reasons we want to put this into our Constitution, which is the foundation of all our law. Our laws should flow from our Constitution. So the hope is we get this in our Constitution, and we will be good in this respect. And I don’t know if you saw what just came out from the federal judge regarding the federal, at the federal level. So we do not have a federal constitutional amendment that prohibits non-citizens from voting. At the federal level, again, it’s just a law, just like we have here; we do have it in law and state statute. At the federal level, they put that into law in 1996, but a federal judge basically overturned that and didn’t convict, I think it was a Jamaican non-citizen that they were charging. So she was not convicted because the federal judge said, you can’t do this, the law has no standing from the Constitution, so you can’t basically enforce this law. Which, to me, is insane. It’s insane. So not only do we need to ensure this is in our state constitution, but now we need to be pushing for a federal constitutional amendment. [2:48] Dave Roetman: It’s crazy. Well, it seems to me two things. One is that we had a high-trust society, and that is the reason why we didn’t have this, you know, in the law, in the Constitution from before. Never occurred to anybody that this was necessary or even possible, for non-citizens to vote. But second point I’d like to make is that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure in this case. So this is something that will possibly head off issues that will come in the future. [3:19] Sen. Taffy Howard: And I know that’s one of the arguments, is, well, we don’t have that problem here, this is repetitive, we have it in state law. It’s like, okay, well, do we have to be reactive to everything? Can we not be proactive and try to take care of an issue before it becomes an issue? New York just had, so New York City wanted to allow non-citizens to vote in their municipal elections. It was only the New York Constitution that stopped it. And that would have, we’re talking about upwards of 800,000 non-citizen… This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit daveroetman.substack.com

    Closing the Loophole: Sen. Taffy Howard Explains Amendment J (and Why She's Yes on K and I)

  4. 5 Oct

    Only Citizens Vote, and Hands Off Your Money: Sen. Kevin Jensen on Amendments J and K

    Sen. Kevin Jensen of District 16 joins me to talk about two short amendments on this November’s ballot, and I think both are no-brainers. Amendment J writes into our state constitution that non-citizens can’t vote, so a future legislature can’t undo it just by repealing a statute. Amendment K puts unclaimed property, your money and not tax money, into a permanent trust so Pierre can’t spend it. Jensen says the state has already spent $1.2 billion of that money since 1992. Vote yes on J and yes on K. “If they were to put one more word in there, only U.S. citizens are eligible, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion.” — Sen. Kevin Jensen, on Amendment J “If you had a $100 bill laying on the curb, you wouldn’t walk away from it, right? You’d get it. So go, yes on K, and go get your money.” — Sen. Kevin Jensen Links * SD Secretary of State: 2026 Ballot Questions (Amendments J and K) * SD Secretary of State: 2026 Ballot Question Pamphlet (PDF) * Amendment J (SJR 503): final Attorney General’s Statement (PDF) * Amendment K (SJR 505): final Attorney General’s Statement (PDF) * SD State Treasurer: Unclaimed Property * Search for your unclaimed property (official SD Treasurer search) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit daveroetman.substack.com

    Only Citizens Vote, and Hands Off Your Money: Sen. Kevin Jensen on Amendments J and K

  5. 2 Oct

    Amendment I Explained: Sen. Kevin Jensen on Medicaid Expansion and the 90% Federal Match

    Sen. Kevin Jensen of District 16, who has chaired Health and Human Services in the South Dakota House and Senate for eight years, joins Dave Roetman to explain Amendment I. The Legislature placed it on the ballot, and it would end expanded Medicaid coverage if the federal share of funding drops below 90%. Jensen explains the FMAP federal match: about 51% federal for traditional Medicaid and 90% for expansion under the Affordable Care Act. He says the state’s share has grown from $18 million to about $34 million, and that losing the higher match would cost South Dakota well over $100 million a year. He argues nothing changes while Washington keeps its promise and urges a yes vote on I. Topics: Amendment I, Medicaid expansion, FMAP, Affordable Care Act, 90% federal match, state budget, federal funding, teacher pay, Attorney General interpretation, 2026 midterms Sen. Kevin Jensen of District 16 has chaired Health and Human Services in both the South Dakota House and Senate for a total of eight years. He joins Dave to make the case for Amendment I, the constitutional amendment the Legislature put on the ballot. It would end expanded Medicaid coverage if the federal government drops its share of funding below 90%. Jensen explains the federal match: traditional Medicaid splits roughly 51% federal and 49% state, while expansion under the Affordable Care Act is 90% federal and 10% state. South Dakota’s share has doubled in two years, from $18 million in the first budget to about $34 million now, with total spending near $340 million. He says Congress debated cutting the expansion match back to the traditional rate in 2025. If that happened, the state would have to find well over $100 million a year, in a Legislature that fights over $5 and $10 million items at the end of every session. That money would come from teacher pay, state employees and other priorities. Jensen’s bottom line is that nothing changes as long as Washington keeps its 90% promise. Amendment I only kicks in if the federal government backs out, and it protects South Dakota taxpayers from hundreds of millions of dollars in exposure. He’s a firm yes on I. “If the federal government doesn’t change, nothing happens. It stays the same. You can sleep at night knowing that as long as the federal government holds their 90 percent, nothing’s going to happen.” “This amendment only kicks in if the federal government backs out. So you can blame the federal government, not your state.” Read the official text of Amendment I (HJR 5001) and the Attorney General's explanation on the South Dakota Secretary of State's website. Full transcript About this transcript: It was machine-transcribed in-house and then edited for readability. Filler words and false starts are removed, and the meaning is unchanged. [?] marks a word or phrase we’re unsure of. Timestamps are approximate. This episode’s audio defeated our in-house speech recognition, so the text and timings are based on Substack’s own automatic transcript of the episode, checked and edited by us. [00:00] Dave Roetman: This is the Making Waves Podcast. My name is Dave Roetman. We’re here with Kevin Jensen, Senator from District 16. Welcome, Kevin. Kevin Jensen: Yeah, thank you, Dave. Thank you for doing this. Dave Roetman: Oh, thank you for talking about the amendments. Let’s talk about Amendment I. Could you tell us a little bit about it and who sponsored it? And this came from the legislature, correct? Kevin Jensen: Yeah, the legislature brought all four of the amendments. We feel that it’s important that the people have the opportunity to weigh in on these amendments. And because there are amendments to the Constitution, we want the people to weigh in. Because we respect the people’s vote. Dave Roetman: We do. Kevin Jensen: Amendment I is an amendment to the Constitution that repeals expanded Medicaid coverage if federal funding for the program drops below 90%. I’ve been Chair of Health and Human Services, both in the House and Senate now, a total for eight years, for four terms. There’s a term that a lot of people aren’t familiar with. It’s called FMAP. It’s FMAP. And that stands for the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage. So basically what that is, we’ve had traditional Medicaid for a long time, which traditional Medicaid is for low-income children, pregnant women, elderly and disabled. And the FMAP, the federal matching on that, Traditionally, it’s 51% federal and 49% states. So the state is responsible for 49% of all of the funds for Medicaid. Dave Roetman: And that percentage of the state funding, I mean, as far as the budget of the state government, that has increased considerably over the years. Kevin Jensen: Yeah. I hear numbers anywhere from 45% to 48% that our entire budget It’s dependent on federal money. And, that plays right into the 49% with the FMAP. But with the ACA, the Affordable Care Act, the expansion of Medicaid, which the people voted for. But, sometimes people vote for things because they sound great without knowing the detail. It depends on who’s got the most convincing advertising, I guess, is what it comes down to. Dave Roetman: Fair point. Kevin Jensen: Instead of actually knowing what we’re actually doing. But with FMAP on the Affordable Care Act is 90-10. So the federal government pays 90%. The state picks up 10%. Dave Roetman: And that’s the current law now. Kevin Jensen: That’s current law. When the people voted for this, I think it was in 23 or 24. It must have been 24. So the very first year we budgeted, our 10% was $18 million. And people have to remember that there are some able-bodied people of working age that are on Medicaid right now just because of the way of the requirements. Dave Roetman: I remember when this was in the news and it was going to be voted on. They were talking about bringing people on. Medicaid expansion was to bring people who were above the poverty line into Medicaid. And these were working class Americans, these people who had jobs. Kevin Jensen: Yeah. Yeah. So that’s what happened. Yeah. We didn’t know how many people would come on board. So $18 million was budgeted for the South Dakota budget, which in total would have been $180 million, including the federal match. So we budgeted $180 million. Now in 2025, or I’ll say 26, what we did was we budgeted for $34 million because it’s doubled in two years. There’s an assumption maybe that almost everybody that’s on now that’s eligible is already on. So we’re not going to pick up a lot more. But when Sioux Falls is growing like 5,000 people a year, I mean, still, there’s going to be more and more people coming on board. So realistically, between the federal and state funding, we’re looking at about $340 million this year. In 2025 in Congress in D.C., there was a very, very serious argument about turning the ACA percentage back to traditional Medicaid, which would be a 51-49. Dave Roetman: Match. Kevin Jensen: If that were the case for this, if that happened this year, we would have to come up with another $136 million. South Dakota would be responsible for the $170 million of that. Because it’s basically a 50-50. I mean, it’s close enough. And I don’t know where we get that money. [05:00] We fight for 10 million here and 5 million there right to the end of session. Sometimes something for a million dollars gets thrown out the window because we just don’t have that million dollars. Now we’re talking about, 100 million dollars. It’s really frustrating. Because if I’m not a guy that says, and I’ll be honest, this is the expression in Pierre that frustrates me the most. This is how much money we have. How are we going to spend it? Dave Roetman: As opposed to, yeah. I get it. They spend all the money that they get. It trips my trigger. It really does. It should be how much do we need, and then we’ll spend. It’s interesting that it’s double. As I recall, one of the arguments against the Medicaid expansion in the first place is that people will lose their private health insurance. T… This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit daveroetman.substack.com

    Amendment I Explained: Sen. Kevin Jensen on Medicaid Expansion and the 90% Federal Match

  6. 28 Sept

    Rep. John Hughes on Amendment L: Why It Should Take 60% to Change Our Constitution

    Rep. John Hughes (District 13), who wrote Amendment L, explains why changing the South Dakota Constitution should take 60% of the vote instead of a simple majority. We talk about what L does and doesn't do, the L-No ads, and the outside money behind ballot campaigns. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit daveroetman.substack.com

  7. 20 Mar

    Interview with Dale Bartscher, Associate Director of SD Right to Life and Candidate for District 35 House

    Recorded in mid-March 2026, after the main run of the legislative session and before Gov. Larry Rhoden signed the three bills Bartscher discusses. Guest Dale Bartscher, Associate Director and lobbyist, South Dakota Right to Life; Republican candidate for the South Dakota House, District 35 (Rapid City, Rapid Valley, Box Elder and Ellsworth Air Force Base) "As Conservatives, we are not far-right, we are not far-wrong, we are just right. We are right on the issue of protecting life. We are right on the issue of support for our 2nd Amendment Rights. We are right on our support for the first responders and military personnel. We are right on our advocacy for our elderly and disabled. We are right when it comes to parental responsibility. We are right in prioritizing the education of our children, whether it is public school, private school or homeschool. These and other Conservative issues remain the core values of the Republican Party. And I support them and I will stand with them." - Dale Bartscher Update (October 2026) Gov. Larry Rhoden signed all three bills on March 20, 2026, at the Alpha Center, a crisis pregnancy center in Sioux Falls, and they took effect July 1. HB 1274 makes it a felony to dispense, distribute or advertise abortion pills and related items for an unlawful abortion. HB 1274 is now tied up in federal court. Mayday Health and former Democratic legislator Nancy Turbak Berry sued Rhoden and Attorney General Marty Jackley in May. On July 17, U.S. District Judge Camela Theeler in Rapid City granted a preliminary injunction that blocks the state from enforcing the law's advertising ban against them while the case goes on. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the state's request to overturn that order (reported Oct. 2). Jackley's office said in July that the case will still go to trial. For HB 1313, the state Department of Education now lists approved videos for the new requirement, including Britannica's "How a Human Embryo Develops into a Fetus" and Live Action's "Baby Olivia." On the campaign, Bartscher finished first in the June 2 Republican primary for District 35's two House seats with 1,241 votes (33.8%), ahead of Jason Fleming (1,205), Jace West (744) and Emmett Reistroffer (484). National Right to Life endorsed him in May. He and Fleming face Democrat Ken Jeakins on Nov. 3; no incumbent is on the ballot. Links Dale for South Dakota, campaign website, House District 35: https://www.daleforsd.com/ South Dakota Right to Life: https://www.sdrighttolife.org/ HB 1257, an Act to amend the definition of an abortion: https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/26454 HB 1274, prohibit the dispensing, distribution, sale or advertisement of certain articles or things for purposes of an unlawful abortion: https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/26881 HB 1313, require education in prenatal human growth and development: https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/26293 HCR 6002, honoring the life and achievements of the late Charlie Kirk (House 60-5, Senate 31-2): https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/26579 Update sources Gov. Rhoden Signs Pro-Life Bills into Law (Office of the Governor, March 20, 2026): https://news.sd.gov/news?id=news_kb_article_view&sys_id=39a3153097bb36107fc1b480f053afca New anti-abortion laws clarify definition, criminalize pills, require prenatal videos in schools (South Dakota Searchlight, March 20, 2026): https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2026/03/20/new-anti-abortion-laws-clarify-definition-criminalize-pills-require-prenatal-videos-in-schools/ South Dakota federal judge sides with abortion information provider (Courthouse News Service, July 17, 2026): https://www.courthousenews.com/south-dakota-federal-judge-sides-with-abortion-information-provider/ Appeals court denies South Dakota's defense of ban on abortion pill advertising (South Dakota Searchlight, Oct. 2, 2026): https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2026/10/02/appeals-court-denies-south-dakotas-defense-of-ban-on-abortion-pill-advertising/ Prenatal Human Growth and Development (South Dakota Department of Education): https://doe.sd.gov/prenatal/ National Right to Life endorses Fred Deutsch and Dale Bartscher (May 7, 2026): https://nrlc.org/communications/nrl-endorses-pro-life-warriors-fred-deutsch-and-dale-bartscher-for-south-dakota-state-house-of-representatives/ Dale Bartscher (Ballotpedia): https://ballotpedia.org/Dale_Bartscher State House District 35 primary results (Pierre Review): https://pierrereview.com/s/2026/elections/state-house-35 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit daveroetman.substack.com

    Interview with Dale Bartscher, Associate Director of SD Right to Life and Candidate for District 35 House

  8. 14 Feb

    Interview: National Committeewoman Heidi Engelhart

    Recorded in mid-February 2026, the week the House passed the SAVE America Act, just after an RNC meeting. Guest Heidi Engelhart, National Committeewoman for the South Dakota Republican Party (South Dakota's elected woman member of the Republican National Committee); she also writes and podcasts at Voice of the Plains "The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of choosing Senators." - Article I, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution Update (October 2026) The midterm convention Engelhart previewed happened. The RNC held its first-ever midterm convention Sept. 9-10, 2026, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, closing with speeches from Vice President JD Vance and President Trump. The SAVE America Act passed the House 218-213 on Feb. 11, 2026 (the Wednesday night she mentions), as a House amendment to S. 1383. Every Republican voted yes, joined by one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas. South Dakota's Rep. Dusty Johnson voted yes. The Senate took it up in March and the filibuster stopped it, as she warned. On March 21 a cloture vote on a Republican amendment failed 49-41, and on March 26 cloture on Sen. Jon Husted's photo ID amendment failed 53-47, with all 53 Republicans voting yes and every Democrat and independent voting no. Sixty votes were needed. The bill has not passed the Senate. The original SAVE Act, H.R. 22, passed the House 220-208 on April 10, 2025, and has sat in the Senate since. The Make Elections Great Again Act, H.R. 7300 (Rep. Bryan Steil), has had no action since it was referred to committees in early February 2026. Links The U.S. Constitution (Congress.gov): https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/ Voice of the Plains, Heidi Engelhart's Substack: https://voiceoftheplainssd.substack.com/ H.R. 22, SAVE Act: requires documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/22 H.R. 7296, SAVE America Act: proof of citizenship to register and photo ID to vote in federal elections: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7296/text H.R. 7300, Make Elections Great Again Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7300 Update sources House passes SAVE America Act, sending Trump-backed election bill to the Senate (NBC News, Feb. 11, 2026): https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-passes-save-america-act-trump-backed-election-bill-rcna258614 SAVE America Act and federal voter registration law (Congressional Research Service): https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/IF12902.html Senate floor log, March 21, 2026 (Senate Periodical Press Gallery): https://www.periodicalpress.senate.gov/saturday-march-21-2026/ Senate roll call 73, March 26, 2026, cloture on the photo ID amendment: https://suffragium.com/vote/senate/119/2026/73 House roll call 102, H.R. 22 SAVE Act, April 10, 2025 (Office of the Clerk): https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025102 Republicans gather in Dallas for two-day midterm convention (PBS NewsHour/AP, Sept. 9, 2026): https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/republicans-gather-in-dallas-for-two-day-midterm-convention-billed-as-trump-a-palooza Republican convention wraps with speeches from Vance, Trump (NPR, Sept. 10, 2026): https://www.npr.org/2026/09/10/nx-s1-5963880/trump-republican-midterm-convention-vance This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit daveroetman.substack.com

    Interview: National Committeewoman Heidi Engelhart
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South Dakota politics, straight from the people making the decisions. Host Dave Roetman interviews South Dakota legislators, statewide officials and candidates about public policy, legislation, issues advocacy and South Dakota ballot issues. Every episode is a long-form conversation with the person who wrote the bill, cast the vote, or is asking for yours. Guests have included Attorney General Marty Jackley, State Treasurer Josh Haeder, Commissioner Brock Greenfield, Sen. Chris Karr, Rep. Scott Odenbach, Sen. Mykala Voita, Sen. Taffy Howard, Sen. Kevin Jensen, Rep. John Hughes and Don Haggar. Dave Roetman is a conservative civic and campaign activist in Sioux Falls. The show is free. Full episodes and show notes: https://daveroetman.substack.com Follow on X: https://x.com/DaveRoetman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61594671035802 Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@DaveRoetman daveroetman.substack.com

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