Legislative Update with Jay Kruse

​Join a free webinar on the “Congressional Outlook for 2022 and Beyond.” Plus, a historic day in South Dakota politics! 

Good Morning and Happy Wednesday!

With both Dakotas’ primary elections in the rear-view mirror, focus now shifts to what Congress has planned for the rest of the year and the November general elections.

As state level candidates regroup and set their sights on their next opponents, your North and South Dakota Governmental Affairs Committees (GACs) will be taking a close look at all the candidates and races to determine which will receive support from CUPAC, our state Political Action Committees (PACs). Both states’ GACs will be getting together in just over a month to make these determinations in order to ensure that candidates have plenty of time to make good use of the funds prior to the November election.

As a reminder, any CUPAC contribution candidates may receive is just that – a campaign contribution – not an endorsement. It is the policy of the Dakota Credit Union Association not to “endorse” political candidates. Credit unions play a very important role in our states’ financial landscape; this is something that couldn’t happen without the support of our state and local leaders. We sincerely enjoy and appreciate that support!

Register Now: Congressional Outlook for 2022 and Beyond
On June 29th, CUNA’s Chief Advocacy Officer, Ryan Donovan, will be leading a discussion along with Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer for Federal Government Relations Jason Stverak, Zach Pfister of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, and CUNA's lobby team on what to expect for the remainder of the year from Congress, and what the elections will mean for credit unions in 2023. You can register here. This free webinar starts at 1:00 p.m. (CT) and will last for one hour. It will be beneficial for credit union CEOs, C-Suite and anyone else interested in learning more about the impact of elections on our movement! A recorded version will be available until October 30, 2022.

A Historic Day in South Dakota Politics
June 21, 2022 will forever be remember in South Dakota political history, as the Senate, for the first time ever, voted to impeach and remove SD Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg from office. Mr. Ravnsborg was also barred from holding any future political position or office in the state. No elected official in South Dakota had ever been impeached prior to the vote which occurred late yesterday afternoon.

The Senate voted to sustain the 2 articles of impeachment brought against the AG by the House of Representatives in April, on final votes of 24-9 and 31-2. However, the entire Senate agreed that barring Mr. Ravnsborg was the right thing to do, voting 33-0 in support. A two-thirds majority of Senate members was required to sustain the articles.

The articles of impeachment all stem from a September 12, 2020, car accident in which Ravnsborg’s private vehicle, as he was traveling home from a Lincoln Day Dinner, struck and killed Mr. Joe Boever, a pedestrian who was walking on the shoulder of the highway. As Governor Kristi Noem noted, with this dark cloud lifted and the political fallout behind us, “it is now time to move on and begin to restore confidence.”
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As always, thank you for your continued support, and don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.

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