Snow Queen Noem Ices Power-Hungry Legislators

[TexasTowelie]

Remember how Speaker Steven Haugaard was trumpeting his desire for a stronger Legislature? Governor Kristi Noem (R) is having none of it:

By all accounts, Noem was sick of the weird stuff coming from the Legislature, in particular the House, when she summoned legislative leaders to her second-floor offices last week. Her message was simple: Cut it out.

There was the issue with the prudish dress code drawn up by House leadership, the one that several Republican women objected to. There was the spat between House Speaker Steve Haugaard and longtime lobbyist Yvonne Taylor, where Haugaard banned her from the House floor because she wrote something in May that he didn’t like

Noem was also upset that House leaders were trying to submarine her budget, demanding a 3 percent cut [Jonathan Ellis, “In Early Test, Gov. Kristi Noem Stands up to Power Grab in Palace Intrigue,” that Sioux Falls paper, 2019.02.08].

Ellis also reports that Governor Noem was as mad about the rash of secret hoghouse bills as I am, for all the right reasons:

And she wanted to know why there were more than 40 bills that had been introduced without meaningful content. These bills – vehicle bills or hoghouse bills – are used by lawmakers to spring surprise legislation late in the session before anyone has had time to review them. They are the antitheses of open government [Ellis, 2019.02.08].

Putting her mojo where her mouth is on transparency, Governor Noem then sent her team out to tell lobbyists and journalists like Ellis all about the royal butt-chewing.

Gee, Speaker Haugaard, if you really wanted a stronger Legislature, maybe you should have voted for Billie Sutton last fall. If just a few of you Republicans had spoken up for the Democratic candidate for Governor, you would not now have a Republican Governor cutting off your nutty ideas.

http://dakotafreepress.com/2019/02/09/snow-queen-noem-ices-power-hungry-legislators/
(no more at link)