Milestones are an important part of any process. They’re a good opportunity to reflect on where we’ve come from, assess where we are, and look ahead to what comes next. Every legislative session, there comes a day called “Crossover” that is a major milestone in the legislative process.

Under our South Dakota system, every bill gets a hearing, and every bill that passes committee gets a vote on the floor of the legislature. Crossover Day is the day that bills must have passed the floor of their chamber of origin, or else they’ll be considered “dead.” So it’s often a long, busy day – and it’s a good opportunity to take stock of how the session has gone so far.

Crossover Day this year is on February 25. As I write this, it remains to be seen just how busy a day it’ll be for our House Representatives and Senators. But I’ll tell you this – it’s been a busy few weeks for me since taking office as Governor.

Just four weeks ago, we had our own “crossover,” so to speak, here in South Dakota. Former-Governor Kristi Noem took office as the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and she’s doing important work to keep our nation safe. And I took office as the 34th Governor of South Dakota. I got my team established, nominated Tony Venhuizen as my Lieutenant Governor, promoted Mackenzie Decker as my new Chief of Staff, and even hired a new Press Secretary to help deliver open and responsive communication with the press.

To have all that happen in the middle of a legislative session was unprecedented in the history of South Dakota, and it has certainly kept us busy. Serving as Lieutenant Governor for six years, I had a good sense of what the workload of the Governor was. I knew what I was getting into when I shortened my title. But there’s a difference between knowing something and experiencing it for yourself. We’ve certainly had a busy past few weeks of session.

We’ve already been able to deliver some accomplishments to keep South Dakota strong, safe, and free. The first bill I signed as Governor was to ban Sanctuary Cities in our state, which was a strong statement of support for the work that President Trump and Secretary Noem are doing to fix our nation’s immigration system.

I worked with representatives from both the House and the Senate to hammer out an agreement to address the rising burden of property taxes for South Dakota homeowners, and that bill has started to work through the legislative process.

We announced a major force expansion of the South Dakota Highway Patrol in Sioux Falls. This new squad will support local law enforcement to fight crime and keep our communities safe.

We’re continuing to advocate for the construction of a new men’s prison near Sioux Falls – this facility will be crucial to rehabilitate offenders and ensure the public safety of South Dakotans.

And we are already working towards returning fireworks to Mount Rushmore for America’s 250th birthday! I recently spoke with Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, and he committed to me that we will work together to make this happen.

So as we reach Crossover Day in the legislature, I am confident that our state is heading in the right direction. Our state’s “crossover” is in good shape, as well. I appreciate all the prayers and kind words that my family and I have received, and I will continue focusing everyday on keeping South Dakota strong, safe, and free.