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April 12, 2024
Dear John,
Rerouting
BIG Update
The United States Postal Service (USPS) recently announced plans to move mail processing centers from Sioux Falls to Omaha, Nebraska, and from Huron to Fargo, North Dakota. Due to this change, South Dakota will be left with no regional mail processing facilities. This move will require any mail sent from Sioux Falls to Chamberlain, for example, to go all the way to Omaha then back over to Chamberlain, a 500-mile journey. This move is inefficient and will delay mail routes across South Dakota, not to mention dozens of South Dakota jobs being lost.
I sent a letter with Senators Thune and Rounds to USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy urging him to re-evaluate this adjustment in services to avoid mail delays and disruptions in South Dakota. Rural South Dakota relies on these mail processing centers to get their mail and news in a timely manner. I hope the Postal Service reconsiders this decision.
BIG Idea
The South Dakota Trucking Association came to D.C. to talk about speed limiting devices in trucks. We are both opposed to a proposed rule from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) that would require these devices in trucks. This rule would add extra transportation costs to the private sector and slow down the supply chain. It may even make roads less safe due to speed differentials between trucks and passenger vehicles, causing more accidents.
I am a cosponsor of the DRIVE Act to prevent FMCSA from implementing this regulation and others like it that would require these types of devices. The federal government should be working to make it easier for truckers to enter the industry, not dissuade them with more bureaucratic red tape.
Johnson and South Dakota Trucking Association
BIG News
On Monday, I hosted my Level Up Youth Conference in Sioux Falls. Nearly 275 high school students from ten area schools were there to participate and hear from Cardboard Confessional’s Mitch Reed, SDPB’s Lori Walsh, and Dakota Scout’s Jonathan Ellis. We talked about how to be a better engaged and informed citizen and friend, and how to responsibly consume news and media in the age of deep fakes and AI.
As I told the students, too little salt can cause health problems. It’s necessary in a good diet, but too much salt is bad for your health. It’s similar with media and news consumption. Too little news consumption, and you don’t know what is going on in our country or how to engage. Too much media consumption, and you’re overwhelmed and don’t know what is true.
The students had thoughtful questions for the speakers and are interested in a wide variety of policy issues that matter today. It was great to host them!
Johnson and Students from Lennox High School at the Level Up Youth Conference
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