The bill, she added, will also include a sodsaver provision, which aims to limit native grassland conversion. Noem expects the Farm Bill to be passed “in the next week or two.”

Praising the Legislature, Noem said, “We have the second lowest unemployment rate in the country.” By keeping taxes low and maintaining a balanced budget, the Legislature has been a model of good governing, she said. “You are setting a good example of how government should be run,” Noem said.

Noem also discussed her recent support for the comprehensive funding bill. “The bill cuts spending for the fourth year in a row, which hasn’t happened since the Korean War,” she said.

Although the funding bill wasn’t perfect, the bill addressed several concerns pertaining to South Dakota including providing assistance to consolidated school districts, such as Mobridge-Pollock, and providing additional funding for rural water projects. In addition, the passage of the comprehensive funding bill eliminates the possibility of another government shutdown, Noem said.

In the future, Noem said she will work on sex trafficking legislation. “We have a huge problem here in South Dakota,” Noem said. With as many as 300,000 children a year at risk of becoming victims of sex trafficking in the United States, Noem said, “The more I learn about it, the more I can’t sleep at night.” The legislation, Noem said, would ensure that children involved sex trafficking would be treated as victims, rather than criminals.

“I appreciate all that you do,” Noem said, while concluding her remarks to the Senate.

“It is my humbling honor to serve you and your constituents,” she said.