Gov. Noem's "Evil Foreign Governments" Bill Goes into Effect July 1


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 29, 2023

Contact: Ian Fury

 

Gov. Noem’s “Evil Foreign Governments” Bill Goes into Effect July 1

Signs Executive Order

 

PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Noem’s “Evil Foreign Governments” bill, SB 189, will go into effect on July 1st. The bill restricts state and local governments from contracting with six “Evil Foreign Governments.” The prime sponsors of this legislation were Sen. Jim Stalzer (R-11) and Rep. Tyler Tordsen (R-14).

 

“With this legislation, South Dakota will continue to be a beacon of Freedom to the rest of the nation,” said Governor Noem. “We are ensuring that our taxpayers’ dollars are not being used as revenue streams for Evil Foreign Governments. South Dakota will always put the security of our people first, and we will continue to preserve Freedom for generations to come.”

 

Governor Noem signed the bill in March at the 114th Fighter Wing at Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls. You can find photos from the bill signing event here.

 

Governor Noem also signed Executive Order 2023-10, which rescinds the following two Executive Orders:

 

  • Executive Order 2004-06 established the Research and Commercialization Council to provide oversight for the division of research commercialization; and,

 

  • Executive Order 2023-02 was signed by Governor Noem in January to restrict state and local governments from contracting with the following “Evil Foreign Governments:” the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Cuba, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

 

Governor Noem also signed Executive Order 2023-06 in May to ban Tencent from state government devices and instruct the commissioner of the Bureau of Information Technologies to create a blacklist of other similarly dangerous applications to state security.

 

With the enactment of the “Evil Foreign Governments” bill, along with the continuing protection of Executive Order 2023-06, Executive Orders 2004-08 and 2023-02 are no longer necessary.

 

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