FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 19, 2025

Contact: Josie Harms

GRIT Presents Recommendations to Gov. Rhoden and Congressional Delegation

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, the Governor’s Resilience and Infrastructure Task Force (GRIT) presented its first recommendations to Governor Larry Rhoden and to South Dakota’s congressional delegation.

“My goal as Governor is to keep our state strong, safe, and free, and investing in our state’s infrastructure is key to that safety,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “I appreciate the recommendations GRIT presented, and I will take them under advisement.”

Governor Rhoden established the GRIT task force this summer to serve as a strategic advisory body to develop policy recommendations, assess risks and vulnerabilities, and support long-term planning and investment in critical infrastructure systems across our state.

GRIT specifically recommended that Governor Rhoden include one-time funding for the following infrastructure investments in his budget:

• Hardening systems and equipment at the Bureau of Information and Technology to guard against service outages, such as the outage that occurred in August;
• Cloud-based backup to the state radio, which plays a key role in public safety communications; and
• A nuclear energy study to ensure an all-of-the-above energy approach – more energy flexibility leads to a more stable energy supply.

GRIT also approved a letter to the state’s congressional delegation, supporting the renewal and extension of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015. That letter can be found here.

“Cybersecurity is not a partisan issue—it is a matter of national resilience and public safety,” wrote Lt. Governor Tony Venhuizen, GRIT Chairman, on behalf of the task force. “Reinstating this framework will reaffirm our shared commitment to protecting the nation’s digital and physical infrastructure and will help ensure that no state, business, or citizen stands alone in the fight against cyber threats.”

GRIT also endorsed a policy bill this upcoming legislative session, which would expand the use of the Dakota State University’s SecureSD: Cybersecurity for Municipalities and Counties Initiative to cover non-profit utility companies such as rural water systems.

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