South Dakota’s Government

Mike Rounds Michael Rounds is South Dakota’s 31st governor on January 7, 2003 he was sworn in. Mike Rounds is committed to working with South Dakotans to make the state a better place to live, work, and raise a family. He believes South Dakota's children are its most valuable resource and that every child in the state should receive a quality education.

Health I am encouraging South Dakotans to make healthy choices that lead to a longer, healthier life. South Dakotans who are physically active reduce their risk of disease and improve their quality of life.

Education No Child Left Behind is President Bush’s historic effort to improve this country’s system of education. Looking to the future, Gov. Mike Rounds has implemented an initiative to provide a vision for South Dakota’s educational system, as well provide a road map for achieving that vision by the year 2010.

Education The Dakota Corps Scholarship was designed for high school and college students in South Dakota to provide full tuition and generally-applicable fees to selected qualified applicants.

Protecting People The Office of Homeland Security was created to ensure that South Dakota is safe and secure.

State Development Our Beef Initiative is a plan, a voluntary program, complete with protocols, accountability, verification and a strong commitment to research and marketing. South Dakota Certified Beef is part of our state’s 2010 Initiative – an ongoing commitment to improving our state’s economic future. This beef initiative was created to make sure agriculture can continue to be our number one industry and provide new opportunities for our children and future generations

Energy Development Energy is an area holding tremendous opportunity for our state. We are also researching South Dakota’s potential to produce alternative forms of energy, such as anaerobic digesters and geothermal power. With our tremendous resources, we have the potential to become a major exporter of clean energy sources, such as ethanol and biodiesel, which will help our economy, energy security, and the environment.

Tribal Relations There are nine American Indian tribes within South Dakota. They include: Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe, Yankton Sioux Tribe, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, Sisseton- Wahpeton Oyate Tribe, Flandreau-Santee Sioux Tribe and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

Missouri River The Missouri River offers many valuable resources here in South Dakota, such as a habitat for our wildlife and opportunities for recreation and fishing. During years of drought, competing interests have emerged. Upstream states such as South Dakota fight to keep water levels at adequate to provide for recreation and wildlife habitats as well as some reserve capacity for an extended drought. Downstream states prefer having water discharged to allow barge traffic to move at full capacity.