JUNE 30, 2023:
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s “Evil Foreign Governments” bill, SB 189, will go into effect tomorrow (July 1, 2023). The bill restricts state and local governments from contracting with six “Evil Foreign Governments.”
Noem has also signed Executive Order 2023-10, which rescinds the following two Executive Orders:
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Executive Order 2004-06 established the Research and Commercialization Council to provide oversight for the division of research commercialization; and,
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Executive Order 2023-02 restricts 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.
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. The enactment of the “Evil Foreign Governments” bill and the continuing protection of Executive Order 2023-06 make the other two executive orders no longer necessary.
JANUARY 2023:
Governor Kristi Noem signed Executive Order 2023-02, which blocks the State of South Dakota from doing business with certain telecommunications companies owned or controlled by “evil foreign governments.” The order also requires that every state contract include a clause certifying the contractor is not owned, influenced, or affiliated with these countries.
The order blocks business with companies associated with the governments of China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Cuba, and Venezuela. Two months ago, Noem signed an Executive Order banning TikTok for South Dakota state government
“It is critical that we protect South Dakotans from evil foreign governments,” said Noem. “This order ensures that these countries cannot leverage telecommunications or state contract procurements to gain access to crucial state infrastructure and data.”
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