South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden announced Tuesday that he awarded $500,000 from a fund under his control to support the continued work of his Governor’s Resilience and Infrastructure Task Force.
The money comes from the Future Fund, which employers support with fees they submit while paying taxes to support unemployment benefits.
The governor awards money from the fund at his discretion, although a state law that took effect July 1 places new restrictions on the fund, including a more detailed description of acceptable uses and a requirement that awards must be recommended by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. One of the fund’s allowed uses is “development of infrastructure required to support economic development in this state.”
Rhoden established the Governor’s Resilience and Infrastructure Task Force last year, saying it would “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.”
The Future Fund money is going to the state Department of the Military, which supports the task force administratively in collaboration with the Governor’s Office and the state Department of Public Safety. A news release from Rhoden’s office said the money will “equip the task force to build effective communication tools for citizens, gather resources to collect and integrate geographic information system (GIS) data that will enhance statewide infrastructure planning, and work with industry and academic partners to strengthen South Dakota’s resilience efforts.”
The task force’s work includes cybersecurity. Several recent cybersecurity incidents have generated news coverage in South Dakota, including a cyberattack in Pennington County that disrupted some services for weeks, an attempted cyberattack on Rapid City’s wastewater system, and a reported email hacking incident affecting the city of Mitchell.
Rhoden’s other recent Future Fund awards have benefited industrial and business parks in Rapid City and Mitchell, a program helping paraprofessionals become teachers, the addition of a gunsmithing program to to a technical college in Rapid City, and the establishment of a South Dakota Defense Institute seeking to bring more defense industry contracts to the state.
— This story was originally published on southdakotasearchlight.com.
