State Rep. Marty Overweg Covers for Marty Jackley

James Bialota | Investigation | Oct. 3, 2026

State Rep. Marty Overweg blocked public comment at the Government Operations and Audit Committee on 9/8/2026. Apparently, Overweg gets to pick who he wants to testify from the public according to LRC Staff, which doesn't appear to be anyone with something important to say (sounds like a Banana Republic in my personal opinion).

On the bright side, State Sen. Taffy Howard voted to not accept the South Dakota Attorney General's Office report. Good for her. Now let's get these public comments taken care of. The problem is that Overweg apparently picked no opposition testimony, and I'm hearing complaints that many were denied the ability to speak. I can understand that not everyone gets a long time to testify when there's limited time, but there should absolutely be equal testimony given to proponents and opponents.

The Legislative Research Council offered public comment by teleconference or Microsoft Teams but are now claiming it's not required to be heard. So, essentially what they're saying is that if you'd like to make a comment, you've got to drive across the state to Pierre, but even then, you might not fall in the good graces of the all-powerful Chair Overweg. Even if we forget the ADA accommodations, when the government says you can speak via Teams for public comments, they should honor the means offered.

Marty Overweg refused to look at the complaint and, of course, covered for AG Jackley. Even when I brought this up, Overweg did nothing.

So, do we really want Overweg running for anything?

I call for Overweg to set the record straight. Did the LRC lie, or is he blocking public comments? He was asked in a message and did not respond to that claim. He did respond to others, including conflicting stories to as why individuals were denied public testimony. I personally know of several. The people being blocked from testifying are reporting fraud and corruption in the SDIC, SDRS, SD Attorney General's office, and Dep. of Education.

If Overweg is blocking public comments to hide corruption for political favors, Overweg should resign immediately. To Overweg I ask; is it true you yelled at Renee Randall and told her should could not testify about what Marty Jackley did to her? That sounds like government censorship to me. 

Pictured at top: Marty Overweg