The Great Plains Public Policy Institute (GPPPI) is a non-partisan public policy think tank that supports policies promoting free enterprise and individual liberty in South Dakota. GPPPI  publishes research and commentary on policies focused on South Dakota’s economy, education, and government spending and taxation. ¹

The Great Plains Public Policy Institute is an affiliate member of the State Policy Network, a coalition of free-market state-level policy organizations. ² While GPPPI is non-partisan, members of its board have affiliations with the Republican Party.

Activity

The Great Plains Public Policy Institute (GPPPI) is a non-partisan public policy think tank that supports policies promoting free enterprise and individual liberty in South Dakota, focused on South Dakota’s economy, education, and government spending and taxation. ³

GPPPI supports fracking as a means of sourcing natural gas and claims that fracking has saved 11,000 American lives each year by making home heating more affordable. ⁴

GPPPI was one of 17 organizations that signed a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency in 2016 regarding the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan (CPP). The letter claims that CPP is illegal, hurts business and electricity production, and will ultimately raise electricity prices. Other signers include the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the James Madison Institute, and the Competitive Enterprise Institute. ⁵

GPPPI supports Medicaid reform and supported the 2016 decision of former Governor Dennis Daugaard  (R) to halt Medicaid expansion in South Dakota. ⁶

GPPPI advocates for school choice and is listed as a state resource in the annual guide to school choice published by EdChoice (formerly the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice). ⁷ GPPPI also advocates for rigorous exams that must be passed for students to receive a high school diploma and for schools to be responsible for costs associated with graduates’ lack of skills. ⁸

South Dakota Open Book is a project of GPPPI, which provides information about government spending in South Dakota. While its website is still live, the last update was made in 2011. ⁹

Financials

The Great Plains Public Policy Institute’s last detailed tax filing was in 2007. Since that time, GPPPI has filed a form 990-N, claiming gross receipts less than $25,000 annually. ¹⁰

Board of Directors

Max Gonzenbach serves as chair of the board of GPPPI. Gonzenbach was formerly involved with the South Dakota Investment Council, the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the South Dakota Family Business Initiative. ¹¹

Board president Ron Williamson formerly served as chief of staff for former Governor Bill Janklow (R-SD), president and CEO of Citibank in South Dakota, ¹² and executive director of the South Dakota Municipal League. ¹³ Williamson formerly served as a Republican state representative and on the executive committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Council. ¹⁴

Craig Lawrence is chair of the leadership council for History’s Handful, a group of $1 million donors to the Campus Crusade for Christ, and the former chair of the South Dakota Republican Party. ¹⁵

Rudy Nef formerly served as a Republican mayor of Milbank, a Grant County commissioner, and on the state Board of Regents. ¹⁶ Nef is a major donor to Augustana University, where the Nef Family Chair of Political Economy was endowed to advance the study of free market economies. ¹⁷

Pat Wingen served on the board until his death in 2020. Wingen formerly sat on the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry and worked as president of the Cleaning Equipment Trade Association. ¹⁸

1. “About the Institute.” Great Plains Public Policy Institute, 2020. Accessed December 5, 2020. http://www.greatplainsppi.org/about.html.
2. “The Network: South Dakota.” State Policy Network, 2020. Accessed December 2, 2020. https://spn.org/directory/#SD.
3. “About the Institute.” Great Plains Public Policy Institute, 2020. Accessed December 5, 2020. http://www.greatplainsppi.org/about.html.
4. Williamson, Ron. “Fracking saves low-income Americans’ lives; here’s how.” Caller Times, June 14, 2019. Accessed December 6, 2020. https://www.caller.com/story/opinion/2019/06/14/fracking-saves-low-income-americans-lives-heres-how/1460187001/.
5. “Buckeye Joins Comments to the EPA on Obama’s Clean Power Plan with Texas Public Policy Foundation.” The Buckeye Institute, January 20, 2016. Accessed December 6, 2020. https://www.buckeyeinstitute.org/research/detail/buckeye-joins-comments-to-the-epa-on-obamas-clean-power-plan-with-texas-public-policy-foundation.
6. Hamilton, Michael. “South Dakota Gov. Daugaard Abandons Medicaid Expansion Efforts.” Heartland Institute, December 3, 2016. Accessed December 6, 2020. https://www.heartland.org/news-opinion/news/south-dakota-gov-daugaard-abandons-medicaid-expansion-efforts.
7. “The ABCs of School Choice.” EdChoice, 2013. Accessed December 6, 2020. https://www.edchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/The-ABCs-of-School-Choice-2013.pdf.
8. Williamson, Ron. “Cost of Remedial Education Exceeds $500,000.” Great Plains Public Policy Institute, 2020. Accessed December 5, 2020. http://www.greatplainsppi.org/doc_article_education_02.html.
9. “About.” South Dakota Open Book. Accessed December 6, 2020. https://sdopenbook.wordpress.com/about/.
10. “Great Plains Public Policy Institute.” Internal Revenue Service, 2020. Accessed December 2, 2020. https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/detailsPage?ein=311634551&name=Great Plains Public Policy Institute&city=Sioux Falls&state=SD&countryAbbr=US&dba=&type=CHARITIES, EPOSTCARD&orgTags=CHARITIES&orgTags=EPOSTCARD.
11. “Governor Declares Max Gonzenbach Day in South Dakota.” The Valley Express, November 23, 2020. Accessed December 6, 2020. https://thevalleyexpress.com/2020/11/23/governor-declares-max-gonzenbach-day-in-south-dakota/.
12. Hetland, Cara. “Sioux Falls 25 years after Citibank’s arrival.” Minnesota Public Radio News, February 24, 2006. Accessed December 6, 2020. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2006/02/23/siouxfalls.
13. Kneeland, Douglas E. “Republicans Hold High Hope For Success in South Dakota.” The New York Times, June 2, 1978. Accessed December 6, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/1978/06/02/archives/republicans-hold-high-hope-for-success-in-south-dakota-best-chance.html.
14. “Ron Williamson.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed December 6, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-williamson-00281012/.
15. “Craig Lawrence.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed December 6, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-lawrence-7b98331/.
16. “Milbank Man Named To Board Of Regents.” Yankton Daily, May 15, 1999. Accessed December 6, 2020.  https://www.yankton.net/news/article_65a475e0-4d01-5558-8da9-34d3153a7361.html.
17. “New Endowed Chair Established.” Augustana University, 2020. Accessed December 6, 2020. https://library.augie.edu/new-endowed-chair-established.
18. Danforth, Kathy. “Patrick G. Wingen, A Tribute to Success with Honor.” Cleaner Times, June 2020. Accessed December 6, 2020. https://www.cleanertimes.com/magazine/cleaner-times-articles-2/patrick-g-wingen-a-tribute-to-success-with-honor/.