South Dakota again passes on millions in cybersecurity grants for counties, cities and schools

Florida's application for CISA funds makes South Dakota lone holdout

Photo by Marcus Spike on Unsplash.

South Dakota will again forgo millions of dollars in federal grants meant to help local governments beef up cybersecurity infrastructure. And this time, it’s alone on an island.

The deadline for states to request their portions of next year’s State and Local Cybersecurity Grant (SLGC) funds through the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency came and went Friday without an application from the Mount Rushmore State.

It’s the second time in as many years that Gov. Kristi Noem’s Bureau of Information and Technology has passed on the funds intended for cities, counties, and schools.

The governor’s office cites too much red tape and excess federal spending, as it did last year when South Dakota was joined by only Florida in waiving its entitlement to what amounts to $7 million over the two years since the SLCG grant program's inception.

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