Last Thursday at the Holiday Inn Civic center was a meeting sponsored by Americans for Prosperity.
Spearfish State Senator Randy Deibert presented an explanation of current Lawrence County tax levies; how they are applied and by whom in the County.
State House of Representatives Majority Leader Scott Odenbach explained the work of this year’s Legislative Comprehensive Property Task Force Summer Study and the various recommendations that may be proposed in the 2026 Legislative Session.
Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a libertarian conservative political advocacy group in the United States affiliated with brothers Charles Koch and the late David Koch.
South Dakota’s State Chapter organized the event. It is one of 40 states that have AFP organization.
As the Koch family’s primary political advocacy group, it has been viewed as one of the most influential American conservative organizations.
After the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama, AFP helped transform the Tea Party movement into a political force. It organized significant opposition to Obama administration initiatives such as global warming regulation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the expansion of Medicaid, and economic stimulus. It helped turn back cap and trade, the major environmental proposal of Obama’s first term. AFP advocated for limits on the collective bargaining rights of public-sector trade unions and for right-to-work laws and opposed raising the federal minimum wage. AFP played an active role in achieving the Republican majority in the House of Representatives in 2010 and in the Senate in 2014.
In the 2014 midterm election cycle, AFP led all groups other than political action committees (PACs) in spending on political television advertising. AFP’s scope of operations has drawn comparisons to political parties. AFP, an educational social welfare organization, and the associated Americans for Prosperity Foundation, a public charity, are tax-exempt nonprofits. As a tax-exempt nonprofit, AFP is not legally required to disclose its donors to the general public;[8] the extent of its political activities while operating as a tax-exempt entity has raised concerns among some campaign finance watchdogs as to the transparency of its funding Americans for Prosperity was founded in 2004 when internal rivalries caused a split in the conservative political advocacy group Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE) creating Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks AFP’s founding was funded by businessmen and philanthropist brothers David H. Koch and Charles Koch, of Koch Industries.
The Americans for Prosperity Foundation is the Koch brothers’ primary political advocacy group.
According to a spokesperson from Koch Industries, the Koch companies do not direct the activities of AFP. AFP’s original stated mission was “educating citizens about economic policy and mobilizing citizens as advocates in the public policy process.”
Its current stated mission is “to mobilize citizens to advocate for policies that cut red tape and increase opportunity, put the brakes on government overspending, and get the economy working for hard workers – not special interests”.
It is focused on “fiscal responsibility,” and in particular on cutting taxes, reducing regulation of business, and limiting the power of the courts. [18] According to FactCheck. org, “AFP seeks to support free markets and entrepreneurship by advocating lower taxes and limited government spending and regulation.”
Its leaders view the organization as a counterbalance to the progressive movement’s unions and activist organizations.
According to NBC News, The New York Times and others, some of AFP’s policy positions align with the business interests of the Koch brothers and Koch Industries, including its support for rescinding energy regulations and environmental restrictions; expanding domestic energy production; lowering taxes; and reducing government spending, especially Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
AFP had a staff of 116 employees in September 2012, and the next year it had chapters in 34 states and reported a membership of 2.3 million.In June 2014, it had 240 employees in 32 states.AFP has been active in national, state,and local elections.
AFP registered to lobby in 2014.
According to FactCheck. org, by 2011, AFP had “emerged as one of the most influential conservative issue advocacy groups on the national and state political scene”.
The Los Angeles Times said AFP performed roles typical of national and state political parties.
ABC News said in August 2014 that AFP was “poised to be the most influential conservative group in the nation this year, and among the most influential and heaviest spending across the political spectrum this year and into the looming presidential race”.As of mid-September 2018, AFP has become one of just 15 groups that account for three-quarters of the anonymous cash following the 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC, which paved the way for dark money to flow into U.S. elections
In 2023 in Wyoming, Tyler Lindholm formed the 36th state chapter of Americans for Prosperity.
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