100th Session - Wrapped Up

Good day District 4! 

A brief report on legislative days 34-37. We wrapped up the session on Thursday! 

Good news for the week, on March 11th a new Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Table was unveiled Tuesday at the Capitol Lake Visitors Center in Pierre. The memorial honors those who spent time as POWs and those who have not yet been accounted for. I attended the ceremony along with several other elected officials, veterans, and others attended the event.

More good news- it's over in Pierre for the year and we can all take a breather. We saved the librarians, Big Bird, and passed a balanced budget. 

Votes of interest- 

SB95: Rural Access and Infrastructure Fund. I voted for this. This would have funded township maintenance that the townships are struggling with. 

SB127: This would have funded continuing airport maintenance for ALL airports across the state (fun fact- Gary's airport is technically a "seaport", don't ask me why). I voted for this. I viewed both of these bills as important to District 4. Obviously we rely on township roads for our ag economy, and airports support the local economy whether for visitor's, crop dusters or anybody wanting to travel. I viewed both as economic development support. Unfortunately this session was more about chasing people away than giving new markets opportunities. 

HB1239:I did change my vote on HB1239. This bill initially created wide open access to anybody with a pistol to go anywhere. I believe in South Dakota we pretty much already can. I did change my vote after the bill was watered down to a nothing burger. However- keep your eyes peeled as this was a "scorecard" vote for various groups. Before you pay much attention to 3rd party scorecard groups I urge you to do your own research. Find a couple of people on either side of the issue and define your own opinion. 

We did pass a balanced budget again this year. Hat's off to the appropriators, and they did it in 35 days. 

Finally, I've stayed away from Zuckerburg's Facebook for the session. It's fun to use when I'm looking for used tires or square bales. I've been told that it's become an echo chamber for certain political actors. I'll start swimming through the postings soon, but I already know which way the wind blows there. Please don't expect much reaction from me on FB. I'll post, but as I stated in my campaign, I won't respond beyond wishing someone a happy birthday occasionally. 

As always, reach out if you have any questions. Drop me a note, call, or stop by. It's your state- please participate.