Hello District 4 constituents!
It was another busy week in Pierre! Last Saturday Governor Rhoden had his ceremonial inauguration at the Capitol. Melissa & I attended the inauguration ceremony and inaugural ball in the Rotunda along with several legislators and the public. We also attended the event at the Ramkota that followed. We offer our congratulations to our new Governor! We're fortunate to have a Union Center cowboy as our Governor and the legislature looks forward to his leadership.
In the House it was days 18 through 21. The end of the week marked the halfway point of session. Votes of note this week include:
HB1130 limiting school districts to 2 specific election dates per year - I voted no.
SB51 forcing school districts to display the 10 Commandments - I voted no, as there is existing law that already addresses this (SDCL 13-24-17.1).
HB1105 forces schools to display the state motto, and as they already do I voted no.
HB1201 encumbered school employees with additional reporting requirements on students that are already in place - I voted no.
HB1185 sought to strip public schools of their lobbyists - I voted no.
HB1066 & HB1208 both seek to disenfranchise voters - I voted no.
HB1165 complicated the refunding of check-off money collected from grain & livestock producers - I voted no.
It has become apparent that there is a group of well-intentioned people who are willing to turn Pierre into the school board for everyone. Several of these bills either stripped schools and school districts of responsibilities they've managed for years, or were to impose new rules on the same. Libertarians are libertarians until they acquire enough votes, then they become authoritarians.
The state budget is getting much attention and coming into focus as session reaches the downhill side. The prison will be hotly debated with a vote likely early in the week. We need a new prison. There has been several years of work and study put into developing a plan that works. I sense the Governor supports the Lincoln County plan. I too support it. It's a big spender but can be entirely paid for immediately. If we proceed with the Department's plan it will also be debt free. It's a good plan.
The House republicans and House appropriators are sorting out priority, and ranking in importance, the budget items we’ll be voting on.
I feel confident additional public school bills will be brought. There is a zealous group in pursuit of taking local control away from you and moving it to Pierre, especially regarding schools. Earlier this session, a member of the House Education Committee introduced a bill to defund the Huron school district. It was a petty move, and that member’s motivation remains veiled. Leadership was insufficiently offended to remove him entirely from the Education Committee, and he remains a voting member of the committee. I urge all of you to research the voting records of Education Committee members.
If you're in Pierre please reach out! Or email, text, call or visit when you can. It's your right as a voter!
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