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Rapid City, S.D. – The 113 chapters and over 6500 members that make up the South Dakota FFA Association (SD FFA) will celebrate National FFA Week February 21-28. It’s a time to share what FFA is and the impact it has on members every day. National FFA Week embraces more than 98 years of FFA traditions while looking forward to the organization’s future. More than 1,042,245 members with a passion for agriculture participate in activities at local, state, and national levels.
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GOLD STANDARD PIRATES OF THE WEEK ANNOUNCED
Read moreIf you have a 5-18 year old who is interested in either rabbits or poultry as a possible 4-H project, now is the time to get involved! Bon Homme County 4-H Rabbit and Poultry Club is a friendly group that will help you get started on the right foot in a 4-H Small Animal project.
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Congratulations!
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Gretschmann Earns Superior Individual Actor Award
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ANDES CENTRAL CELEBRATES LOCAL LEADERS
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This past week we hit the halfway point in the 101st Legislative Session which means as you’re reading this article we now are in the last week before Cross-over day. Most Committees are sitting pretty well except for Health and Human Services and State Affairs which will be holding morning and afternoon meetings this week. Hey, good news. Revenues are in and we have an additional 30 million dollars of extra one-time money to spend. As we look at the budget this will make a big difference. I try not to get excited about the budget this early in the Session because things change so fast, and until we have all the information, it’s best to let the Appropriators do their work. Let’s talk about what the Floor looked like this past week. We heard some big bills which always means a lot of debate and usually good information even though I realize when you’re watching it seems too much. I should report on HB 1105 and I’m happy to say it passed off the Floor 45 to 20 and is on its way to the Senate. This bill will help protect medical facilities, including nursing homes in small communities, from being sold with a 40 year non-compete clause. We also passed a bill to allow communities to issue a license for a Cigar bar if they so choose along with back filing some appropriation bills, we do every year. It wasn’t really that exciting this past week, but we took care of business that we need to every year just to operate. I want to thank my Intern Tristen Petrik for helping me out last week with this column and I hope you enjoyed it. The Budget will now become one of the highest priorities for the House as we get closer to the end of Session. It’s important that we get this right because it’s a lot of money and we don’t have any extra. I’m hoping to have good news next week that we’ll have some room to move on the big three, CSP’s, teachers, and of course our state employees. The Governor vetoed HB 1077 last week and it’s hard for me to understand since he is a rancher and ag producer. I believe you have the freedom to eat what you want but I also think this bill protects ag and our number one industry. I’ve made my opinion clear to Governor Rhoden and will vote to override the veto if given a chance. I believe there is a chance in the House but not the Senate so it’s up to the bill sponsor on whether to pursue it. The Data Center bills are getting heard and voted on also and many will be this week. I still don’t know if they are good or bad for South Dakota but as I’ve stated, I won’t vote to give them a sales tax break. I believe in the Free Market, and they can start their businesses like everyone else, but we’ll see how it shakes out. Property tax reform seems to be a big conversation this year, and it should be, a lot of Legislators have Ideas along with the Governor, but I haven’t seen one yet that doesn’t shift on to ag. That’s about it for this week, I hope you’ve enjoyed the nice weather and you’re staying healthy. Thanks to everyone who attended the Crackel Barrell’s on Saturday in White Lake, Corsica, and Platte, it’s always fun to sit down and visit with the bosses and answer your questions. If you need to reach me my number is 605-680-0304 or email me at Marty. overweg@sdlegislature.gov.
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Dakota Christian will be participating in the Missouri Valley Spelling Bee on Thursday, February 19 in Bonesteel. Congratulations to our DCS winners.
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