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We passed three more election bills off the Senate floor this week. HB 1112 is an act to modify provisions for a statewide runoff election. This will require a runoff election to occur 8 weeks from the date of the first primary election. HB 1124 is an act to modify provisions pertaining to the testing of automatic tabulating equipment. HB 1165 is an act to modify certain provisions pertaining to absentee voting. This bill bans prefilled absentee voting forms and prevents ballot drop boxes which are an avenue for election fraud.
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Week 7 Rocky Blare Legislative Report The biggest item this year was passing HB1137 which will reduce the state sales tax rates in South Dakota from 4.5% to 4.2%. This will reduce the tax burden for citizens by $100 million, the largest tax decrease in SD history. We can do this because of the increased revenue received and projections of the ability to sustain growth without adversely effecting other programs. This would honor a promise made to SD citizens when the ½% sales tax was approved in prior years. At that time a promise was made that we would reduce that tax once sufficient tax revenue from internet sales was achieved, at that point we would reduce the rate increase. This was known as the Partridge amendment. This will now go to the Senate for their approval.
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Two weeks of the 2023 legislative session remain with the completion of Week 7. This week had several bills important to South Dakota’s number one industry which is Agriculture. Senate Bill 185 would have created a new government board and increased government regulations on Ag land owners in South Dakota. All the major Agriculture groups in South Dakota along with several business groups opposed SB 185. Government at all levels seems to grow and increase regulations all the time. I voted against SB 185; it was defeated in the Senate, 23 to 11.
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Thank you to the Alexandria Development Corporation for hostingacrackerbarrel.Itwas great to see so many people involved in the process and to hear their feedback.
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Avon and Springfield Ambulance EMTs met in Avon for a training on the implementation phase of the program to ensure they have the skills and workflows needed to fully benefit from Avel eCare EMS new 'Telemedicine in Motion' platform in their ambulances as they are committed to providing the best possible emergencymedicalservicesto the local area. As part of this ongoingeffort,theyareexcited to announce that they have partnered with the State of SouthDakotaandAveleCareto deploy the new “Telemedicine in Motion” platform in their ambulances.Now,theteamcan useiPadstocallonAveleCare’s clinicians 24/7 for help and consultationwhiletreatingpatients in transit. The best part? The platform’s technology will help ensure that virtually no calls are dropped!
Read moreFeeding South Dakota fooddistributionwillbeheld Friday,Feb24attheScotland Community Church at 8:45 a.m.; the Tyndall Fire Hall at 10:30 a.m. and at the Avon Fire Hall at 12 noon.
Read moreSouth Dakota taxpayers could pay millions of dollars inunexpectedexpensescaused by inflation and workforce challenges that are hitting the construction industry.
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A couple years ago, we launched a new feature in South Dakota Magazine called “Tiny Towns.” The idea is to visit our state’s smallest communities (usually with fewer than 250 residents) and find interesting stories.
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