WEEK 3 LEGISLATIVE REPORTS

Week three of the Session is in the books and things are getting busy and bills are being dropped at a record pace. Last I checked with LRC staff, over 1000 bills have been drafted and the Committees are having bills flying into them. This is when it is tough to be a Chair. Let’s talk about the Floor this past week, Tuesday we passed HB 1076 which strengthens safety zones and where a convicted child molester can live. We also passed HJR 5001 which defines what is public use in the taking of private property using eminent domain. Wednesday, we took up what I considered to be an important bill, HB1077, which would stop Adulterated meat from being made in South Dakota. As you can imagine this issue brought forth a lot of passionate debate since lab grown meat in this state is a direct assault on our number one industry. Not sure how you can represent South Dakota and vote against this bill but some Legislators did. Thursday, we tried to give citizens another crack at voting against Expanded Medicaid, but it failed. I supported it because I’m not sure we got it right the first time since we’re now spending more on Medicaid then K-12 education and that just doesn't make sense to me. We have 2% or less unemployment in this state and have been averaging around 25 thousand advertised jobs daily, so spending this much on Medicaid does not make sense to me. Also, on Thursday we voted to take firearm silencers off the controlled weapons list. This was a very popular bill and had few opposition votes. That pretty much sums up the Floor this week but since it’s early in the Session the committees are where the action is at so if you’re planning a trip to Pierre, come early and sit in on one of the committee meetings. Speaking of visitors, we had Corsica/Stickney and Armour schools visit us this week. I’ve said it before, I love when these students come and visit, we get them in a room and visit with them for awhile and it is always a good time. The upcoming week is going to be tough, it’s the one week we’re there 5 days and then on Saturday we have Cracker Barrell’s in Winner and Gregory. Please check for times and locations in the papers and I hope to see you there. Next weekend on the 14th we have Cracker Barell’s in White Lake, Corsica, and Platte and I encourage all of you to attend. It’s a great chance to visit with and ask questions of those that represent you. So, until next week, stay warm and please get a hold of me at 605-680-0304 or email me at Marty.overweg@sdlegislature.gov. with any questions or concerns. Thanks for Your support.