House Report by Scott Moore

Week four in Pierre has been busy and good. HB1080, titled prohibiting certain medical and surgical interventions on minor patients came out of Health and Human Services committee 11 yeas-2 nays and came through the full house of representatives Yeas 60 and Nays 10. We had a passionate debate in committee and on the house floor.

SB 41 titled workforce housing was signed by Governor Noem this week and will bring $200 million to small and large communities. Foreign ownership of Agland and eminent domain along with CO2 pipelines are other topics in and around the Capitol. The eminent domain discussion will be in committee the week of February 6th. Bills are moving through the process pertaining to school vouchers, tuition freeze, and multiple bills pertaining to scholarships, and mental health.

The week of February 6 we will cross the half way mark for the 2023 Legislative session so I’m assuming we will not see the process slow up for several weeks.

One duty the legislature does is meet with local school students, mostly senior Government classes with whom we have conversation on the processes of legislation. I would like to thank Leola, Selby, and Eureka students and faculty for coming to the Capitol over the past two weeks. I always like to give a sales pitch. It’s alright to leave home to further their education, just remember to return to rural South Dakota. These future leaders are needed to keep a strong, growing, rural economy.

Being new to serving in the House of Representatives is a good experience and I believe we are working together to get good laws and policies passed. I have seen some kind gestures from legislatures reaching out to give some assistance on struggling bills along with working across the aisle.

Remember the cracker barrels in Aberdeen on Saturday mornings and Saturday, February 11 there will be a Cracker Barrel in Selby at 2 p.m. at the golf course club house.

House Report by James Wangsness

With session now into its fourth week, many more controversial bills came before committee and to the floor for debate.

One of them was House Joint Resolution (HJR) 5004, which amended the Medicaid Expansion Pact that was passed last year. HJR 5004 would allow the legislature to apply work requirements to those eligible for Medicaid. It came before the House State Affairs Committee on January 30 and passed. It was then sent to the House Floor and passed almost entirely on along partisan lines with 60 yeas and 8 nays. It now awaits hearing in the Senate.

One bill made to combat the depredation caused by wild elk was House Bill (HB) 1100. HB 1100 was brought before the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Its goal was to issue more licenses for hunters and landowners for elk hunting. It faced much opposition from people claiming it was poorly written and not properly focused on depredation. By a vote of 11 to 1, HB 1100 was moved to the 41st legislative day (As the Constitution does not allow the Legislature to meet for more than 40 days, so moving a bill to the 41st day effectively kills the bill).

But the most controversial bill to be heard this week was HB 1080, which would outlaw any medication or surgery for the purposes of altering someone's gender if the individual is under the age of eighteen. Several people came to committee to voice their support or opposition to the bill. Despite this, HB 1080 passed the Health and Human Services Committee with an 11 to 2 vote entirely on partisan lines. HB 1080 entered the House Floor and the debate lasted nearly an hour. It still passed with 60 yeas and 10 nays with three Republicans and all Democrats voting nay. It now awaits hearing in the Senate.

Government classes from Selby High School and Eureka High School came to the Capital on January 31 and February 1, respectively. They got to tour the building, meet Rep. Moore, Rep. Wangsness, and Sen. Breitling, and were recognized by both the House and Senate.

Senate Report by Bryan Breitling

We are approaching the midpoint of our 2023 legislative session. The Governor signed a couple of noted bills this week, including SB41, Housing Infrastructure, and HB1011 Employer Unemployment Contribution Rates. A major focus this year is building the workforce – the state with the best workforce will lead, and South Dakota wants to be in the lead! SB41 assists communities with putting infrastructure in developments to reduce the cost of a development, thereby reducing the cost of buying a new home. HB1011 lowers an employer’s unemployment contribution to save money for the business so they can invest more in their workforce!

In our fourth week on the Senate floor, the significant bill votes included SB117 – an act to increase video lottery bet limits and payouts. I voted against the bill and it failed 17-18. The sponsor asked for it to be re-considered the next day. After vote changes, the result remained 17-18, failing a second time and effectively ending the discussion this year. SB99- allow a county ½ cent sales tax for county jails, courthouses and other buildings, failed 7-28. I voted against this bill as it is too broad in my opinion, and fundamentally changes tax policy in SD, giving counties discretion to begin a sales tax.

Last, HB1063 – UJS established taskforce to address barriers for emerging adults, was passed. Years ago, juveniles with criminal activity were arrested and detained. It was determined that we were detaining too many youth in jail, so the process was relaxed. As it turned out, the pendulum swung too far, and now many of our schools are dealing with juveniles who are too disruptive to be in school, but there is no other good option for these kids. If this bill becomes law, it will develop a study to provide some focus on these emerging adults and find a place where they can learn and grow, while allowing schools to educate our youth appropriately.

In appropriations this week, we heard reports from Departments of Corrections, Health, Revenue, Transportation, and Game Fish & Parks; as well as Bureaus of Administration, and Information Technology; and the Office of the Secretary of State, Office of the Attorney General, and Governor’s Office of Economic Development. We have just one week left of hearing reports from all the agencies and bureaus. Appropriations then jump to revenue setting and processing the spending bills that have come in this session.

Legislation that I am working on, SB79, Hiddenwood Lake Dam Project, had a good hearing in Senate Ag committee, passing unanimously, now moves to appropriations. This week, SB155 – Regional Jails Grant and Revolving Loan Fund, will be heard in Senate Local Government on Monday, 2-6-23. I also introduced two construction inflation bills for NSU and BHSU nursing and other program projects. Those projects are part of the ARPA Capital package, and the state is still awaiting final approval from the Federal Treasury before they can break ground, but in the past 18 months since they were proposed, a significant amount of construction inflation has hit the market.

Several bills will hit House Ag and other House Committees on 2-6-23 regarding eminent domain and other CO2 pipeline constraints. There is a large contingent descending on the capitol to testify and share their views.

As always, I can be reached at bryan.breitling@ sdlegislature.gov. I look forward to continued conversations!