Edmunds County Tribune -

Senate Report by Bryan Breitling

Revenue Setting Stage of Budget Finalization

Now that we are past the halfway point of the 2024 legislative session, this week is revenue setting. We will hear economic reports from the Bureau of Finance & Management and the Legislative Research Council. Following those reports, a Revenue Setting Subcommittee will negotiate the various estimates of FY24 revisions and FY25 revenues. Those will then likely be adopted on Wednesday, 14th. When this stage is finalized, this sets the final revenue and expense thresholds for South Dakota’s balanced budget to be finalized.

In Joint Appropriations this fifth week, we heard budget reports from Departments of Ag & Natural Resources, Transportation, Health, Labor & Regulation, and from the Bureau of Human Resources & Administration, which also comprised the state employee compensation and benefit plans. We also heard updates from the enterprise software update and the auto licensure software update.

Senate legislation of interest this week include SB177, expanding the appointment of replacements of conflicted PUC members to include retired judges. The bill lost on Monday by a one vote, so there was a motion to reconsider. The next day, the bill was heard again and passed by three votes, so it is now onto the House. I voted against the bill both times.

Senate Joint Resolution 510, refers to voters the question to lower food tax to zero and increase the sales and use tax to compensate for the difference. I voted no and it died. There is already petitions being circulated for both a constitutional amendment and initiated measure to repeal the food tax, so this could bring a third ballot measure to this topic. I voted no.

I brought SB152, establish fees for legal publications. In past years, newspaper legal notices rates were established in law, but that was cumbersome and not consistent, so in the 1980’s, it was changed to the administrative rules process. That also proved to be irregular with only seven increases in the past twenty-four years. The Bureau of Administration also wanted out of this rate setting process, so this bill sets up a perpetual update of inflation or 2% whichever is less. It passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee and Senate this week.

Several carbon pipeline, landowners’ rights, county ordinance and eminent domain bills were heard in the House this past week, with more this week, and now starting in the Senate this week as well.

The upcoming cracker barrels are Feb 17 in Gettysburg at 2 p.m. and Feb 24 in Aberdeen at NSU at 10 a.m.

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

House Report by Scott Moore

As I write this update it is the 19th day of our 38 days of legislation session. The Ninety-Ninth legislative session will be half over. We have approximately 470 bills between the two chambers some small, some lengthy, and some may seem unimportant but that isn’t true. Each bill presented is important to someone. Each bill has the ability to get debated in committee to get passed or get defeated, we vote and move on. Some bill’s sponsors have months’ worth of research and time invested just to get twenty-five minutes to be heard and dismissed or approved. It is a process, and it works.

It has been a week of land right bills along with conversation on Republican State Convention. The bills being presented in the House Commerce referring to landowner rights are five bills with more to be heard in the coming week. This is an interesting process and seems like a shuffling of cards until a vote is taken. Once all the cards are dealt and we have the right players at the negotiation table, my hope is South Dakota has some legislation to improve landowner rights. If you noticed pipeline wasn’t mentioned, because I believe they are two different issues. State or federal government should not be negotiating terms for landowners. I believe many landowners have negotiated and signed volunteer easements agreeing to their terms of payment. In South Dakota if you hold the deed or mortgage to the property, it should be your right and obligation to negotiate terms and conditions for future use of your land.

One of the best parts of this job/duty is meeting the future young leaders. I know I will miss some groups so my apologies. We have had some of the following groups in the State Capitol Future Farmers of America (FFA), 4-H groups and some shadowed legislators. FCCLA (Family Career Community Leaders of America), third set of pages, Future Educators, along with Boy and Girl Scout Troops, and we always enjoy the area school’s government classes. Legislators have had several opportunities to mingle with home school children, have discussions, and look at projects. Quoting one high school student when District 23 representatives met with a high school class “You guys are normal and easy to talk to.” I’m not sure any of the three of us are normal but hopefully we are approachable.