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Hard to believe there are only two weeks left in the 101st Session and let me tell you, it’s been quite a ride. This Session had the most bills drafted and introduced since the 1998 Session and the House of Representatives set a record by hearing all our bills by 3:45 on Cross-Over day including the Senate bills we had on our Callender that day. The first year I was in Pierre we went till 1:00 am or something like that and I promised myself if I was ever in Leadership that wouldn’t happen. Last year we were done by 5 p.m. which makes me proud of this Leadership team the last two years. We had a lot of bills go through the House this week including appropriation bills. We will see quite a few of these as we get closer to setting a budget plan. As far as policy bills go, we passed HB 1184 which defines a man and a woman, I know this sounds unnecessary but in today’s world, it is for future legislation in South Dakota. We also passed a bill that would stop the advertising of the abortion pill which has been in the news lately and has caused a lot of controversy. On the crazy side, we had to pass a bill stating that a person must be a United States citizen to vote which surprised me wasn’t already a law in South Dakota. I wanted to talk about SB 156 which we had in Ag committee this past week. This bill was to increase penalties for animal abuse. In my opinion this bill was a direct attack on livestock producers statewide and how they care for their animals, we cannot afford to let those who are not in the business, judge us. Ag is this States number one industry and I believe it’s my job to protect it and letting a bill like this get passed would be devastating. The House Ag Committee is one of the strongest I’ve served on in my seven years in Pierre and it’s an honor being their Chair when they beat back a bill like this, they make me very proud. Writing this column every week is challenging, I’m not always sure what bills will interest you and which bills concern you and what’s going on in your life at this time. I hope you find them somewhat interesting. If not, my English teachers would completely understand. So maybe we should visit about Property Tax relief since it’s all legislators can talk about this year. I’ve been quiet on this subject mainly because I don’t have a good plan but also because I haven’t seen a good plan either. I don’t like what’s been happening with property taxes or how they have been increasing but we also must look at the facts. Pierre does not spend one cent of your property tax money. Every cent is spent on the local level and schools make up the biggest share by far along with County and Townships. If we continue to let schools, counties, and townships spend money, our property taxes will continue to increase. The only way out of this is to create a new tax revenue, such as sales tax, which is a new tax on the same people who pay property tax. All the plans that I’ve seen so far either depend on increasing sales tax or shift even more of the tax burden onto ag property, I think both are a bad idea. In my humble opinion we can only cut taxes by holding government’s feet to the fire and control what they spend, that includes local, state, and federal governments. Look at it this way, if increasing sales tax by 1 or 2 percent now fixes our problem, but schools, counties ,townships ,state and federal governments keep spending we’ll have to increase again 5 or 10 years down the road. I’m not saying our local governments are doing a bad job but statewide we have some serious problems, and we need to address them, sooner than later. I have put my petitions in to run for my final term in the House of Representatives, and I would be honored if you’d let me serve you and District 21 again. I hope at least I’ve been understanding to your views and that I listened to your concern. I take this job seriously and stive to do my best for everyone of you, after all you are the bosses. If you need to get a hold of me my cell is 605-680-0304 or email me at marty.overweg@sdlegislature. gov. Thanks for your support.
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EXCITING MOMENTS AT ANDES CENTRAL
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On Crossover Day, the House of Representatives passed, a bill to “establish parameters for the reimbursement of school districts that provide free or reduced- price meals to students”. The prime sponsor stated that the bill does not remove parental responsibility, as only certain families are eligible, andtheparentsmuststillfillout paperwork in order to receive meals for their children. South Dakota’s current system, based off the National School Lunch Act of 1946, means that while costs of these meals remain constant, funds are inconsistently gatheredthroughdistrict budgets, private fundraisers, and community charity. The bill provides a small amount of state funding to relieve the school districts of these continuous costs which are not receiving continuousfunding.On Wednesday, House Commerce and Energy heard SB 88, which passed unanimously and with zeroopponenttestimony.Senate Bill 88 is an act to “clarify the procedure for a potential condemner to examine real property absent the property owner's permission”. The bill was brought to address problems createdbyaformerlawallowing surveyors with a PUC permit to survey private land without addressing the landowner. The repercussionsofthisformerlaw included surveyors surprising people in their own homes and making unauthorized changes to their land, resulting in several lawsuits. SB 88 codifies a 2024 SD Supreme Court ruling that invasive surveying is unconstitutional. The bill passed committee unanimously and was sent to the floor to be heard on Thursday with a Do Pass recommendation. A bill to invest in South Dakota’s youth passed the House on Wednesday afternoon with a majority support of the house. HB 1244 was an act to provide a one-time appropriation to the Jobs for America’s Graduates program, currently available in many South Dakota high schools. The sponsorbrieflysharedaboutthe program, whose aim is to keep students facing certain hardships staying in schools and to instill leadership qualities in them, leading to employment post high school. The program boasts a 99% graduation rate, a 99% retention rate, and 88% of studentsthatareintheprogram move on to full time employment or post-secondary education. While the existing JAG programs currently receive funding that stems from their local school districts, the appropriation would go into a pool to be used for the expansion of the program, and which would be used to attract other federal and private funding sources. The bill required the support of 2/3 of members elect in order to pass, and it passed easily with 51 representatives present in support.Thelightisattheendof thetunnel.Wehave2weeksleft. Madisonisn’tpartofourdistrict but every year they bring up all their4thgradersaftertheyhave a “little legislators’ session” It’s a highlight of the session for so many of us. I would love to see more schools participating.
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Tuesday, Feb. 24, was Crossover Day, the day that House bills and Senate bills needed to pass their respective chamberswiththeexceptionof Appropriationbills.Crossover Dayisoneofthemostimportant daysofSessionforlegislatorsto attend as there is often a large number of bills and they can't be heard the next day.
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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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Those honored on Seniors Night are pictured, from left: Ashlyn Koupal (Michael and Tera Koupal), Ky Arpan (Wyman Waters and grandparents, Ken and Roxanne Honomichl), Matthew Kokes (Jay and Lori Kokes), and Kalea Kuhlman (Jeff and Rhonda Kuhlman).
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Mental health is often described in emotional or behavioral terms, but at its core, it is deeply rooted in the brain. Every thought, mood, memory, and reaction begins with complex biological processes inside this remarkable organ. The brain is responsible for regulating mood, decision-making, memory, sleep, appetite, and stress responses. It communicates through billions of nerve cells called neurons, which send signals using chemicals known as neurotransmitters. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, mental illnesses are associated with changes in brain structure, chemistry, and function. These changes can affect how a person thinks, feels, and behaves.
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