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We started out our Monday with a couple of House bills that were sent back to us from the senate with an amended version that they had passed. The first, HB1200A was a DO NOT CONCUR BUT SEND TO A CONFERENCE COMMITTEE vote. The second HB1209A was also DO NOT CONCUR BUT SEND TO A CONFERENCE COMMITTEE. They would both be heard on Wednesday. We tabled a couple of bills and passed eight with a lot of discussion.
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We have completed the 9 week legislative session and what a journey it has been. The legislaturehasactedonover600 bills, resolutions and commemorations. The largest amount since the 90s. It almost feels like January 13th was yesterday because the time goes so fast there is always somewhere we need to be, someone we need to be talking to, bills that need to be read,informationweneedtoresearch, committee hearings on billsandmostimportantlyserving our districts best interests. During and prior to my 4 years inthelegislatureheateddebates on property taxes have been daily conversations. We ended up with around 30 proposals regarding property taxes. I am proud to say the legislature and theexecutivebranchputpolitics aside and worked tirelessly to finally deliver options for relief to owner occupied property taxes. In 2022 the legislature temporarily lowered the sales tax from 4.5 to 4.2%. Bills were introduced to make this relief permanent, but they ultimately died before I had a chance to vote on them. With the sunset in place the sales tax will go up next year automatically. SB 245 designates the future sales tax revenues offset owner occupied property tax. At the end of the day this will put more money into the hands of homeowners andhopefullyhelpthoselooking into homeownership. The hope is that the extra will provide future growth for schools in futurebudgets.Pairedwiththis bill was SB 96 an optional sales tax for counties for those counties with the highest property taxes. We looked at 2 optional sales tax ideas this year. The other was HB 1245 an optional tax for municipalities to build future projects. I voted against this bill. Hypothetically, if Sioux Falls implemented both these options this could be an additional 1.5% sales tax on you when you go to Sioux Falls for a Doctors appointment, basketball tournament, Christmas shopping, etc…. The bill is currently on the governor’s desk. This being said I encourage you to shop locally. District 19 has such great options for all our needs and we want to keep it that way. Each little town in District 19 has a special place in my heart and I love travelling to all our communities and supporting them. It has been an absolute honor to serve you the last 4 years. Putting my people 1st has been my mission the entire time I have served you. I can’t thank you enough for trustingmewithyourvote.Iam seeking re-election and humbly ask for your support once again to serve you.
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PIERRE, SD – Resilience. It’s one of the prizes that keeps conservation- minded land managers striving for improved soil health. Operational resilience in the face of floods, market fluctuations, rising input costs, extreme temperatures, and of course, drought. A healthy, functional soil can help a farm or ranch survive all of them.
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After more than a decade on the sidelines, Andes Central/ Dakota Christian girls basketball coach Shane Nieuwenhuis is stepping away from coaching, closing a chapter that has been defined by strong teams, lasting relationships, and a deep commitment to the players in his program.
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Living in rural communities offers unique opportunities to promote successful aging. Incorporating a purposeful lifestyle, developing social connections and engaging in daily physical activity is essential to achievingpositivehealthoutcomesandqualityoflife.
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WiththecompletionofWeek Eight, only one is week left in the 2026 legislative session.
Read morePIERRE — A report on this year’slegislativebillsthatmay haveaffectedtheSouthDakota High School Activities Association led to a warning about state associations that are suffering from legislative interference. TheSDHSAAboard of directors got the report at their meeting on Wednesday, March 4.
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