Hello District 19- As I say goodbye to the family and load up my truck to drive to Pierre for the start of the 100th Legislative Session, I want to thank the voters for entrusting me with the opportunity to serve. It’s an honor and a privilege to represent District 19 in our state’s Capitol. As we kick off 2025 and this historic session (100th Legislative Session), it’s crazy to think there was a time last year when I wasn’t 100% sure I would be back serving in Pierre. Just a day after celebrating our son Michael’s first birthday and right at the start of the campaign, I had a close encounter with a new momma cow in the calving barn. I ended up in the hospital where a trauma surgeon put my right leg back together with a plate, a dozen screws and mesh to reconstruct my broken tibia plateau. I am grateful to be back on my feet, serving in the legislature and looking forward to calving season starting next month. Speaking of family, my wife Lauren and our son Michael are doing well. It’s never easy to be away from them during the session, but I’m incredibly thankful for Lauren’s unwavering support as I represent our district. I also owe a big thank-you to our extended family and farm team—Steve and Matt—for holding down the fort while I’m in Pierre. Of course, I’ll be back farming on the three-day weekends! I’m eager to get to work with my fellow District 19 legislators, Representative Bahmuller and Senator Schoenfish. By the time you read this, we will have gaveled in and begun the hard work of balancing our state’s budget for the 136th consecutive year. As a fiscal conservative, I know this year will be particularly challenging. With $60 million in new Medicaid expansion costs and only $45 million in new revenue, we’ll have to make tough choices to ensure the budget pencils out. Our focus must remain on our core obligations—education, state workers, and healthcare— without expanding government unnecessarily. I’ve heard from many of you about your priorities, including funding for libraries and SDPB. I share your concerns and will work to reverse those proposed cuts. This session, I’ll also be championing several bills aimed at strengthening property rights, protecting local control, and supporting agriculture. Last year, I worked on legislation that incentivized lower-cost E15 at the pump and safeguarded farmers in grain contracts. I’m proud to see the impact, with E15 being 20 cents cheaper than E10 at the pump last week! This session, I plan to introduce bills that address local control protections for permitting, landowner gun rights protections, and consumer protection from lab grown meat. I’ve spent the past year preparing these and other bills, and I’m ready to hit the ground running. If you’re planning a trip to Pierre during the session, please let me know—I’d love to welcome you to the Capitol. As always, I encourage you to reach out with feedback, advice, or questions. It’s my job to serve you and ensure rural South Dakota’s voice is heard. Here’s to a productive and successful session! Drew Peterson State Representative, District 19 Salem drew.peterson@sdlegislature.gov