South Dakota Agriculture Secretary Kim Vanneman presented the annual review of the department to the Senate agriculture. She talked about what has happened during 2019 and what the goals for the department are going forward. The department brought a bill to the committee which will be passed onto the Senate floor SD22 which deals with pesticide application. The bill deals with improper application of pesticides, claims procedures licensing and records required for applicators. It also offers improved training for aerial applicators concentrating on safety and drift.

The combined House and Senate had a memorial service for legislators who passed away during the past year. House speaker Haugaard said “this was a time to think about the best way to honor fallen lawmakers” and “we should live our lives in such a way as to make them proud of we’re doing.” Of particular importance to our area is Doris Minor of Gregory who served actively and faithfully in the House of Representatives from 1977-1978 and the Senate from 1979-1992.

The Attorney General’s Office presented SB6 and SB7 to the Judiciary Committee, which attempt to revise presumptive probation laws. The committee has referred the bills to (LRC) Legislative Research Council for fiscal analysis.

In the Transportation Committee we passed SB21 which authorized temporary variable speed limits on various segments of the interstate due to the weather conditions.Thishasproveneffectivein other states to maintain the flow of traffic, reduce accidents and enable the interstates to have fewer closing due to bad weather conditions.

Representative Finck and I are sponsoring HB1084 which will change the maximum height limit for trucks carrying baled feed to 15 feet. This would help comply with other states and help insure that hay can be moved without unnecessary restrictions.

We passed out of Senate Judiciary SB44which allows the crime victims compensation funds used to reimburse law enforcement for emergency expenses which they pay for from their own pockets for victims of crimes, examples being food and shelter. This is especially critical for domestic violence or sexual assault victims in rural areas where there are no shelters available.

The most controversial bill passed out of the Senate on a 34 to 1 vote. Senate bill 50 is and act to revise certain provisions regarding the practice of CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. The problems is the statues haven’t been revised since 1979. Current laws do not allow them to practice to the full extent of their education and certification. This created a problem to anesthesia health care services especially in rural areas. The bill was amended to insure the regulation and safety of the residents of South Dakota is maintained and to promote the access of the services in underserved communities, VA, Indian Health Services as well as urban areas.

This year I will be serving on the Ag, Transportation and Judiciary committees. Most of the work this week has been in committee. It has been my honor to serve you this year in the Senate.

Contact District 21 Senator Rocky Blare at rockyblare@gmail.com