NEWS From The Legislature

By Caleb Finck

SD House of Representatives

We have now completed week 4 of the legislative session here in Pierre and we are past the deadline to drop any new bills. After the dust settled this week we are sitting at more than 469 pieces of legislation which will all be working through the process in the weeks to come. This week is also a very important week for our budget discussions as we will be setting our target revenue numbers. That process will take place in the Joint Committee on Appropriations over the next few days as they look at projections for the different revenue categories. Once they have settled in on a projection for each category then we will have our total projection for the next fiscal year which will allow the Appropriations committee to start working on the final budget.

This week I would also like to highlight another bill that I have working through the process. HB 1257 is an act to revise certain provisions regarding hunting, fishing, or trapping on private property without permission. Currently, our trespassing laws are split into two different categories: intentional trespassing and unintentional trespassing. This bill only affects the intentional trespass side of the statute and seeks to put some teeth in the law. Currently, if someone is found guilty of intentional trespass their hunting privileges are removed for 1 year. We feel that this needs to be strengthened to include a mandatory $500 fine, if that person would be convicted of intentional trespassing.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone for coming out and supporting our Legislative Crackerbarrels this past weekend. I have been receiving lots of emails lately so please know that my response time is slowed down a little but I try my best to respond within a day. If you have additional information for me or have any questions for me please reach out to me! Please contact me by email at Caleb.Finck@SDLegislature.gov or call me at 605-933-2042. Have a Great week!

Rep. Caleb Finck

SD House of Representatives – District 21

Bon Homme, Charles Mix, Gregory, & Tripp Counties

Cell: 605.933.2042

Email 1: Caleb.Finck@SDLegislature.gov

Email 2: CalebFinck@Gmail. com

NEWS From The Legislature

By Rocky Blare

SD District 21 Senator

This past Saturday we held cracker barrels across District 21. I listened to many who attended about concerns and needs. The attendance was outstanding. What I heard were concerns about education funding, community care providers, the children immunization bill, county and municipal issues such as roads and disasters.

I have been involved with Senate bills however it is good to be made aware of bills that concern the people whether they are in the House or the Senate. Many people have called or emailed about all of the issues with comments or concerns and I appreciate the input.

I ask that you continue to follow the bills that are pending. All the bills are located at www.sdlegislature.gov , find the heading MyLRC. On this website and you will see the sponsors of the bill, when the bill go to committee or House or Senate floor.

The main thing I have come to realize in my short time in the legislature is your bills usually get changed from the time they are introduced by a sponsor until they possibly reach the floor. If there are problems with the bill it will usually be voted down in committees or on the floor if it isn’t right. To be an effective part of that process I have to listen and research what is available to determine the correct vote for my constituents and the people of this state. When submitted, not all bills are ready for passing and that can include mine.

I have bills that are progressing through the Senate because they have been amended by many affected entities, which is done in order to make it a good bill. Remember you are important tome and that is why I value your input.

As everyone must realize, many times there are significant varied opinions regarding pending bills. I hope to honor all of your concerns with ideas, careful considerations and I pray that I do the best I can do.

Please feel free to use my contact information. My emails is rockyblare@gmail.com. I will be home or at my business Friday, Feb. 14 and Monday Feb. 17.

NEWS From The Legislature

By Lee Qualm

SD House of Representatives

Session has been very busy as usual. This was the fourth week of session with 16 days completed of the 37 scheduled. Currently 258 bills have been introduced in the House and 169 bills in the Senate.

Let’s start off with a good news story. Each year we have college student who are interns that work with leadership in both House and Senate for the entire session. We also have pages who are juniors and seniors in high school that come for twoweek increments. At 4:45 pm on Thursday, February 6th, page Isaac Buchholtz was sitting in the back of the House chamber as we were still in session. He received a call on his cell phone, so he stepped out to take the call. When he came back into the chambers, he was beaming because he had just found out he had been admitted into the U.S. Army Military Academy at West Point, New York!! Isaac is a senior at Riggs High School in Pierre. Once it was announced on the House floor, he received a standing ovation, and many went to shake his hand and congratulate him. He was recruited to play football as the academy’s kicker. So be watching the game of the year next year as Army vs. Navy and look for our Pierre, SD native, Isaac Buchholtz.

Bills of interested include HB1117 which is to “repeal and revise certain provisions regarding riot, to establish the crime of incitement to riot, and to revise provisions regarding civil liability for riot and riot boosting”. This bill ensues everyone’s rights to free speech and peaceful assembly are protected against violent criminals who seek to infringe on those rights. This bill updates SD’s laws to respond to the federal court’s opinion and it protects the safety and security of people and property by the narrowest means necessary while safeguarding everyone’s constitutional rights. This bill is important because no one has a protected right to be violent. This bill keeps our people and property safe, without encroaching on first amendment rights.

HB1083 renames the postsecondary technical institutes as technical colleges. This bill is to rename the “postsecondary technical institutes” to “technical colleges”, dropping “postsecondary” and changing “institute” to “college”. Those in favor of this bill testified that 48 other states call two-year campuses “colleges” and referring to them as “institutes” was antiquated. The prime sponsor referred to this bill as a “marketing bill”. It passed the House floor 41-25 after a long debate.

HB1085 was heard this week which would switch this state to year round permanent observation of Daylight Savings Time. The bill was defeated on the House floor 33-33 with 4 absent which added to the nay votes on the 4th. The bill was reconsidered the following day only to be defeated again by a narrow margin of 34-33 with 3 absent which added to the nay votes.

Another bill you may be watching is SB157 which is from the Governors Office and it is to revise certain provisions regarding the county zoning and appeals process. This bill is intended to protect local control by a majority vote ensuring the local community gets to make decisions, not a fringe few. It intends to create a fare, timely and reliable process for getting economic progress projects to be sited and permitted. This is important for economic development projects that are essential to the long-term success of our communities and the families that call them home. This legislation provides fairness and certainty to the process of growth in SD communities. It has not been assigned a date for hearing yet.

I want to thank you again for the honor you have given to me in serving you in Pierre as your Representative in District 21. Please feel free to contact me at any time with thoughts, ideas or concerns. My email is lee.qualm@sdlegislature.gov and my cell phone is 605 207-0406.

Thank you to the many who attended our Cracker Barrels across the District on Saturday the 8th. It was awesome to see the great turnout at each of them and I appreciate the questions and ideas that were constructive and genuine. There were many topics covered over the day and seeing friends from across the District made the day fun. Thank you again!

Blessings to you for a great week! God Bless you, God Bless South Dakota, and God Bless America. Under God the People Rule!

Representative Lee Qualm

House Majority Leader

Chairman State Affairs Committee

Legislative Procedures Committee