We are officially into the second half of this legislative session. With Monday being President’s Day, we are officially closed, so our week will only be 4 days. They are predicted to be long days with committee meetings in the morning, floor session in the afternoon, and a continuation of the morning committee meetings after that.

The start of our floor session each day is probably the only time during the day that we are actually one body when we are hearing the opening prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance to our Country.

We started with a bill to protect people from theft by a contractor, subcontractor, or a supplier. There are getting to be more and more unscrupulous folks out there trying to take advantage of honest people. This passed easily. The next bill is one that is of particular interest to landowners of land along the Missouri River. It will allow prescribed burning of red cedar trees on the state river land that adjoins the landowner’s land. There is a little more to it than that. It is a necessary piece of legislation that requires an emergency clause so that those folks can start their burn plan immediately if the Senate passes it, and the Governor signs it. We deferred some bills, passed bills related to Schedule IV drugs, adoption proceedings, non-compete agreements, and allowed counties and municipalities to have cigar bars.

Our Tuesday Health and Human Services committee was one of those long days. Our committee heard two bills, one on making a drug a schedule VI drug, and one for a pilot program for hygiene products and diapers. The third bill was part way through when we had to defer to a later time that day. We were treated to some patriotic Bagpipe music as it was the midpoint of our 101st legislative session. After the floor session, we returned until about 6:30 to finish our committee meeting. We had a couple of bills to construct buildings on USD and SDSU. Both schools already have private donation money to do the projects, but we have to pass legislation with a 2/3 majority vote to allow it. One of the bills on Tuesday which might catch your attention is to allow school booster clubs to use bingo games, lotteries, and pull-tab devices. They have to be placed in the same places as video lottery games. This bill passed, although I can see some bad things coming out of it. I just hope that I’m wrong. We deferred 3 bills until the next day so that all of the committees could finish their work for the day.

Wednesday again was one of those long days, as we started in Education with a bill that would maybe touch all of you educators. The purpose of HB1217 is to kill the SDEA as I see it. The main proponent was from Oregon and was accusing teachers of discussing SDEA business on school time which meant that you are using taxpayer money for this time. He had no idea of how South Dakota statute is, that we are a right to work state, and that you have your own guidelines for what you do. That bill passed to the floor to be voted on. So far librarians and counselors are left out of the mix this year. I hope that I didn’t jinx you. We discussed on campus housing requirements through the second year and meal plans. We sent this bill to the 41st day. After Session we discussed HB1168B An Act to provide property tax credit for the payment of non-public school tuition. This bill got out of committee and was sent to House Appropriations. We added coaches of a school activity to the list of mandatory reporters of child abuse or neglect. Another bill, HB1105 is of interest especially for people in our district. It affects nursing homes that are being closed in small towns by large health providers and throwing a non-compete clause on any of these properties that the communities want to reopen for people in their community. We increased the annual fee required of an owner of an electric motor vehicle.

On Thursday we started Health and Human Services with HB1182A to establish a data system pertaining to assisted reproductive technology. This is about registering embryos that are collected. To me, this is something that is between a dad, a mother, their doctor, and their God. To me, this looks like a first step toward cloning. But, it still passed to the floor for further debate and a vote. HB1151 is an act to ban Kratom and Kratom products. We put limitations on this product last year. We haven’t had any violations to my knowledge. HB1065 has to do with requiring a medical marijuana patient to have a identification card. This passed to the floor. HB1171 has to do with blood gathered in blood banks and blood transfusions and vaccinations. The testimony was grossly in error, but it passed to the floor. The House session was a much shorter day, and we started at 1:00 instead of the normal 2:00 time.

There you have it, my weekly report. We had 3 well attended “cracker barrels” on Saturday. There were good questions asked and hopefully answered. God bless each and every one of you, and have a great week.

Representative Jim Halverson, District 21