Monday was Presidents’ Day and we were closed. Our Masonic Lodge spent our early morning and late evening putting up and taking down American flags on businesses as we honor our nation. We are so blessed to live in what I consider to be the greatest state in the greatest nation in this world.

Tuesday was another Health and Human Service Committee meeting starting at 7:30. We heard five bills, but the one that stands out was HB1162 to add two more drugs to Schedule 1 of the controlled substances schedule. These are drugs that veterinarians use for animals, but apparently some people think that people should use it too. And then to the afternoon session. We had two “smoke out”s. Both were successful. They were then given back to the Speaker to calendar. One of the bills, HB1065, will require a registration identification card for medical marijuana users passed out of the House. HB1171 has to do with blood banks and transfusions. A lot of the information that was heard in Health and Human Services to pass it to the floor of the House was incorrect. Fortunately, 42 representatives saw through the bad information and voted against this bill. All of the Senate bills on our agenda were deferred to the next day as it was getting late in the day, and some of the committees still had bills to deal with.

Wednesday showed us back in the Education committee. We heard HB1017C which gives school boards authority to assign students to alternative learning settings because of violent behavioral health issues. HB1262A to make an appropriation for a non-residential, school-based, therapeutic services facility in Brown County and declare an emergency. We sent this to appropriations. The schools in northeast South Dakota need this now. In the Wednesday floor session we had a full plate. Here are some of the bills that might be of interest to you folks in the 21st district. SJR503 which is the Convention of States resolution failed. HB1172 passed out of the House to the Senate with a unanimous vote. HB1182 to establish a data collection system pertaining to assisted reproductive technology and provide a penalty. This is about registering human embryos, which is a birth option that is a private personal time between a father, a mother, their doctor, and their God and nobody else. It failed on the floor. HB1217 was an attempt by out of state union breakers to break up the SDEA by accusing the teachers of using taxpayer money to hire lobbyists to lobby for them in mediation and the state legislature. Every teacher that I talked to was quite upset that this is what people think of their ethics. This was voted down 27-40. Then we deferred the rest of the senate bills to Thursday.

Thursday in Health and Human Services we heard three bills. The first to repeal the medical marijuana oversight committee was sent to the 41st day. We had two bills concerning vaccination using genetic- base or covid 19 vaccine. They were both sent to the floor. These were the last house bills, so now we will wait for senate bills to come our way. On the House floor we again had a full plate of bills. We only heard six because of the debates on them. One of interest to District 21, HB1138C is to license non-medical home care agencies. This would require background checks and fingerprinting plus a few minor requirements. I was surprised that this hasn’t been the case for years as our population has aged.

Friday’s Education agenda had only two bills on it and it looked to be quick. These bills are the last of the House Education bills, and we would also be waiting for senate bills to work on. I was wrong. HB1279B is a bill to allow all of the technical school employees to be on the state health insurance plan. This was finally sent to House Appropriations. The second bill HB1306B to authorize the provision of charitable contributions to a scholarship granting organization. This bill was sent to the 41st day. On the House floor we started with a “smoke out” of HB1160an act to repeal the medical marijuana oversight committee. It was successful. HB1317 was a bill that came out of committee without recommendation. When the sponsor attempted to get it calendared, the vote was 34-33-3. It failed because it required a majority of the elected representatives or 36 votes. HB1017 passed to the Senate 67-0.

All of the debaters must have been tired, because we passed and failed the rest of the bills on the agenda with hardly a question let alone a big debate. We have three four- day weeks left and a possible veto day, and this 101st session will be done. God bless, have a great week, and stay positive.