Just got back from VETO day last night. We had one bill to address, HB 1169

An Act to modify the signature requirement for a petition to initiate a constitutional 2 amendment.

This amendment to the South Dakota Constitution proposed by initiative may be presented only by a petition signed by qualified voters from each senatorial district, equal in number to at least 10% of the total votes cast for Governor in the senatorial district at the last gubernatorial election.

As it is now, petition carriers just circulate petitions and gather x number of signatures. This bill required that each senatorial district across the state would have to participated in the petition process. The big cities who are historically more liberal than rural communities, like Sioux Falls, Bookings and even parts of Rapid City, currently have the most influence just by nature of their numbers, and the ease of gathering names on petitions. Yet, this minimizes the influence of South Dakotans who live in rural areas when petitions are being circulated for a Constitution Amendment to qualify to appear on the ballot. This bill would have protected the rural South Dakotan’s voice in the constitutional amendment petition process. The bill passed the House and the Senate with little to no resistance yet the Governor VETO’d it.

It takes a 2/3rd’s vote to override a VETO. I voted to override the Governor’s Veto…  I want our rural and smaller communities to have their voice! The override passed overwhelming in the House, but was defeated in the Senate 16/16. Hopefully, we can bring it back next year.

During session we processed and heard a total of 540 bills, resolutions and commemorations.

 On the budget side of the ledger:

·       We had a limited budget this year, and it looks like next year could be even a little tighter. However, in spite of a tight budget,

·       We were able to save and fully fund SDPB, fund our libraires (no librarians will not go to jail)

·       Paid OFF a $60 million dollar bond saving the state the interest monies going forward.

·       We created the Unclaimed Property Fund that is a trust account that will protect those dollars going forward

·       Funded maintenance and repair of state buildings and we presented a balanced budget.

A few highlights from the policy side of the ledger:

·       The first bill the Governor signed safeguarded our citizens by prohibiting any area in the state from becoming a sanctuary city. 

·       HB 1143 my Class IV Soil bill passed with flying colors. The 17 lobbyists against it last year, were in favor of it this year and we worked together to get it passed. Third year is the charm!! H-67/2 S-34/0

·       I was Prime on HB 1095 that passed for our local irrigation district.

·       SB 176 - requiring government transparency; went to appropriations

·       HB 1025 – We killed HB 1025, stopping the nearly one-billion-dollar prison project in Lincoln County. The Governor has called for a task force to analyze feasibility of this project going forward. We will have a special session in July to discuss moving forward … or not.

·       HB 1259 – We passed HB 1259 protecting women’s privacy. Men will use men’s bathrooms and women will use women’s bathrooms. Finally, some commonsense!

·       HJR 5003 - passed both bills that ensures more South Dakotans have a voice in the amendment process.

·       HB 1005 passed. This bill provides help to families who choose to adopt.

On the Property Tax front:

·       Lawmakers brought more than 20 bills on property tax reform this session.  

·       SB 216, the Governor’s Bill, was the only tax bill that passed and has been signed into. Is SB 216 perfect? No, but I do believe that it is a good start. The bill sets a limit of 3% annual growth on each county’s total assessment for owner-occupied classification in order to “push pause” on skyrocketing assessments while we continue to work on a viable, impactful property tax solution.

This bill sets a maximum cap of 3% on annual growth due to new construction that counties can add to their budgets. This applies to cities, counties, and to school capital outlay budgets. It also changes the law so that improvements to existing homes no longer count as “new growth”. Under current law if you paint your home, put on a deck, build a shed, it would be considered as new growth and your assessed value would go up.

It increases income eligibility for the existing Elderly Property Tax Assessment Freeze Program to $55,000 for single-member homes and $65,000 for multi-member homes. The bill also increases the maximum eligible home value to $500,000. Those who are currently enrolled in the current Property Tax Assessment Freeze Program will be grandfathered into the new program. Finally, it clarifies that all school districts can opt out of growth caps, just like cities and counties. These are always subject to being referred to a public vote. This bill has a five-year sunset clause. I have to say that at least this Governor is willing to look at tax reform …