Senate Report by Bryan Breitling
The 2024 Legislative Session opened with a frenzy!
We are seeing a significant jump on bills flowing through the legislature! This early bill entry and committee processing should alleviate the crossover day pressure. After the second week, there were 127 House bills and 112 Senate bills introduced.
In Joint Appropriations this second week, we heard budget reports from the Dept. of Social Services, Dept. of Human Services, Tribal Relations, Unified Judicial System, Bureau of Information Technology, and Dept. of Public Safety. Some highlights include Medicaid in fiscal year 2020 saw an average of 115,000 participants, by the height of the pandemic in fiscal year 2023 there were 145,000 participants who qualified for Medicaid. With the public health emergency unwinding, our fiscal year 2024 participants are now at 108,000. With the end of the pandemic and the growth of our economy, Medicaid Expansion participants are far below expectations and as of December 2023 are at 17,500 participants. The nursing home industry continues to be an industry in crisis. The state has provided significant investment to nursing homes for care of Medicaid eligible residents over the past two years, however, it continues to not be enough as nursing home admissions continue to lag in census. The big change in the judicial system this year is the intent to assist counties with indigent legal defense.
In the 2023 legislative session, a sales and use tax cut from 4.5% to 4.2% with a four year sunset was approved and signed by the governor. This tax cut initiated on 7-1-23 is now six months in the economy. In Senate Appropriations, we heard HB1001, which is the effort to repeal the tax cut sunset. I voted to table the bill and it died. My position is our economy continues to see more than a billion dollars of investment in water projects in the state, benefiting excise tax directly and indirectly the local investment of these projects. Being a fiscally responsible appropriator, there is also a food tax cut ballot amendment coming this fall, which if passed will require us to fund state government differently. Much of the state short term revenues are from unclaimed property, which I am always cautious about counting on continuing as eventually, these larger accounts will be claimed, and the state will pay those dollars back. Last, we have a structured sales and use tax re-evaluation in 2027, so why make changes now when there is uncertainty in the state budget.
Generally, the bills that have hit the Senate floor this week have had broad support. Some excitement came with two bills. First, SB15, an act to require a convicted defendant to reimburse certain fees. This bill originally failed on a split vote due to the funding process and its exclusion of the normal state budget process. Upon an amendment the next day to correct the budget process, it passed.
Second, SB20, an act to establish a crime of threatening or intimidating an election official or worker. This bill was brought by the Secretary of State and vetted and supported by the SD Board of Elections. This bill had an emergency clause so it would be implemented before the primary, but failed to reach the 2/3 majority. It was brought back without the emergency clause and passed.
The upcoming cracker barrels are Jan 27 in Aberdeen on the NSU campus at 10 a.m., and later in Mobridge at 2:30 p.m. at the city hall. On Feb 3 in Ipswich at 10 a.m. and Miller at 2 p.m.
As always, I can be reached at [email protected]. I look forward to continued conversations!
House Report by James Wangsness
We are staying busy here in Pierre. The bills are dropping and we are working them through the process.
Ag and Natural sources started the week with a presentation from South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks. License sales for hunting and fishing were strong in 2023 and expected to remain strong. Our camp grounds are full and the states world class gun range west river is under construction, with a completion date sometime in the Fall of 2025. South Dakota’s heritage of outdoor recreation is strong and growing!
House State Affairs had a busy week, starting with hearings on modifying the observation of daylight savings time, which was sent to the 41st day. We also had debate on a proposed resolution putting the question of how to elect constitutional officers to the people. This would have been a constitutional amendment. This resolution was also sent to the 41st day.
Friday HB1079 was heard in Commerce and energy. This bill would have strengthened laws regarding survey access for PUC permitting. This bill also failed in committee. There are more bills coming this week that will address landowner rights.
I can be reached at James.wangsness@sdlegislature. gov .
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