Our week was cut short a little last week with the threat of some impending weather.  Committee meetings and session were cancelled on Friday so legislators, lobbyists and visitors could get home before the weather hit.  This complicated things a bit, as Friday was to be crossover day, the day when all bills must leave their house of origin, and Monday was Presidents day.  Crossover day was held this Tuesday and now we’ve added a day to the end of the legislative session. 

 

Topics of last week had a sense of urgency to them.  Some of the more debated topics hit the floor and the newspapers.  The Senate approved the Governor’s minimum wage bill and will go to the House State Affairs committee.  The bill would raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour in increments by July 1, 2009.  House Bill 1048 passed the House of Representatives with a 47-23 vote.  This is the bill that encompasses the campaign finance reforms proposed by the Secretary of State Chris Nelson.

 

I have had some phone calls regarding Senate Bill 199.  This bill would make it illegal to drop out of school in South Dakota until a student turns 18.  This bill was brought by the Governor and is a change from the current law which state that a student must remain in school until the age of 16.  From the feedback I have received, many people in the area would like to see the statute remain the way it is.  This bill will first go to committee and then come to the House floor.

 

House Bill 1171 is a comprehensive education bill that has many areas covered in it.  It combines several issues regarding education, including the task force bill, technical education money for high schools, Educational Service Agencies funding and the Teacher Pay Enhancement Program.  The TPEP was included in the Governor’s budget and it proposed $4 million to be used to increase teacher’s pay that would include matching funds with the school district.  The House is proposing a change to this bill which would raise the match from $2 from the state to $1 from the district to $4 from the state to every $1 from the district.  This bill passed the House State Affairs committee on Wednesday.   

 

The State Fair funding came through the House with a vote of 64-4.  The amount of funding to go towards the Fair is $750,000 and the bill will now go over to the Senate Appropriations committee.  This money was also included in the Governor’s budget.  Legislators were pleasantly surprised to see how much effort and actual dollars the city of Huron invested in the Fair each year.  The city of Huron spends approximately $200,000 to help support the Fair on an annual basis.

 

The bills that address property taxes are making their way through the Senate and are starting to show up in the House Tax Committee.  We’ve seen some familiar faces come to give testimony on different bills, and it has been much appreciated.  The more input we have on what the actual local impact will be, will only help give guidance to the committee and legislators.  It is invaluable to have those citizens there and a part of the process.  It takes time and effort for them to come and I really want to thank them for taking the time.

 

These last few weeks will go by fast as we consider the bills still standing.  As always, please call with any questions and have a great week.Â