2020 SD Legislature: Budget forecast more optimistic than first pitched

By: 
Rep. Steve Haugaard, District 10
PIERRE – Week five of our Legislative Session began Monday, Feb. 10. I encourage everyone to attend our upcoming Feb. 22 Legislative Coffee at Bethany Meadows beginning at 9 a.m.
This past week, HB 1057 was heard in the Senate committee and failed to pass to the Senate floor. That was the bill which would have prohibited physicians from conducting sex altering procedures through hormone therapy or surgery. As I mentioned before, such procedures are not supported by unbiased scientific research in that the procedures interfere with natural development, which oftentimes resolves issues of emotional uncertainty. In any event, it is an issue which is present in our communities and those affected certainly need our attention and support.  
We also heard the Governor’s new “riot boosting” bill (HB1117) in House State Affairs this week. It passed to the House floor and will be heard sometime this week. This bill is intended to clean up the problems, which were created last year with the Governor’s previous riot bill. Ultimately, the intention is to put some restraints on the potential violence that might be associated with any protest, but specifically in regard to the likely pipeline protests. I voted against the bill for a variety of reasons, which include the felony levels, as well as the number of people required to constitute a riot. The goal of this bill is to establish sanctions upon groups of three or more people who are inciting others to violence, and to attempt financial sanctions if property damage or personal injuries occur. It is my view that the enforcement aspect of the law is still questionable as to both the criminal prosecution as well as the civil financial sanctions. It would have also been helpful to more strategically expand the conversation to include those who have an interest in the ongoing pipeline issues.
The budget news is much more optimistic than it was a few weeks ago. Our own Legislative Research Council staff member who prepares our projections, Jeff Mehlhaff, has done an excellent job in pulling together all of the financial reports. He provides an analysis, which synthesizes all of that material, as well as moving target items and current trends of activity to identify an actual projected amount of revenue for purposes of our budget setting. Each year his projections have given us the guidance that helps us to balance the budget. This year his projections are coming in consistent with the revenue reports. So, we will be able to set priorities and allocate funds where we need them.
We continue to appreciate the help of our South Dakota young people who are serving as “Pages” in both the House and Senate. Pages help the Legislators with a variety of tasks and are typically high school seniors who serve for two weeks of the Session. I encourage all of those who are coming up on their senior year to apply next year.  
Thank you to all of you who have been able to visit us in Pierre. If we have advance notice of your visit, we will do everything we can to make your time productive and enjoyable. We will be glad to direct you to meetings that will be of special interest and we can arrange for tours that are often not open to the public. Please listen to the proceedings live on South Dakota Public Broadcasting or go to the Legislative Research Council’s website to listen to the recorded committees and floor debate. That’s found at https://sdlegislature.gov/
As always, please feel free to contact me at steven.haugaard@sdlegislature.gov.

Category:

The Brandon Valley Journal

 

The Brandon Valley Journal
1404 E. Cedar St.
Brandon, SD 57005
(605) 582-9999

Email Us

Facebook Twitter

Please Login for Premium Content