On January 28, 2015, I wrote a letter to a hospital to stop its attempt to collect $120.40 from a senior citizen client. I can show you the body of the letter without disclosing the details. Here is the body of the letter that I wrote to the hospital.

From Jan. 28 through April 15, AARP will offer free tax preparation at nine Black Hills area locations through the AARP and VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) programs. The programs are geared to senior citizens and low- to moderate-income families but there are no age or income requirements.

The South Dakota House State Affairs Committee considered HB 1069 which seeks to limit the authority of delegates to an Article V convention to amend the U.S. Constitution, voting 9-3 in favor of advancing the bill to the full House.

The South Dakota House voted today in favor of HCR 1001 which seeks to make a distinction between a tax and a fee. The bill says a tax is “a compulsory financial contribution levied by a government for the general support of the government and the services it provides,” while a fee is “a charge levied by a government on specific persons, activities, or properties as payment for a direct benefit received.”

The South Dakota House voted today on HCR 1003 calling on the president and congress to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. The resolution passed 48-20. The U.S. Department of Education was created by President Jimmy Carter to pay back his teacher’s union supporters. How many “Republicans” voted to keep the Department of Education?

I am grateful that the History Channel is bringing up the topic of our Founders, but I wonder – how accurate is it? For instance, the show inaccurately portrays Samuel Adams as a poor, bar-hopping, 30-year-old on probation. When in truth he inherited money and a business from his father, had a wife and children, was a political leader in Boston, had an abiding Christian faith, and was 43 years old when the events occurred. There is no evidence to support the “dramatic” depiction of Samuel Adams as a bar crawling, womanizing, street thug on probation.

Some of the notable bills being considered by the South Dakota Legislature today include legislation on sex offenders, an Article V convention, a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, taxes and fees, and election law.