South Dakota Legislative Billwatch, Feb. 16, 2016

These are some of the interesting and important bills in the South Dakota Legislature that are scheduled for hearings on Feb. 16.

Of particular note is Rep. Lance Russell’s HB 1130 to dedicate video lottery revenue directly to teacher’s salaries…as the people of South Dakota were told it would be many years ago when video lottery was legalized in the state.  I’m divided on this one, because while I think it’s good to see a promise to the people finally carried out, I’m afraid making us even more dependent on the “crack cocaine of gambling” will make it even harder to ever rid our state of this poison.

HB 1177 would expand tax incentives for environmentalist boondoggles renewable energy projects from wind farms to “renewable facilit[ies].” I’ve always believed that a product or service should be able to stand or fall on its own in a free market. If it’s truly a good idea, then standing on its own merits incentivizes those behind the enterprise to make it as marketable as possible, and people will patronize a good idea.  Forcing the taxpayers at gunpoint to support something that can’t stand on its own merits in the free market is not only wasteful and detrimental to innovation, it’s a disservice to the taxpayers.

SB 140 intends to “eliminate life sentences without parole for defendants under the age of eighteen at the time of the crime.”  Not a big fan of this one, either.  Some may argue that someone under the age of 18 when they commit a crime so heinous that it would otherwise merit a life sentence without parole deserves a second chance because of their youth.  Sorry, the nature of the crime, and more importantly, its impact on the victim(s) are not lessened by the age of the perpetrator. If you’re big enough to do the crime, you’re big enough to do the time.  And given recidivism rates, the odds are that if we release someone so vicious as to perpetrate a “life sentence without parole” type crime even when they’re under 18, imagine how dangerous they would be released on society later on.  No sale here.

SJR 3 seeks to revise the procedure for filling a vacancy in the legislature. Given that our last two governors have filled such vacancies with RINOs they could count on to do their bidding, a part of me is inclined to give this one a serious look.  But when I look at some of the liberals sponsoring it, and reflect on the fact that most of the leadership in the legislature are RINOs, could we really expect a better end result?  I doubt it.

HB 1008 is the “bathroom bill” that seeks to keep boys in the boy’s restroom/locker room and girls in the girl’s restroom/locker room.  You might expect passage of such a bill (scheduled for a vote in the Senate tomorrow) to be a forgone conclusion in a “Republican” supermajority legislature, but remember that the morally bankrupt majority of “Republicans” couldn’t find it in themselves to deal with this problem when it came up last year. They are showing more promise this year (at least it made it out of committee in the House, and even passed the House), given that it’s an election year, but take nothing for granted.

HCR 1011 is a resolution opposing recent actions by the EPA and the Waters of the United States rules being pushed by the Obama Administration.

HCR 1012 calls on the South Dakota congressional delegation to introduce legislation to compensate private landowners for fire damage caused by the United States Forest Service. You may recall the fire started by the federal government a couple of years ago near Hettinger, ND and Lemmon, SD that ended up causing damage to private property.  Still, the federal government has not take responsibility for this damage. Private individuals are rightly held to account when their actions result in damage to the property of others.  There is no reason the federal government should be exempt from the same responsibility.

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	2/16 7:45 AM	House Health and Human Services	HB 1162	provide for the practice and regulation of midwives.
	2/16 7:45 AM	House Agriculture and Natural Resources	HB 1180	limit the terms of certain conservation easements.
	2/16 8:00 AM	Senate Education	HB 1013	revise certain provisions regarding alternative instruction achievement tests for children excused from school attendance.
	2/16 8:00 AM	Joint Committee on Appropriations	HB 1130	dedicate revenue from video lottery for the purpose of supplementing teachers’ salaries, to establish a teacher salary enhancement fund, to transfer certain moneys to that fund, and to make an appropriation therefor.
	2/16 8:00 AM	House Taxation	HB 1177	revise certain provisions concerning tax incentives for certain energy facilities.
	2/16 8:00 AM	Senate Judiciary	HB 1183	revise certain provisions regarding the jurisdiction of magistrate courts to issue protection orders.
	2/16 8:00 AM	Joint Committee on Appropriations	SB 75	establish a grant program for adult community residential services designed to reduce the risk of recidivism, to provide a report to the Legislature, and to make an appropriation therefor.
	2/16 8:00 AM	Senate Judiciary	SB 97	provide for the automatic removal of all Class 2 misdemeanor convictions from background check records after ten years under certain conditions.
	2/16 8:00 AM	Joint Committee on Appropriations	SB 114	make an appropriation for certain costs related to the commissioning of the USS South Dakota and to declare an emergency.
	2/16 8:00 AM	Senate Education	SB 129	establish certain suicide awareness and prevention training requirements for certain school employees based on the Jason Flatt Act.
	2/16 8:00 AM	Senate Judiciary	SB 140	eliminate life sentences without parole for defendants under the age of eighteen at the time of the crime.
	2/16 8:00 AM	Senate Judiciary	SJR 3	Proposing and submitting to the electors at the next general election amendments to Article III of the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, revising the procedure for filling a vacancy in either house of the Legislature.
	2/16 2:00 PM	Senate	HB 1008	restrict access to certain restrooms and locker rooms in public schools.
	2/16 2:00 PM	House of Representatives	HB 1127	revise certain provisions concerning road districts.
	2/16 2:00 PM	House of Representatives	HB 1164	provide for a special interest motor vehicle license plate for certain vehicles under certain conditions.
	2/16 2:00 PM	House of Representatives	HB 1182	increase the state sales tax, the state use tax, the excise tax on farm machinery, and amusement device tax for the purpose of increasing education funding and reducing property taxes, and to declare an emergency.
	2/16 2:00 PM	House of Representatives	HB 1189	provide for the inspection and review of a state-mandated academic achievement test taken by a student.
	2/16 2:00 PM	House of Representatives	HB 1212	revise requirements related to pregnancy help centers
	2/16 2:00 PM	Senate	HCR 1011	Opposing the recent actions of the EPA and the President with regards to the Waters of the United States federal rule and applauding the South Dakota congressional delegates who opposed such actions.
	2/16 2:00 PM	Senate	HCR 1012	Requesting the South Dakota congressional delegation to introduce legislation to compensate private landowners for fire damage caused by the United States Forest Service.
	2/16 2:00 PM	House of Representatives	HCR 1013	Recognizing the positive economic impact sportsmen and women have in South Dakota.
	2/16 2:00 PM	Senate	SB 107	clarify certain safety zone restrictions on hunting.

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Similar Posts:

• Feb. 25 South Dakota Legislative Billwatch
• Feb. 26 South Dakota Legislative Billwatch
• Feb. 27 South Dakota Legislative Billwatch
• South Dakota Legislative Billwatch, Feb. 27, 2015
• Mar. 4 South Dakota Legislative Billwatch

Bob Ellis has been the owner of media company Dakota Voice, LLC since 2005. He is a 10-year U.S. Air Force veteran, a political reporter and commentator for the past decade, and has been involved in numerous election and public policy campaigns for over 20 years. He was a founding member and board member of the Tea Party groups Citizens for Liberty and the South Dakota Tea Party Alliance. He lives in Rapid City, South Dakota with his wife and two children.

Bob Ellis

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