On the Issues: Rick Kriebel

Incumbent candidates have a voting record upon which we can rely to know whether they will support Republican values and principles if re-elected.  The best indicator of how a candidate will behave if they receive our support is how they have already voted on the issues. If a candidate has faithfully supported Republican principles in the past, there is every reason to believe they will continue to do so, if re-elected. If a candidate has done a poor job of representing Republican principles, or has even done more to help the other side than their own, then there is every reason to believe this behavior will continue if they are re-elected.

Rick Kriebel

But fresh candidates with no voting record are an unknown.  Often times we only hear sweet-sounding mottos and phrases from them that don’t really tell us how they will vote on various issues or certain bills in particular.  Also, we sometimes hear that a candidate is in favor of this issue or that, but when the rubber meets the road and a bill is before them, the tune changes.

American Clarion recently submitted a list of questions to new candidates for the South Dakota Legislature in 2016.  These questions focused primarily on bills that were considered in the 2016 legislative session, to develop an idea of how the candidate might have voted on these issues, were they in office at the time the bills were considered.

The next installment in this series comes from Rick Kriebel, a Republican candidate for the South Dakota Senate in District 32.  You can learn more about him here.

The candidate’s responses are below, presented un-edited and in full.

How would you have voted on HB 1182, the education tax bill?

No

If you would have opposed HB 1182, what kind of legislation would you have sponsored or supported?

Multi step process – 1) do what the blue ribbon task force should have done; “evaluate the current funding formula”.

2) Fix the formula, link k-12 funding to the growth of state revenues instead of the inflation up to 3% cap – copy the formats of the surrounding states to stop the double taxation and double funding caused by Impact Aid (66 million alone) 66 million is more than the sales tax increase is providing for teachers’ salaries. Stop the funding of Phantom teaching positions (Another 15 million). 66 million plus the Teachers’ pension levy of 19 million = 85 million. Daugaard’s plan only raised 81 million for teachers.

3) I anticipate that if these things are done we will be able to repeal the sales tax increase because there is more than enough money already flowing into k-12 to pay for the target salary, it is just being wasted.

How would you have voted on HB 1008, the restroom privacy bill, and why?

Yes; this bill was much more than a “bathroom bill” This bill was in response to the high school activities association policy allowing/requiring locker room and shower access to both biological sexes at the same time. This bill was restricted to public schools only and school sponsored events. Parents should not have to worry about their children being exposed to nudity of the opposite sex at school.

Would you have voted to override Governor Daugaard’s veto of the privacy bill, and why?

Yes, because the governor is not my moral compass, see previous answer.

Would you have supported HB 1076, the drug testing for welfare recipient’s bill, or a variation thereof? Why or why not?

I believe welfare needs reformed. Drug testing is not at the top of my priority list of reforms needed,, but I am not opposed if done appropriately.

How would you have voted on HB 1107 to protect religious freedom and the right of conscience for Christian organizations and businesses?

Yes – do you find it odd that there were 14 excused from this vote? That is 20 percent of the entire House of Representatives.

How would you have voted on HB 1110 to provide taxpayer-funded health care to pregnant illegal aliens?

No

Do you support or oppose legislation which would better enable South Dakota to deal with the illegal immigration problem in our state?

Support

What is your opinion of Governor Daugaard’s refusal to stand against the resettlement of improperly vetted Syrian refugees in South Dakota?

I have no respect for our governor; however, I don’t believe that you can “vet” refugees like you can immigrants. Refugees usually come in droves under duress and are usually kept in camps while the “vetting” takes place. Given the situation with terrorism, refugees need to be handled carefully.

Do you support or oppose Common Core and other nationalized education standards? Why?

Oppose – common core is not “just standards” common core drives testing – testing drives curriculum.

If common core is just “standards” – explain the math curriculum?

Common Core testing has decimated the content of our history curriculum, decimated our math, and next it will decimate our science curriculum. Common Core has to go!

Do you support or oppose expanding Medicaid in South Dakota? Why?

Oppose – The costs are rising out of control, and frankly, the increases are unsustainable (5 times inflation on average?) without expanding further.

Do you support or oppose legislation that would reduce the number of abortions that occur in South Dakota?

Support

Do you support or oppose legislation allowing law-abiding South Dakotans to carry a concealed weapon without a permit?

Absolutely support, yes – Although the constitution already accomplishes that, IMO.

Based on the bills that have passed the South Dakota Legislature in the past two years, and the bills that have been killed in the South Dakota Legislature over the past two years, do you believe the majority of South Dakota Republican legislators are doing a good job of upholding the values and principles of the Republican Party? Why or why not?

Republicans as a whole are a complete failure the last 2 years. Record tax increases 2 years in a row, blackmailing counties by withholding monies for failing to enact a wheel tax, raising the sales tax by 107 million to give k-12 62 million, using the excess? Taxes collected to reduce property taxes, why raise one tax to pay another tax? Biological males allowed into female high school locker rooms?

All of these things are violations of the South Dakota Republican party platform.

If elected to the South Dakota Legislature, what is your number one legislative priority, and why?

Restore some sanity to the fiscal train wreck of the last 2 years by fixing k-12 funding and repealing the tax increase.

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Similar Posts:

• On the Issues for South Dakota: Travis Lasseter
• On the Issues: Janette McIntyre
• In SD, Nothing to Stop GOP Agenda…Except the GOP
• South Dakota Legislative Billwatch, Feb. 25, 2015
• South Dakota Teacher Pay Bills Filed

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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