The 99th legislature wrapped up it’s first full week. This week was the 2nd week, and the 1st week of regular schedule in Pierre, and so far we are off to a quick and busy start. I’m definitely not a pro at this yet, but I’m learning and getting better at the process day by day. However, it sure feels like we’re off to a fast start, probably because of the number of bills I’m introducing this year. Please feel free to contact me anytime about any issue, I always try to be available and respond to all emails. The www.sdlegislature.gov offers an endless amount of information about bills and committees and folks can search the titles and numbers of bills and track ones of interest.
Since this is the first full regular week, we still have some of those nuts-and-bolts kind of bills going through, the kind I mentioned last week. Even though a majority of bills were the nuts-and-bolts type of bills, I have so many bills in the works that I prefilled 4 of them just to try and get them heard in the first couple days or weeks.
In Transportation we heard a bill about changing which website was used for used vehicle evaluations since the previous one was bought by another company and no longer exists. We also heard another bill involving veterans license plates. Both bills passed unanimously.
On the first day in Commerce & Energy we had a bill about cosmetology apprenticeship, which unfortunately died. I voted for it and wish it would have passed because I think it was a good bill that helps get new young people into the workforce and into that industry. The motion to pass the bill failed by one vote and the motion to kill the bill also filed by one vote, and someone ended up changing their vote and it died, sadly. We also heard a landowner rights bill. This one would have required anyone constructing a pipeline, or any utility, to require permission or a permit before they could intrude on people’s land and start surveying. I thought this was a common sense bill that protected land owners rights. Apparently the chairman of the committee didn’t like it and his bias shown through because when it came to discussion he allowed opposition to speak, and ended discussion once proponents were going to speak, he closed discussion and gave his own opponent talking points and forced the vote, and unfortunately the bill died right there in committee.
On the House floor this week had a plethora of bills involving healthcare compacts. Last year we passed a law allowing for reciprocity of professional licenses, so licensing is no longer a barrier to entry from other states. In fact, the point was made that this compact would make it easier for people to flee the state, making the workforce shortage even worse. Also, an amendment was offered that would ensure that a compact couldn’t supersede state law. I was astonished when people voted against that amendment, apparently some representatives of our state are all too eager to surrender our state’s rights to an unknown compact located who knows where. I even asked the prime sponsor of the bill who is also the assistant majority leader, if other states had that language in their laws, and she flat out lied to me and told me they didn’t, because it became extremely obvious a couple questions later when it was stated that the exact same language was in another state’s law. It was also worth noting that this coverage offered by this compact only covered a limited number of days of medical care and then it would all be treated as out of network expenses costing patients in South Dakota up to 3x’s as much for their medical costs because the providers would be considered out of network. You know the bill is bad when even the lobbyist for these bills, the person that is getting paid to try and promote them, said they are ethe worst bills she had ever seen drafted. It is sad to see how many fellow Representatives vote for these bills knowing they are bad bills.
We also had another bill that was an extension of the flawed big government law from two years ago that keeps needing to be rewritten to try and make it work. This was to allow grants to tribes without any method to recoup the funds if things were to go south for some reason.
It wasn’t all dim and bleak, two of my bills passed out of the House this week. The first one is a small one, but it helps clarify how campgrounds make their votes while allowing city campgrounds to expand; it passed out of House Local Government unanimously and passed the House floor the same way, and now it’ll be in the Senate this coming week. Then my more major bill passed out of House Judiciary and passed the House this week, a bill that would make it a crime to expose law enforcement officers and first responders to fentanyl if they suffered from a serious bodily injury or death. A vote for this bill was a vote supporting law enforcement and first responders, and a vote against it was a vote against law enforcement and first responders. Some people say they voted against it because it didn’t go far enough, but if that’s the case then they still voted against protections for our law enforcement officers and first responders. Thankfully it still passed the House and will be in the Senate this coming week.
Congratulations to the Wessington Springs new Fire Chief, Eric Schroeder!
So far we are rocking and rolling, It has been an exciting 8 legislative days so far with 29 to go. I’m excited and looking forward to what comes next. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns. My email address is Ben.Krohmer@sdlegislature.gov.
Ben Krohmer
State House of Representatives, District 20