District 20 Representative Lance Koth 2024 Legislative Article – Week 4

By Mitchell Now February 5, 2024 7:07 am

We finished legislative day 17, 20 days remain in the 2024 Legislative Session. There are 258 House Bills and 220 Senate Bills, all of which will have a committee hearing and if passed, will have floor debate in both Chambers. Our plate is full.

One issue that has moved to the forefront is protecting the unborn as well as the life and health of the mother. South Dakota’s Republican Caucus is standing united, evidenced by the support of House Concurrent Resolution 6008, “opposing the initiated measure to place the right to an abortion in the Constitution of South Dakota”. There is a lot of misinformation out there. I would encourage everyone to visit this site https://lifedefensefund.com/ which does an excellent job of explaining how the proposed South Dakota Abortion Constitutional Amendment would be one of the most extreme abortion laws in the nation. The Abortion Amendment would legalize painful, late-term abortion, all the way to the point of birth as well as overriding our state’s existing common-sense, bi-partisan abortion policies including:
• Parents’ rights to know when their minor daughter is pregnant and being pressured into an abortion:
• Protections for a mother from being forced to have an abortion against her will.
• Conscience protections so that doctors and nurses cannot be forced to participate in performing abortions against their will.
• Basic health and safety requirements for abortionists to follow, including requirements that abortions be done by a physician and an inspected and clean facility.
The list of horrible consequences goes on.

Allow me to editorialize a bit on what I’ve experienced in my six years serving in the legislature. What is the difference between a politician and public servant?

Politicians seldom admit a mistake and will often only say things that sound good, independent of honesty and truth. Politicians tend to speak a lot while saying nothing. They have no problem misleading people. A politician’s allegiance is to the ones who provide the money. Politicians act in their own best interest. Politicians play on people’s emotions and perceptions, independent of facts and reason. For me, the worst characteristic of a politician is that he/she does not objectively consider all sides of an issue.

On the other hand, a public servant will often admit a mistake despite the political consequences because that is the only way to correct a mistake. A public servant will recognize that something that sounds good, looks good, and makes people feel good is not automatically good. A public servant will speak the truth based on facts and not play on peoples’ emotions. A public servant will objectively listen to all sides of an issue. They will then use reason and facts to determine what is best. A public servant will always act in the best interest of the public, whether it is popular or not. Finally, a public servant does not act for glory, power, or money. A public servant acts only to serve the community. I have found that most South Dakota’s Senators and Representatives are public servants.

This week in Joint Committee on Appropriations, we had budget hearings on Corrections, Tourism, Game Fish and Parks, Attorney General, Secretary of State and Economic Development. We will finish budget hearings on legislative day 22 after which budget setting for all budget units will need to be completed by legislative day 24.

This week, Governor Noem requested a joint session with House and Senate to talk about our southern border and the likelihood she, as Commander in Chief, will send SD National Guard troops to assist Texas in closing the border to undocumented and in some cases drug and sex trafficking cartels. There will be an ask for funding. Coincidentally our budget hearings this week with the Department of Corrections and the Attorney General validated the issues that Governor Noem addressed, that being the influx of illegal drugs, sex trafficking and other offenses most of which are coming through our southern border.

Corrections reported that at the Mike Durfee Prison we are at 106% of capacity, Women’s prison 148% of capacity and SD Penitentiary 186% of capacity.

Attorney General reported in 2013 there were 39 meth labs in SD and from 2020 on zero, meth arrests were 1,229 in 2013 and 2,990 in 2023, Fentanyl arrests were zero from 2013 to 2022 and in 2023 there were 284. There were 10.22 pounds of fentanyl confiscated in 2023 but, enough to kill our entire state population.

We are a Nation and State governed by laws. It is very evident that our prison capacity is at a breaking point and that our state is being infiltrated by bad actors whose intent is to profit at whatever cost. We are and will continue to wrestle with our obligation to protect and provide for the citizens of South Dakota. I’m reminded often that the goal posts continue to move, and we must pivot to the best of our ability with proper and prudent legislation.

Thank you for the privilege to serve as your District 20 Representative

Representative Lance Koth

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