ATTORNEY GENERAL JASON RAVNSBORG ANNOUNCES 2020 LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE
PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg announces the Attorney General’s proposed legislative package for 2020 requesting the legislature to consider and enact the following:
Senate Bill 6: An Act to revise certain conditions under which presumptive probation may be applied.
“Presumptive Probation has destroyed any incentive for Defendants to work with law enforcement and help eliminate the source of illegal drugs in South Dakota. I want to give law enforcement another tool in their toolbox to keep South Dakota safe.”
In a continuing effort to ensure that our Courts and Judge’s have all the tools they require to keep South Dakota safe the new proposed language would add that “it is also an aggravating circumstance if the court determines the person failed to cooperate with law enforcement in an ongoing investigation.”
Senate Bill 7: An Act to revise the eligibility for presumptive probation
“Another year has passed with Presumptive Probation continuing to be a failed program which has incentivized criminals to continue their illegal conduct with no consequences or deterrence. Similar to a DUI or simple assault, continued illegal activity should result in greater consequences to help deter criminal conduct. This bill gives our judges greater discretion and provides the defendant with the forewarning that, should they continue with their destructive behavior, the State can bring more severe punishment.”
Building off the existing model already used in South Dakota law for enhanced sentencing for certain violations this legislation seeks establishes a ten-year lookback for an individual who violates in excess of 2 times within the lookback period and has already received a sentence consisting of presumptive probation on the previous occasions.
Senate Bill 25: An Act to establish certain requirements to maintain state compliance with the Master Settlement Agreement.
“The State of South Dakota receives approximately $25 million annually as part of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. We work tirelessly to maintain compliance with the Agreement and this bill will assist us in performing our due diligence.”
Historically there have been occasional bad actors in the world of tobacco sales. This bill will add additional tools to allow the State of South Dakota to more easily identify and monitor entities selling tobacco products.
Senate Bill 26: An Act to increase the assessment of liquidated court costs and to revise the disposition of the funds collected.
“911 services are an essential service there to help and assist all South Dakotans in the worst of times. We have identified structural problems relating to the funding and continuation of the system and this bill aims to insure resources will be available to sustain this necessary service.”
Increasing the assessment from $40 to $50 will provide necessary funds to both the 911 Telecommunicator training fund and the Law Enforcement Officers training fund. These monies are essential to make sure that the training provided to our law enforcement professionals remains at the high levels our state is accustomed to.
Senate Bill 27: An Act to establish a missing persons clearinghouse.
“I want to bring more awareness to the public as we search for people that go missing in our state. Legislation passed in 2019 regarding Murdered, Missing Indigenous Women was a significant step forward. We now need to take the next step so we can more efficiently and effectively use our resources to find all missing South Dakotans.”
The proposed legislation would establish the clearinghouse within the Division of Criminal Investigation and set forth the guidelines for the administration, notification procedures, training, and management of the project. It will include connections to the National Crime Information Center as well as a process for clearing the system when a listed person has been found and/or the case is closed to make sure that resources are used to their full capacity in this important endeavor.
An Act to revise certain provisions regarding sex offender registration statutes.
“Technology available to all of us has also created new avenues for those who seek to victimize our children. Adding to the possible activities that define a sexual predator is a prudent step to take in safeguarding our youth from these individuals within our society.”
The proposed legislation would expand the actions for which the Sex Offender Registry would be utilized to include any individual, age 21 or older, who takes or produces sexually based, nonconsensual videos or photos of a minor.
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I continue to be impressed by Jason. Steady leadership and supports law enforcement. Presumptive probation has never worked…it will be hard for legislators to oppose these measures.
Spending hundreds of millions on prisons won’t solve our drug problem. This money has to go to treatment if we are ever going to make a dent. Ravnsborg might have a bead on the problem, but building prisons isn’t the solution.
No one goes to prisons now that’s the problem there’s no deterrentAsk any law-enforcement official and they all hate presumptive probationHe is right it doesn’t work
Treatment doesn’t get you out of discouraging people to use
Imprisoning drug addicts at the cost of 50k a year is the height of idiotic policy.
Actually, approximately 20% of those eligible for presumptive probation are sent to jail by the judge.
Nothing about Cory’s second big win in court? Some “journalist” you are, Powers.
How is this on topic to talk about a liberal judge finding for the liberal against the conservative State shocker said no one how is that news
Solid writing skills on display in this comment.
Every study that looks at this always says the same thing. Incarnating drug use leads to higher recidivism, not lower recidivism. Let’s take the money we save from less incarceration, and spend it on treatment, rather than funding more prison construction…
Yeah it’s been working great …. are you freaking kidding me….More coddling that will work
We’ve traded the pansy mamby pamby way for years nowEnd it doesn’t work we just keep adding people treatment doesn’t prevent people from getting on it in the first place
I am just glad that Ravnsborg is continuing to tackle problems and work as hard as he is. We couldn’t have gotten a better AG than Ravnsborg, thank goodness he won.
How about addressing why people start taking drugs instead of spending thousands on treatment that doesn’t work that well anyway. Why do so many people feel the need to escape life via drugs.
Poverty.
Sorry, I dont buy that. Maybe in some cases, but drug use hits all income levels. Why are people so empty these days that they need to escape life.
Maybe if the legislature didn’t send hundreds of millions to the money pit known as DSS we could spend in some areas…talk about an agency that needs a thorough audit and review
Long term Inpatient treatment is the only chance meth addicts have, and S.D. will never fund that. So the only options open to Ravnsborg are educating people about not ever trying it and driving the price up by getting the dealers.
Ravnsborg is right to want more deterrence because more people are continuing to use. You cant treat your way out of this problem.
Also remember all these ” more treatment” liberals want Medicaid expansion, higher taxes and a nanny state, but these were the same people that criticized the AG did I g the campaign when he proposed the meth prison which is a built full time treatment facility.
Keep up the fight AG you have the right ideas…you just need some people to find their balls in the legislature.
I also heard this AG has been working with the feds, they are racking up huge wins in federal court and sending these nitwit drug dealers away for decades. Sounds like his DCI guy is more focused on putting people in prison than holding press conferences like the last guy. Great work Mr AG!
Good point… the feds give them hard time and don’t pander with limited treatment which doesn’t work anyway