Gov. Rhoden VETOES HB 1132
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden VETOED HB 1132, which would have expanded the child care assistance program beyond the low-income families that it is meant to prioritize. Governor Rhoden outlined the reasons for his VETO in a letter to the House of Representatives. You can find a copy of the letter here. You can find a picture of Governor Rhoden VETOING HB 1132 here.
“House Bill 1132 shifts South Dakota’s child care assistance program away from its core mission,” wrote Governor Larry Rhoden in the letter. “Currently, the program is designed as a safety net to help low-income families cover child care costs while they work toward self-sufficiency. This bill would give child care workers preferential treatment, by allowing them to receive this aid at a higher income level.”
The Department of Social Services has been actively implementing solutions to address the child care shortage in South Dakota, including:
- Shifted to weekly payments for child care assistance, which aligns with industry standards;
- Raised reimbursement rates by 18% to better compensate providers;
- Launched the ChildCare605 Campaign highlighting the value of child care professionals;
- Invested $115 million in stabilization grants, tuition relief, and expansion;
- Gave scholarships for free training to 130 providers, funding 47 associates degrees;
- Provided the Pathways to Professional Development career ladder to recognize child care professionals’ growth;
- Launched the Early Childhood Enrichment Resource Hub to provide tools, policies, and curriculum resources for educators;
- Gave free training and CPR certification for thousands of Early Childhood Enrichment System providers;
- Trained child care administrators on business and leadership skills; and
- Provided coaching, grants, and resources to improve program quality through Quality Recognition System.
“The Department of Social Services has been actively implementing solutions to support the child care industry and workforce. These solutions focus on sustainable approaches and do not involve expanding our state’s safety net program beyond its intended purpose,” continued Governor Rhoden. “The state’s role in promoting our child care workforce should be supporting economic development and encouraging private sector solutions – not broadening government safety nets into permanent workforce subsidies.”
Governor Rhoden has signed 125 bills and VETOED one this legislative session.
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Yet again, we see a Governor disconnected from the reality of working parents and families. It’s high time he steps out of his bubble and engages with the community he claims to represent. This ongoing disconnection is a huge loss for our families, and we deserve better! Let’s demand accountability and connection from our leaders!
the disconnect is in the minds of childcare center owners who want the state to subsidize their employees’ childcare instead of offering their employees a discount.
good veto
Strange veto, Rhoden. I thought this was a good bill.
We have a very real childcare crisis going on in South Dakota. And no matter how loudly the far right yells, “Stay home, barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, woman,” it is not an actual solution.
I just really hope this is truly policy-based and our Governor is not pandering to the far right for votes in a 2026 primary.
This bill took millions from kids who actually need the assistance. Good veto by the gov.
No it did not
BAH. grudznick has ruled. Yes, it did.
This comment doesn’t make any sense.
This comment doesn’t make any sense.
The legislatures, who cannot do math, should not attempt to do math.
Who is gonna pay for it. If 5% of workers apply for it it’s over $3 million dollars to the taxpayers. It’s 50% is $150 million to the tax payers. Where is the blue hell is that money gonna come from
I doubt Governor Rhoden will be re-elected if he runs in 2026.
Rhoden really reminds me of another Meade county rancher who was appointed governor, Walter Dale Miller, who was soundly defeated in the primary by a returning Bill Janklow in 94.
It’s my understanding that there was no extra money appropriated to this bill, which means that a family who currently receives childcare assistance and whose income is, say, 200% of the poverty threshold, might lose some assistance in favor of a daycare worker who makes 300% of the poverty threshold. This bill would solve one problem and create another.
Nope, not true. There’s no state money in the program and the federal money that is currently in there is very under-utilized
DSS is a mess, and Rhoden just signed the death warrant for any future gubernatorial campaign.
You guys need to go read this bill. This is not a dss problem and took money from DSS and people that need it.
This is an economic development problem. Not a DSS problem.
Incredibly disappointing that this is what he used his first veto on – a bill that could’ve meaningfully impacted one of the most pressing issues facing our state
Actually this bill helped support the working families and allowed parent(s) to get back to work who otherwise couldn’t afford to, because of daycare cost. DSS also has funds which go unspent!! So why not make an adjustment guidelines for the families to allow them to work, when developments are being made for childcare in communities. Frankly some of their funding comes from the federal government also and it’s designed for this! Call DSS phone number some day and listen to the audio recording, “Thanks for calling the Department of Social Service where strong families are our foundation and our future”!
no, it was to help the big childcare centers staff their facilities by subsidizing their employees’ childcare, because they don’t pay their employees enough to cover the cost of the childcare they provide.
It was NUTS.
Most big employers offer their employees discounts on the products they sell. The SD board of regents offers reduced tuition and graduate assistantships to state employees. I worked for a university years ago that let all the employees take classes tuition-free.
Walmart gives their employees a 10% discount on non-food purchases. Smithfield has a meat store where the employees can buy a variety of meat products at wholesale prices.
Listen to the testimony and discussion of the bill, and you get to hear how one child care center worker had to quit her job because she couldn’t afford the $28,000/year her own employer was going to charge her for child care.
When one member suggested that employers should consider covering the cost of their employees’ child care, he was accused of promoting socialism.
Go figure that one.
Fun! With Governor Rhoden turning Meth, Fentanyl, Cocaine, and Heroin ingestion into Class 1 Misdemeanors, we won’t need a new state prison, and we can take that $800 million and plug it into……..
And the childcare crisis continues unabated.
I don’t know how it works any more, but 40 years ago, when my kids were little, Every time a child care provider became licensed by the state or certified or whatever they call it, they jacked up their rates and I couldn’t afford them anymore.’I had to keep finding babysitters I could afford. I wasn’t sure of the details but a friend of mine, who was receiving the full package of public assistance and had four kids, and she told me the state was paying more per hour for one child than I could afford to pay for three, and her social worker started complaining because the babysitter was making more per hour, taking care of those four kids, than she, the social worker with a masters’ degree, was making. Needless to say, the welfare mom wasn’t making that much money either.
I just listened to some of the testimony. Of all the batshit craziness of this legislative session, this is right near the top.
Day Care Owners are complaining because their own staff cannot afford their services. This reminds me of an episode of “Undercover Boss,” finding out his fast-food restaurant’s employees couldn’t afford to eat there. The solution was to offer the employees a discount.
what a novel idea, why hadn’t he ever thought of it?
Child care providers have to maintain certain child:staff ratios depending on age, less than 3 years, 5:1, 3-4 years 10:1, and 5 years and up 15:1
The providers are charging $7,000-$14,000 per year per child.
So the babysitters for the less than 3 year-olds are bringing in $35,000-$70,000 each
the babysitters of the 3 &4 year olds are bringing in $70,000-$140,000 each
and the babysitters for the 5+ year olds can bring in $105,000-$210,000 each.
One suggestion that was offered during the discussion of the bill included the idea that the businesses whose employees need child care should step up and subsidize it.
BINGO.
If you operate a child care center, and you are having trouble finding employees who can afford the cost of their own child care, you have a lot of chutzpah telling your state legislators that the taxpayers should find a solution to your workforce problem, when the solution is right in front of you.
Just as it was right in front of the fast-food franchise owner.