South Dakota House Bill 1182 – the measure to raise the sales tax by a 1/2 cent to fund education and property tax relief, just passed the South Dakota State Senate on a vote of 25 to 10, giving the tax measure the 2/3 majority it needed to pass.

If I was listening correctly, The bill passed unamended, and now moves on to the Governor for signature.

Any thoughts or comments?

Representative Schoenbeck visits the Senate during the ed tax debate.

Rounds Supports Senate Ag Committee Passage of Bill to Stop States from Mandatory Biotechnology Labeling

Agrees to Cosponsor Bill as it Heads to Full Senate for Consideration

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today supported the Senate Agriculture Committee’s passage of legislation to prevent mandatory labeling of food produced from biotechnology seeds – commonly referred to as GMOs – at the state level by creating a national voluntary labeling system for bioengineered foods. The bill would pre-empt states mandatory labeling and create a voluntary federal standard. The bill passed out of the Senate Ag Committee by a vote of 14-6 with bipartisan support.

“While extensive testing and scientific studies have demonstrated that genetically engineered crops are just as safe as non-GMO crops, consumers should have the option to purchase products without them if they so choose. Nothing in federal law prevents companies from selling such products today. But food companies – who often sell their products across state lines to consumers in many different states – should not be unnecessarily burdened with 50 different labeling requirements. A voluntary, streamlined approach that sets a new national labeling standard will reduce compliance costs without forcing companies to include – or not include – labeling information on the bioengineered content of their products.”

This legislation is supported by South Dakota Agri-Business Association, South Dakota Farm Bureau and more than 650 agribusiness organizations.

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In District 33, Local Rapid City Businessman Dave “The Tree Guy” Johnson filed petitions with the Secretary of State today for the State House of Representatives.   You may remember Dave from the Senate Republican Primary against Phil Jensen in 2014. Now, State Rep Jacqueline Sly is taking on Senator Jensen after being termed out of the House, and Johnson is running for the seat that Sly held.

Stay tuned!

 

Since she left office in 2006, former State Representative Casey Murschel had been in charge of NARAL – SD for several years, and for the past few she’s been lobbying for Child Advocacy Centers of South Dakota.

She had run for office again in 2010, losing to Hal Wick & Manny Steele. And her committee has been maintained as open since.

But, as I just noticed, it’s curious that she’s filed a brand new statement of organization for 2016.

Might she be jumping into the race for the open house seat in 12?

Daugaard says he won't ask lawmakers to take up Medicaid expansion this year, but conversation isn't over pic.twitter.com/gfKRHMuNI4

— Dana Ferguson (@bydanaferguson) February 29, 2016

Recalling an announcement this past summer, in the prior story mentioning Blake Curd running for State Senate, I was going to mention that it had already been announced that unsuccessful District 12 Democrat candidate Ellee Spawn had noted she was going to be a candidate for the seat.

In fact, I had made note of it this past summer, that Spawn had announced as a candidate, because that’s what Democrats in South Dakota do; run marginal candidates for higher office. (Marginal candidate: definition. see Paula Hawks).

I went to confirm with current information, as I vaguely thought I’d seen something about her running in 13.  Because apparently District 12 was not inhospitable enough for a liberal Democrat.

As I went to look, I noted her Twitter feed header has her listed as a candidate for State Senate in District 13, which would have her opposing Phyllis Heineman.

Except in her twitter feed, it has her ignoring Heineman, and taking pokes at State Representatives Westra and Mickelson, who are both obviously in the House.

If you look at Spawn’s Twitter header, it actually says Spawn for District 13 House in the Graphic, and if you click on the link, it does take you to a page titled “Ellee Spawn for District 13 State House.”

In fact, in looking for what she’s running for, she has a website also set up at “Democracy.com” with the following announcement pictured to the left.

Note the Date – on the page, she has a post on an “Official Campaign Announcement” that back on April 12th of last year, she made an official announcement “that she is running for House of Representatives in District 13 in 2016.”

And a follow up post dated from September of last year had also her noting “As your next state representative from District 13, her leadership will continue to reflect the priorities and concerns of our community.”

But….  Going back to the original announcement for District 12 State Senate, as late as July 2015, she was actively running against Blake Curd for State Senate in District 12.

So, at the same time she was running for State Senate in District 12, she was running for the House in District 13? Hmph. Her candidacy for the House in District 13 seems far less than a calling to public service than it does someone job hopping.

If anyone manages to figure out what Ellee Spawn is running for, be sure to let us know.

And they should probably tell Ellee, as she seems to be having trouble figuring it out as well.

Talking with a legislator last night, its looking as if the District 12 State Legislative slate is starting to coalesce with rumors about people running and not running being struck down.

What I’m hearing is (as of last night) that State Senator Blake Curd will be a candidate for District 12 State Senate again, removing that as a potentially open seat.

State Representative Arch Beal will be returning as a candidate for the State House, and will be as formidable as he was in 2014.

The open seat from Representative Alex Jensen moving into District 13 (He’s getting married, you know) has already seen some interest, and City Councilor/Mayoral Hopeful Greg Jamison will be running as a candidate for the office.

To my knowledge, no one else is popping up on the GOP ticket at this time, but with an open seat, who knows!

 

New Law a Win for Consumers, Producers,
and Innovators
By Sen. John Thune

Honey production is an important part of South Dakota’s agriculture economy. In fact, we’re consistently one of the top honey-producing states in the country. While that’s a badge of honor many South Dakotans wear proudly, and rightly so, the United States produces less than half the amount of honey it consumes, which means there’s a lucrative market for foreign competitors to export their product to the United States.

Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about the unfair practice of circumventing our trade laws, conducted primarily by Chinese honey producers trying to cheat the market, a process also known as “honey laundering.” In 2011, Richard Adee, a well-known honey producer from Bruce, South Dakota, testified before a congressional panel I led about the negative economic effects honey laundering has had on domestic producers and family-run businesses. Thanks to producers like Richard who told their story and kept pressure on lawmakers in Washington, the United States is cracking down on these unethical practices and the importers who knowingly break the law. After all, free trade is only fair trade when our trading partners all play by the same set of rules.

These provisions to combat honey laundering, along with several others I authored aimed at providing relief to consumers, assistance to small businesses, and incentives to innovators, were recently signed into law as part of a larger trade enforcement bill, which enjoyed broad bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. It passed the Senate in early February by a vote of 75-20.

Also included in this trade enforcement bill is an important provision to make it easier for small businesses to import components they need to create products sold in traditional brick and mortar stores or online venues like eBay and Etsy. Unfortunately, when the ability of American entrepreneurs to send and receive necessary components or products becomes encumbered by unnecessary costs and red tape, it makes it more difficult for their business to grow. With that in mind, my provision significantly increases the threshold for certain duty-free imports, which reduces complexity and a heavy paperwork burden and gives these small businesses one less thing to worry about.

Finally, in a victory for both consumers and businesses, accessing the Internet will no longer be a taxable event. This is good news for families and small businesses who currently pay an access tax on their monthly cable or phone bill. A permanent ban on Internet access taxes – an effort I’ve championed for years – gives our entrepreneurs and innovators a greater incentive to not only continue working toward the next generation of connectivity in America, but the next big thing yet to be invented. I was also glad to see a provision I fought hard to include that gives states that currently tax Internet access four years to prepare for this transition.

Amid all the seemingly bad news that comes out Washington, D.C., in instances like this, it’s nice to share some good news. We’re starting 2016 off on the right foot, and I hope we’ll be able to score more victories like these for South Dakotans over the course of the year.

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Justice Scalia: The Gold Standard
By Senator Mike Rounds

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia will be greatly missed by his family and loved ones, as well as all Americans who share his core conservative values and beliefs. For almost 30 years, Justice Scalia was one of the court’s strongest defenders of our Constitution. His brilliant legal mind and animated character will be remembered, studied and celebrated for generations to come. The Senate recently paid its respects to Justice Scalia by unanimously passing a resolution honoring his life, legacy and legal contributions to our country.

Justice Scalia’s death has left a vacancy on the bench of our nation’s highest court that will be difficult to fill. Under the Constitution, the president is allowed to nominate a replacement, and the Senate has a Constitutional role of “advice and consent.” This is a Constitutional responsibility that I take very seriously. The Supreme Court is the final authority for interpreting federal laws and the Constitution. The decisions it makes often have long-lasting ramifications that – in one vote – can dramatically alter the course of our country.

At a time when the current administration has stretched the limits of the law and attempted to circumvent Congress and the federal court system, choosing the right candidate with the aptitude for this lifetime appointment is as important as ever. After giving it much thought, I have determined that my benchmark for the next Supreme Court Justice will be Justice Scalia himself. Scalia’s strict interpretation of the Constitution and deference to states’ rights set a gold standard by which his replacement should be measured.

Recently, every Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee—which is in charge of reviewing court nominations—sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell expressing their firm belief that the people of the United States deserve to have a voice in determining the next Supreme Court justice. In their letter they wrote, “Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution is clear. The president may nominate judges of the Supreme Court. But the power to grant – or withhold – consent to such nominees rests exclusively with the United States Senate.” As a result, the committee does not plan on holding any hearings related to this issue until after the election in November. This decision will allow the American people to have a voice in the next Supreme Court Justice based upon who they elect as president in the upcoming election.

Whoever is confirmed to fill the open seat on the Supreme Court will be serving a lifetime appointment. Keeping in mind the current political makeup of the court, the man or woman who will replace Justice Scalia has the potential to hold incredible influence over the ideological direction of the court for generations to come. It is critically important that the next justice is committed to upholding the principles of the Constitution. We owe it to Justice Scalia, our judicial system, the Constitution and every American to uphold the highest standards when determining our next Supreme Court Justice.

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