ASBSD and school board members across the state support and continue to advocate in favor of Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s proposed half cent sales tax increase, as noted in this release yesterday from the Associated School Boards group.

“Our school board members are committed to supporting the half cent sales tax increase that will help them recruit and retain our teachers,” ASBSD President Eric Stroeder said. “The bill not only helps public schools, but benefits our local tax payers, who have seen an increased funding burden placed on them.”

The recently introduced House Bill 1182 proposes the half cent increase to the state’s sales tax, which hasn’t been permanently raised since 1969. In addition, the bill will reduce property taxes across all classes of property by 12 percent with agricultural levy tax payers seeing a tax decrease of $7 million, owner-occupied tax payers saving $13.9 million and commercial tax payers recovering $19.1 million.

The half cent sales tax increase would commit more than $60 million in new funding for public schools to distribute to teachers and staff for the upcoming school year and would establish the new, ongoing revenue source our schools desperately need to quell the state’s teacher shortage.

Data from schools and the Blue Ribbon Task Force have illustrated how shallow the state’s teacher pool has become and with no practical alternative funding plan presented, the passage of House Bill 1182 is vital.

“There is no viable second option for improving teacher pay in our state or funding our public education system at the level needed,” ASBSD Executive Director Wade Pogany said.

“School board members and community leaders must let our legislators know that our public schools need this new, ongoing revenue source to recruit and retain our teachers and maintain South Dakota’s excellent public education system.”

Read it here.

This comes several weeks after an earlier notation of support for the Daugaard plan:

“Gov. Daugaard has listened to our pleas for help with the teacher shortage and, along with input from the education community through the work of the Blue Ribbon Task Force, developed a plan we believe will help us solve this growing problem,” ASBSD Executive Director Wade Pogany said.

and…

The education community stands on a united front in support of Gov. Daugaard’s proposal as ASBSD, School Administrators of South Dakota (SASD), South Dakota Education Association (SDEA), the Large School Group and the South Dakota United School Association all endorsed the plan.

Read that here.

Take specific note of the language that the ASBSD uses – “No Viable Second Option,” as it coincidentally comes at the same time that South Dakota Democrats release their plan, Senate Bill 151.

Considering the timing, I suspect they knew exactly what they were doing when they made that statement.

Looks like being an utter douche bag apparently stops short of criminal activity in Hartford, South Dakota tonight, according to KDLT news. The city councilman who forged a letter faking an attack on himself managed to dodge a bullet when the States Attorney declined to prosecute him for falsifying an item placed in the public record:

Johnson originally denied changing the email, but at last night’s city council meeting, a confession and apology letter from Doyle Johnson was read aloud.

The letter states that the email he read during the Dec. 1 meeting “was authored by myself, under the guise of a fake email. I regret the negative impact upon the city and the council itself, and I have fully accepted the consequences of my actions.” 
And…

“The disappointing part of that [letter] was that it wasn’t an apology to “Growing Hartford” or an apology to any business owners in Hartford who were specifically mentioned in the original email,” says Kuehl.

Johnson’s forged email involved insensitive language toward his special needs son, and wished that Johnson would “choke on a turkey bone.” 

“The email was extremely disturbing, extremely offensive,” says Kuehl. “Then when it came to light that it was drafted by Mr. Johnson, it was even more disturbing. It was a sad day for the city of Hartford.” 

Read it here.

And more of the story comes out. And it just looks worse and worse.

To make a local community group look bad, this guy falsified a letter making it look like the group was not just attacking him, but invoking his son with special needs in the disparaging letter he falsified? Wow.  And the best he could manage was a “non-apology?” Again, wow.

The best part? According to a blurb at the end of the story, he’s a teacher, in the classroom, influencing kids.  

Good god, I’m not sure what’s worse. His having been on the Hartford city council, or his being in a classroom full of kids. 

They got rid of him on one. They would do well to take a strong look at the other.

Steve Barnett was pleasantly gifted with a new member of the team this week…

  

Steve and his wife welcomed Lillian Jean last Friday 1/29 at 8:28pm. She weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and measured 20 inches long. 

Mother and child are doing well, although Steve may need to start shopping for a mini-van!

AFP Applauds Medicaid Accountability Bill
Encourages Passage of Bill Introduced Today Requiring the Express Approval of the Legislature Before Changing Medicaid Program

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Americans for Prosperity today is applauding the introduction of H.B. 1234 by Representatives Haggar (Don), Anderson, Bolin, Gosch, Heinemann (Leslie), Hunt, Langer, Qualm, Stevens, Westra, and Wollmann and Senators Holien, Ewing, Haggar (Jenna), Heineman (Phyllis), and Otten (Ernie).

The bill would require that any attempt to expand or change South Dakota’s Medicaid program receive a full and separate up-or-down vote by the legislature. Americans for Prosperity South Dakota State Director Ben Lee offered the following statement:

“Medicaid Expansion under Obamacare bears too many risks on our state taxpayers for it to be lumped in with funding for schools and roads.  We are thankful to see lawmakers introduce a bill that will help bring extra accountability to the debate. Other states who have tried these Obamacare Medicaid Expansion plans have been forced into tax hikes or massive budget cuts when costs and enrollment have surged far beyond the state’s wildest expectations. This bill will help raise the debate from the fog and ensure taxpayers know exactly where their legislators stand. We applaud them for their efforts and look forward to its swift passage by the state legislature.”

AFP South Dakota and its citizen volunteers across the state have been pressuring lawmakers for weeks through phone calls, emails, and radio ads to hold a clean vote on Medicaid Expansion, rather than including it as a part of the state’s 2016 budget.

From the legislature comes twin measures in both the House (Sponsored by Latterell) and the Senate (Sponsored by Greenfield) to amend the state constitution to strip the Governor of the ability to choose a temporary replacement for an open US Senate Seat, and hand it off to the legislature, to be picked from their own:

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION   NO.  1001  

Introduced by:    Representatives Latterell, Bolin, Campbell, Craig, DiSanto, Greenfield (Lana), Marty, May, McCleerey, Qualm, Schoenbeck, Stalzer, Verchio, Wiik, and Zikmund and Senators Jensen (Phil) and Olson

A JOINT RESOLUTION, Proposing and submitting to the electors at the next general election an amendment to Article IV, section 3 of the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, relating to the powers and duties of the Governor.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN:
Section 1. That at the next general election held in the state, the following amendment to Article IV, section 3 of the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, as set forth in section 2 of this Joint Resolution, which is hereby agreed to, shall be submitted to the electors of the state for approval.
Section 2. That Article IV, section 3 of the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, be amended to read as follows:
§ 3. The Governor shall be responsible for the faithful execution of the law. He may, by appropriate action or proceeding brought in the name of the state, enforce compliance with any constitutional or legislative mandate, or restrain violation of any constitutional or legislative power, duty or right by any officer, department or agency of the state or any of its civil divisions. This authority shall not authorize any action or proceedings against the Legislature.

and…

The Governor may convene the Legislature or either house thereof alone in special session by a proclamation stating the purposes of the session, and only business encompassed by such purposes shall be transacted. Whenever a vacancy occurs in the representation of South Dakota in the United States Senate, the Governor shall convene a special session of the entire Legislature. The Legislature shall, by process of voting, fill the vacancy from among the duly elected Legislators.

The Senate version uses the following language, which basically says the same thing:

    If a vacancy occurs in an office of United States senator for the state, the Governor shall convene a special session of the Legislature. The Legislature shall vote to fill the vacancy from among the current members of the Legislature, to hold office until the next election.

Are they kidding?

So, not only do they want to change the existing process that has been in place for quite a few years, they want it to be a legislative popularity contest?  What if there’s nobody good to pick from?

I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me, but this comes of as legislative elitism, and limits the universe of possible appointees. No one has been asking for a change, so why would we even consider it?

A measure to legalize pot for medical purposes has been introduced in the State Senate, and I’m not thinking the sponsors put a lot of time into this:

SENATE BILL NO. 167

Introduced by: Senators Buhl O’Donnell and Rampelberg and Representative Bordeaux

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED, An Act to permit the compassionate use of medical cannabis.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA:
Section 1. That the code be amended by adding a NEW SECTION to read:

The compassionate use of medical cannabis is permitted and the use shall be regulated.

Yeah…. I can’t wait to see them explain how they’re going to codify this.

I suspect it’s a placeholder bill, awaiting extensive amending. And from there we can see how silly it’s going to get.

Attorney General Marty Jackley
Proposes Aggravated Vehicular Battery
for South Dakota

PIERRE, S.D. – In South Dakota, we average about a half dozen tragic vehicular homicides every year because of impaired driving.

“It is time to make South Dakota streets safer and to hold those that take innocent life by their drunken actions more accountable. I commend the Governor, our States Attorneys and Legislators for working with me toward implementing an aggravated vehicular homicide law to protect South Dakota,” said Jackley.

Under South Dakota’s current law, the maximum penalty for vehicular homicide is fifteen years of which a defendant may only have to serve 30% because vehicular homicide is not currently designated as a violent crime.  In order to both deter dangerous drunken driving and to hold offenders accountable for their actions, the Attorney General is proposing an aggravated vehicular homicide law to address the most serious offenders.  South Dakota’s existing manslaughter statute and vehicular homicide law would remain in effect.   The new aggravated vehicular homicide law is aimed to provide both an enhanced maximum penalty of up to 25 years and a violent crime designation for an increased parole designation of 50%. It is aimed at capturing the following three categories of homicide offenders:

1. Persons with repeat DUIs of two or more convictions now entering the felony stage;
2. Persons previously convicted of vehicular homicide or vehicular battery; or
3. Persons that are at a high BAC of .17% or greater.

The Attorney General’s proposed legislation as an amendment to SB44. The proposed amendment is anticipated to be heard on February 18 at 8:00 a.m. in Senate Judiciary.

-30-

I had to laugh when I read this:

Anne Beal February 4, 2016 at 11:52 am

Porter, I have been a woman a lot longer than you have, and this story about being a female a pre-existing condition is a myth

I was skimming through some of the campaign finance reports early this morning, when I came across a pair of reports that contained identical, yet equally interesting items in light of the year end reports that illustrate in part why South Dakota Democrats are in a fiscal crisis of unheard of proportions:

Dems Blowing Cash on Ballot Measures

If you look at the reports for the ballot measures, each of which were referrals of laws passed in the 2015 legislative session, each of them include in-kind contributions from the state Democrat Party for circulators, printing and postage. (When they say circulators, they’re referring to salaries paid to people for circulating petitions.)

One in-kind donation was for $6,110.87, and the other for $6,228.59 – for a total of $12,339.46.

For a political party that reported $340 cash on hand at the end of the year, you have to wonder what thought process would lead them to think it’s a good thing to spend over $12,000 to hire people to loan out, as well as provide printing and postage for ballot measures out of their donor’s pockets?

It’s more of the same from the state Democrat party, as they abdicate their role as the opposition party in the state and spend their time contemplating their navels. Originally, I’m sure the theory was that they would gather names of like-minded and sympathetic supporters, and somehow expand their fundraising, if not their party base. But as the results of the last 3 or more elections have proven, no matter how much time and effort they put into ballot measures, it has yet to translate into electoral success.   

Based on the latest state report showing them with $340 in the bank for legislative candidates and other activities, it also hasn’t done anything for them in expanding their fundraising base, either. 

Until State Democrats actually worry about winning elections where they actually run candidates, the State Democrat Party is going to continue their perpetual state of decay.

And much like the zombies ambling through the forests in one of my favorite shows, The Walking Dead, until they actually pretend to be a political party, the State Democrat organization will only continue to be a pale imitation of something living.

Because of the high probability of it – legislators have banded together to ban the practice in the state:

HOUSE BILL NO. 1197
Introduced by: Representatives Bordeaux and Kirschman and Senator Buhl O’Donnell

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED, An Act to prohibit hydraulic fracturing.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA:
Section 1. That the code be amended by adding a NEW SECTION to read:
The term, hydraulic fracturing, means a mechanical method of increasing the permeability of rock to increase the amount of oil and gas produced from the rock.
Section 2. That the code be amended by adding a NEW SECTION to read:
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person may engage in hydraulic fracturing in this state.

They’re going after fracking in South Dakota? Are they serious?  Don’t you have to actually have measurable levels of oil and gas production before you start getting snippy about what types of production you will allow?

It sounds more like someone saw a documentary, and thought they needed a bill. This is silly.