In his latest column submitted to the newspapers as printed this morning in the Yankton Press and Dakotan, District 19 State Representative Kyle Schoenfish makes a none-too-subtle jab about those who claim they don’t understand the state budget because they don’t get enough time:
SB 191 is the bill that sets the budget for July 2019 to June 2020. The approved budget increased funding for education and state employees by 2.5 percent. Nursing homes were the top priority for many legislators, and that was reflected in the budget. Nursing homes received a 10 percent increase in ongoing funding, which will go a long way in narrowing the private pay/Medicaid gap. The extra increase will set the funding base for future years, so even typical inflationary increases (often around 2 percent) going forward will be based on this new dollar amount. While the budget takes effect July 1, the increase will begin April 1, providing a boost to nursing homes sooner.
Every year, a few individuals seem to keep repeating that the budget is done too quickly and at the last minute, but these discussions occur all during session, starting with the previous governor’s budget address in December and the current governor’s address in January. Various appropriations bills are done throughout session and are included in the final budget. As long as legislators pay attention, they can make an informed decision on the budget. The budget passed, 31-2, in the Senate and 53-6 in the House, with every Democrat and almost every Republican voting in favor.
“As long as legislators pay attention, they can make an informed decision on the budget.” Ouch. Of course, this is a direct reference to District 19 State Senator Stace Nelson who nearly without fail votes against the budget, annually explaining his negative vote as lacking information, or having insufficient time to review it:
South Dakota lawmakers have passed a roughly $4.9 billion state budget, providing a funding boost for education and state employees and larger-than anticipated spending hikes for nursing homes and community support providers.
and…
Republican Sen. Stace Nelson, who voted against the budget, said lawmakers received it early in the morning and that he wanted more time to review it.
It’s interesting that Schoenfish is questioning Nelson’s excuse for voting against the budget, as after 4 elections to the State House of Representatives, Representative Schoenfish is among those who are no longer eligible to run for the same seat that they currently hold, setting him up for a potential primary election if he wishes to run for office again in 2020.
Considering how acerbic the Senate GOP Caucus finds Nelson, after his formation of a caucus to oppose Republicans last year, and his being put in time-out from the GOP Caucus this year, Schoenfish might find some support for his candidacy among those who are weary of Nelson’s attacks.
Looking at the chart above, 2020 already has the potential for several competitive primary elections.
Keep your eye on how things develop. At the least, it will be entertaining to watch.
During session, Jim White told me he is not running again, although he may change his mind. He was pretty convincing.
Maybe because he is term limited…Jim is on the list above
It looks like the GOP needs to do some recruiting …a number of vacancies and it will be interesting to see if any try to switch chambers…Monroe and T Rounds easily could switch if they wanted to
Good post. Agree with both points.
“The budget passed, 31-2, in the Senate and 53-6 in the House, with every Democrat and almost every Republican voting in favor.”
Every Democrat voted in favor!! Not surprised! I have been studying South Dakota’s budget for over 10 years, and have concluded that it is based on liberal tax and spend policies. During the fabricated budget crisis at the beginning of the Daugaard administration, I provided every legislator with an analysis of the budget based on the previous actual. I then asked the three District 20 legislators a question after provided them with my budget analysis, and all three could not answer the question. Clearly they had no desire to be informed, and instead did what the establishment wanted. And yes, Rep. Shoenfish is an establishment politician that promotes liberal policy positions.
Go Kyle!
This will be a David vs Goliath battle of biblical proportions. You bring the slingshot. I will help you find the stones.
It’s kind of a big target
I think it would be a tough one to win for Schoenfish. Nelson continues to win big in his district. If he runs for re-election, I would see him hitting Kyle on being an Obama Democrat that flipped and on his moderate record.
they both win big in this district…Schoenfish ran away from the field in the House race and Peterson barely survived a challenge
It will be fascinating to see which primaries develop. For instance, are Duvall and Rounds both interested in the Senate seat? I would be surprised if they run against each other, but who knows?
Another one to keep an eye on is District 6. Do both Herman Otten and Isaac Latterell both run for Ernie Otten’s Senate seat? I can see that happening.
Also, does Phil Jensen primary Dave Johnson? Seems logical.
Yes, I was wondering the same thing about 6. Good post.
Looking forward to see who’s running in district 14.
Same here. Curious to learn which dems plan to run. Will Rep. Erin Healy seek Deb Soholt’s senate seat? Healy would be formidable. She’s very liberal, but District 14 includes quite a few liberal and liberal-leaning voters. Healy is an effective campaigner. Unlike some other dems, who feigned conservatism, Healy ran as an open progressive & still amassed > 5100 votes in 2018. Healy might be the Dems’ best chance for a senate gain.
Healy won based on name ID, not policy positions, If policy positions were really that important during the election cycles, then there would not be so many liberal Republicans in Pierre.
Steve, you make a good point: “Healy won based on name ID.” Surely name ID was important; that fact bolsters the view that Erin might win the senate race. She has name recognition. She has money. She has liberal media support & she looks comfortable on camera. In recent years, District 14 voters have not always demanded…the most ardently conservative representation. Moderate candidates fare well in 14.
If we don’t fight hard and fight smart, we’ll lose that seat.
I lived here about 3 years and vote at the Courthouse when I’m able to so that I can avoid phone calls and mailers. Were there a lot of GOP GOTV efforts in district 14 in 2018 aside from yard signs? I seem to remember it was less than 1% that separated Holmes and Healy when all the votes were tallied.
She finished 200 votes behind Zikmund & 200 ahead of Holmes. It sounds, ZM, as if you believe if the GOP can defeat Healy. I agree, provided the party recruits a smart candidate who’ll put time, thought, energy, and effort into D14. I agree, moreover, that yard signs won’t be enough.
I think it’s possible although I don’t know Healy. I’ll make sure to do my part other than just voting. We shall see! I agree…we need a smart candidate who will do what it takes to win.
Should Rep. Schoenfish take on The Beast his fundraising capability would be in the stratosphere.
34 SD Senators would send him their full on legal limit.