Week 6, 2023 South Dakota Legislature Report
Sen. Tom Pischke
With the 5th week of the 98th Legislative Session now complete, there are no signs of anything slowing down here at the capital. Crossover day is fast approaching, and beyond that the end of this Legislative session. We still have work to do here and all of us intend on working hard until the very end.
One of the things that has been in the works for a while now is the reduction of taxes in a number of different ways, primarily in the forms of sales tax, grocery tax, and property tax. The proposed sales tax reduction would bring the tax rate down to about 4.2% or lower. This is an across-the-board reduction and would affect almost every sale here in South Dakota. What we are trying to achieve with the grocery tax is a complete repeal of the institution, which goes a long way to help families afford food. Finally, the property tax cuts would save the average homeowner around $350 a year on property taxes.
Both the senate and the house passed HB 1080 on Thursday. HB 1080 seeks to prohibit certain medical procedures and interventions on patients below the age of 18, regardless of parental consent. This bill is targeted at the transgender phenomena that has been sweeping the nation and is meant to prevent children from irrevocably damaging their bodies with gender altering surgeries. This includes everything from puberty blockers, which do as the name states and prevent puberty from progressing, to surgical alterations. I voted “YES” on this bill because it is important that children do not make life altering decisions when they are under such duress. HB 1080 is foremost about protecting children and I firmly stand by it.
As always, if you are interested in following along with any of our committees or chambers this session, there are two great ways to do that. First, visit www.sdlegislature.gov as this is the Legislature's home page where you can find any information about session that you are looking for. On the front page you will find a schedule of committees and when the House and Senate will be meeting and what's on the agenda for each meeting. You can also find listings of all the bills that we will be working on this session. Additionally, if you want to listen into a committee or chamber you can click on the South Dakota Public Broadcasting icon next to that scheduled meeting to listen live. The Second way to listen and watch is to visit www.SD.Net where you can find all the live audio from the committees and the live audio and video streams from the House and Senate Chambers.
Finally, if you have any questions about how to find information about a bill or committee, or any questions at all about session please contact me.
I can be reached most anytime by phone at 605-999-2948 and by email at . If you do call and I’m unable to answer, try sending me a text and I will call you back later.
Additionally, if you email please include that you are from District 25 and what town you're from. We get 100s of emails a day and I cannot reply back to them all, but if I know that you are from our district, I will get back to you! Lastly, if you are planning a trip up to the Capitol for a visit during session please let me know so that we can find a time to meet up while you are here! Have a great week and God Bless!
25th District Representative Randy Gross
This week will be busy as February 22 is the last day for non-budget bills to be passed in their house of origin (Senate or House of Representatives) before moving on to the other house for consideration. Bills not passed in their house of origin, by that date, will no longer be considered. The push is on!
The emphasis going into the remainder of session is on PRIORITIES. South Dakota continues to be in a unique situation as our economy is doing very well. Sales tax revenue (which makes up 63% of our general fund revenue) is estimated to be up 9.6% for the year ending 6/30/23. This continues a string of high years as typically we project growth in the 4-5 percent range. For the budget year beginning 7/1/23 sales tax revenue is projected to grow 5.0%.
What are South Dakota’s priorities? It is important to recognize that we have lots of “one-time money” and we are likely to have some economic contraction down the road. One-time money is best spent on one-time needs or set aside to build reserves for the future. This is the philosophy well-run households and businesses follow. I expect our final budget priorities to reflect significant, one-time investments in projects and programs that will pay dividends well into the future.
South Dakota’s balanced budget philosophy has paid dividends for some time. We are one of only a few states with AAA bond ratings from all major rating services. Programs in place allow local school districts to “use” the state’s solid bond rating to their benefit when borrowing for capital projects. Since 2016 South Dakota school districts have saved over 16.7 million dollars as a result of your state’s willingness to save for the future and build a strong credit rating.
HB1080, known as the “Help Not Harm” bill, was signed into law this past week. This was the culmination of an effort began three years ago rooted in South Dakota values. This new law is likely the most aggressive set of protections for gender-confused children in the nation. It centers on effectively banning medical sex changes for minors, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgical alterations. It also allows victims of such actions to sue their medical providers. Guilty practitioners may have their licenses/certificates revoked.
South Dakota continues to be appreciated nationally for our fiscal responsibility and traditional faith and family values. In January, United Van Lines shared their 46th Annual National Migration Study identifying states people are moving to and leaving. South Dakota ranked 8th on inbound migration list maintaining our tradition of being in the top 10. The highest outbound states are New Jersey, Illinois, and New York. It’s great to be a South Dakotan!!
It continues to be an honor to represent the 25th District. Information on the content and status of bills is available on the state web site https://sdlegislature.gov. I can be contacted at .
