Week 5 has come to an end and the work in the legislature continues to intensify. We have started to make decisions on some budgetary items along with our committee and floor work. With cross-over day looming in the not-so-distant future we will be putting in some extra hours.
HB 1209 to require E-Verify – this is a tough spot to put local farmers in. If they hire planting or harvest staff, they would be required to use E-Verify or they would be committing a crime. Farmers use part-time help and this could be charged a civil penalty. This may prohibit some ag producers from hiring help they need just to avoid going through the process. If you knowingly don’t use E-verify you would be committing a class one misdemeanor that could put you in jail for one year.
HB 1245 – Everyone says that we will be creating a new tax. This is not purely the truth. This allows for municipalities to create a board to figure out a project that a municipality wants to do. It says that if the municipality and the board come up with an idea, they will formulate the cost needed and then it must be put to a vote of the people—the only way that this would pass would need a 60% threshold to pass. Once the tax takes affect, it is only in place until such time that the money is being raised. Once raised then the tax would go away. Another project couldn’t be brought up for two years and in total this also prevents municipalities from needing to borrow money and pay interest. All along this requires the public to support it or it can’t happen.
HB 1265 requiring Avian Salvage permit—a very impressive young lady testified how she was wanting a permit from the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks to recover pheasant eggs from nests that were destroyed during normal agriculture processes such as mowing hay and such. However, when I read the bill it contained a section that spoke about nests that have been or may be destroyed. This is an issue as there are bad actors out there that would say, “this nest will be destroyed so I am going to remove the eggs,” even though the nest may be just fine where it is located. They could then use the eggs for profit which is not the intent of the young woman that testified in committee- I voted NO.
HB 1267 requiring east river cattle producers to become members of the SD Brand Board. East river cattle producers opted out of the brand board in the past and now west river cattle producers think they should be required to be members again. The bill’s prime sponsor said in committee when we raised the fee for Brand Board that she didn’t agree with how the board operated, but now she wants to expand a board so that she doesn’t care for should now be expanded to the rest of the state. East river has more cattle in feed lots and dairies than there are on grass. This would have also cost the east river producers more money and cause them to do more paperwork. I heard from many east river cattle producers and they were all against this expansion and appreciated my position. I voted to send it to the 41st day.
HB 1315 to remove an elected official from office—we dealt with a bill just like this earlier in session. Testifiers say the system didn’t work. What happened is they didn’t get the results they wanted, so now they say that the system doesn’t work. I voted to send it to the 41st day.
I appreciate hearing from so many South Dakotans. I don’t always respond as I wouldn’t be doing anything but answering emails, texts or phone calls. But I do look and listen to all. I thank you all for your opinions even though we don’t agree 100% of the time. That is what makes our State such a wonderful place to live.
As always, Representative Greenfield, Senator Wipf and I will continue to work hard for District 22 and the great State of South Dakota.
Representative Kevin Van Diepen
District 22
Huron, SD
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