HURON – When members of AARP in Huron were visiting the Legislature in Pierre last week, they were able to sit in on the Democratic caucus, but not the Republican one.
At Saturday’s second Coffee with the Legislators forum, the three GOP legislators representing District 22 were asked why.
“We set the tone on the direction the Legislature is moving on a daily basis,” Sen. Jim White, R-Huron, said.
GOP legislators have substantial discussion on every bill, so when the measures get to the floor all members understand the basis of all of them, he said.
There will come a day when Democrats are the majority party in Pierre, and will likely look at the process in the same way, White said.
It’s not that Republicans don’t want members of the public in the room, said Rep. Roger Chase, R-Huron. But with the number of bills and the number of House members involved, having the public in attendance would bog things down if they, too, were able to ask questions of the prime sponsors of each bill, he said.
“It really helps speed up the process on the floor,” Chase said.
Legislators are nearly at the halfway point in the session, deciding the fate of about 800 proposed bills and resolutions.
“We’ve covered a lot of ground already,” said Rep. Bob Glanzer, R-Huron.
Legislators are considering measures dealing with the process of getting proposals on the ballot.
A study on initiative measures shows that a majority of petition signatures are coming from certain parts of the state, White said.

One proposal is to remedy that, the argument being that there would be a benefit if there is representation from all across the state.
White is a sponsor of the bill, but he said he signed on to it so it can be debated.
“I’m not proposing it, but I do think it’s something we should discuss,” he said.
Chase said just because legislators sign on as a bill sponsor doesn’t mean they will vote for it when it reaches the floor. It’s why lawmakers like to hear from constituents back home, because they can use that input to decide how they will vote, he said.
Initiated measures have protected South Dakotans for decades, but Pierre took that away when the campaign finance and ethics overhaul law passed by voters, known as IM 22, was repealed, one questioner said.
One measure to be decided this winter would double the number of signatures needed to get something on the ballot.
Others would revise provisions on verification of the residency of petition circulators, limit out-of-state contributions to ballot question committees and repeal citizens’ ability to initiate amendments to the South Dakota Constitution.
One would require the Legislature to approve any amendment voters pass. Amendments would still ultimately be decided by voters, but only the Legislature could place it on the ballot.
“We’re not trying to take away the initiated measure process,” Chase said.
But he said legislators do want to make sure measures are South Dakota-born and brought by state residents. With millions of dollars coming from out of state, he said their interests may not necessarily be the same interests as South Dakotans.
Legislators believe in the process, but there are 105 different opinions in Pierre, White said.
“The last thing we need to do is influence an opinion,” he said. Many of the measures won’t pass, but will get a hearing, he said.
Bills discussed in committee are vetted, often get amendments and emerge with pretty good certainty that they can be upheld in court, Glanzer said.
IM 22 had restrictions that would have prevented people from running for office, he said.
The initiated measure became law without input from citizens or the legislative body that represents citizens, he said.
When legislators vote on any issue dealing with money, they need a two-thirds majority for passage, Glanzer said. Passing an initiated measure takes a simple majority.
A member of the House Transportation Committee, Chase said a bill that passed out of the panel calls for permanent year-round daylight savings time. However, six surrounding states must also set their clocks at the same time. He voted no.
Glanzer said he attended a House Judiciary Committee hearing on sex trafficking issues in the state. He is encouraging people to follow the committee testimony on the state’s Legislative Research Council website.

Photos by Roger Larsen/Plainsman
A fair-sized group of attendees were at Saturday morning’s second Legislative Coffee at City Hall.