Legislators speak at Saturday forum

HURON — Gov. Kristi Noem’s policy of more government transparency has spilled over to the Appropriations Committee where its leaders are giving all 105 legislators an opportunity to provide ongoing input throughout the budget process.
Rep. Roger Chase, R-Huron, said Saturday it’s the most involved lawmakers have been in sharing their ideas and those of their constituents with the committee in the two-plus years he has been in Pierre.
“We are getting our chance to get our input in,” he said at the Coffee with the Legislators forum in Huron.
Sen. Jim White, R-Huron, a member of the Appropriations Committee, said legislative input was an idea put forward by the new leadership.
Fresh ideas are also coming with the fact there are more than two dozen new legislators this year.
Veteran lawmaker White and second-term legislators Chase and Rep. Bob Glanzer, R-Huron, briefed constituents on the first three weeks of the session at Saturday’s session. The first one was canceled in January due to inclement weather.
The final coffee is scheduled for 9 a.m. Feb. 23 at City Hall.
Chase said legislators are being asked to share their ideas on where the dollars should be spent based on additional input from people back home in their districts.
They are also being provided with daily reports on discussions in Appropriations Committee meetings. That panel meets each morning from 7 a.m. to noon as members work through all of the budget requests.
White said the projected fiscal year 2020 budget will have a $52 million surplus. There are proposed 2.5 percent wage increases for educators, Medicaid providers and state employees.

Glanzer said 480 bills have been introduced this year. On the way are proposals regarding industrial hemp as well as a civics exam Noem would like to see included in South Dakota high school curriculum.
A bill to be heard in the House Education Committee will pertain to teachers speaking out on issues in their classrooms. It has been a controversy in other states, but not so much in South Dakota, Chase said.
He said he plans to vote against the bill, which would restrict what teachers can say.
“Sometimes discussion in a class is good discussion,” he said. “Let them teach.”
Glanzer, a member of the committee, said the bill is primarily arising out of situations in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
The District 22 delegation split on their votes on last week’s major bill pertaining to so-called “Constitutional carry,” with Chase and White voting no and Glanzer voting yes.
Noem signed the bill on Thursday, capping one of her campaign promise to support permit-less concealed carry.
Chase went through the permit process and said it was easy to do and didn’t take more than several minutes.
“I think we’ll have a lot of discussion on this for years to come,” he said of the polarization on the gun issue. The law takes effect July 1.
Asked about businesses allowing employees to carry guns, Glanzer said most establishments have their own policies. White said legislators will be considering more conceal-carry bills this session, including one pertaining to the Capitol.
As for the civics test, Glanzer said he understands it will be open book and that not a lot of time will be spent on the course. Chase said he thinks the issue should be part of a local school district’s curriculum decision.
White said any civics course should be scheduled in students’ sophomore year so they have two more years to make sure they have all of the coursework needed to pursue scholarships.
White introduced a bill after receiving complaints from constituents on the lack of care taken at cemeteries. The proposal is more of a teaching tool on what is expected to be done in cemetery maintenance more than disciplinary action.
After passing the Senate, a bill now heads to the House to prohibit state and local governments from entering into confidential settlements. White was one of 23 senators to support the measure after considerable discussion in that chamber. Chase said he had not yet had a chance to read the entire bill.
Meanwhile, White said he attended a workshop last week to learn more about the emerald ash borer, which is now in South Dakota and killing ash trees in Minnehaha and Turner counties and heading this way.
It was first detected in Michigan in 2002, but there is evidence to suggest the beetle was established in that state for years prior to its discovery.
It can be spread by natural means, but can also be transported to new areas in infested firewood, timber and nursery stock. Millions of trees have been affected so far in North America.
“It’s coming across the land,” White said.
He had information about the beetle at the legislative coffee offering guidance on what to look for and possible treatment.
Chase encouraged constituents to stay in touch with their District 22 legislators through their legislative email accounts and not their personal ones. He said he, White and Glanzer consult their emails on a regular basis throughout each day and appreciate input from people in Beadle and Kingsbury counties much more so than messages they receive from elsewhere in South Dakota.