This session of the South Dakota
legislature may surprise a lot of us
By Gordon Garnos
AT ISSUE: Things are a little
different this legislative session. For one thing our legislators
won't be meeting five days a week and then go home for a couple of
days before they return to Pierre. They are trying a new schedule
this year to see how it works. The session is for 35 days, but those
days will be scattered over an extra week or so with its main
session ending Feb. 29. For the first six weeks of the session the
Legislature will meet four days a week with Fridays taking care of
constituents' questions or comments or personal business. The last
two weeks will each be five days in length with the final, or veto
day is set for March 17. However, the days of this session aren't
the only changes I see.
THE 83RD LEGISLATIVE session is
now in full swing in Pierre. I have said before that I expected this
to be a rather non-interesting time for our legislators as not many
of them want to stir the pot too much with controversial bills just
before South Dakota goes to the ballot box. Controversial bills
could spell defeat at the polls.
There is a proposal to introduce a state
income tax bill if there was an attempt to increase sales tax. Also
heard there is a bill swirling around for an all-in-one education
bill, instead of one for the Regents, one for the K-12 grades and
one for the tech schools. Skimming it, the idea appears to have some
merit, but I don't hold out much hope for it to go anywhere because
the idea is being pushed by the minority party. The two parties in
Pierre have promised to work towards more unity, but we can never
forget that partisanship is alive and well in our state capital.
A PROPOSAL BEING promoted by Sen.
Ed Olson could really stir the pot. Since the Department of
Transportation is going to be so short of money he is suggesting a
two-cent per gallon increase in our state's gas tax. He estimates
that would raise about $11 million per year. The motor fuel tax has
been at 22 cents a gallon since 1999.
Whether or not you think this is a good
idea, a lot of legislators have said "Come Hell or high water" there
will not be any new taxes this year. I guess I should know a little
bit more about Hell than I do, but I have seen high water a couple
of times and, needless to say, high water doesn't help our roads
any.
A compromise to this might be to shorten
the period when the two cent increase to the fuel tax might be. For
example, raise this tax just during the summer and fall months when
we have so many tourists hitting our or state. While we wouldn't
take in $11 million into this fund, I suspect it would be pretty
close. We shouldn't be afraid to hit our tourists a little harder
considering their use of our highways, nor should we be afraid of a
state-wide hotel tax to help cover some of the promotions we use to
get them here.
ANOTHER LEGISLATOR that could
stir the pot a little is Sen. Bob Gray of Pierre. He wants a tougher
law making it a felony for teachers and coaches having sexual
contact with students. I thought that should have been a crime a
long time ago. Gray said that teachers and coaches currently
suspected of sexual contact with students usually lose their jobs
and teaching certificates and he feel the consequences should be
much more.
There may also be a move to end state
control on its smoking ban. "Let the local businesses make that
decision," proponents of getting rid of that law are saying. To my
way of thinking, that would be a dastardly mistake. There are some
laws that need to come from Pierre as they are too controversial to
be resolved at home and this is one of them.
ELIMINATING TERM limits appears
to be gaining strength, at least a few legislators are starting to
open up on their dislike for their times in office to be cut off
after only eight years. That is if they survive their second
election for the Legislature.
Because of term limits this is the last
session for six state senators and 13 state representatives and
scattered among these 19 legislators are some effective leaders who
will be hitting the proverbial dust. Of course the opposite is true
as well. Although they could decide to seek election in the opposite
house in which they are now serving. Sen. Gil Koetzle of Sioux Falls
is the first term limited legislator who has been term limited in
both houses and he has not announced what his future plans might be.
ALSO, WE ARE hearing moves to
bypass the Legislature on a couple of issues. First, the abortion
issue in one form or another may be headed for a state-wide vote.
Secondly, I would not be surprised if the property tax issue ended
up in the voters' hands. Yes, there are some potatoes even too hot
for our legislators to handle. Instead of them wearing kid gloves,
perhaps oven mitts would do a better job....
Gordon Garnos was long-time editor of the Watertown Public Opinion and
recently retired after 39 years with that newspaper. Garnos, a
lifelong resident of South Dakota except for his military service in the
U.S. Air Force, was born and raised in Presho.
Leave a comment about this article
