By 
By Sen. Glen Vilhauer
District 5
The third week of the 100th Session of the South Dakota Legislature is in the books. It was a historical event that I was proud to be a part of. Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden, from Union Center, was sworn in as South Dakota’s 34th governor on Monday, Jan. 27, and addressed a joint session of the Legislature on Tuesday. In many ways it resembled a State of the State address which touched upon a number of pending legislative issues and promised open lines of communication with the people of South Dakota, the press, and the legislative branch. On Wednesday, now-Governor Rhoden announced his selection for lieutenant governor. Rep. Tony Venhuizen from Sioux Falls and an Armour, S.D., native, was named as Gov. Rhoden’s pick for that position. After a confirmation hearing by a committee of members of the Senate, Venhuizen was unanimously voted in as the state’s 40th lieutenant governor.
Sen. Glen Vilhauer
It is my personal opinion that we, as South Dakotans, will be well-served by both these gentlemen. They are humble, hard-working, life-long South Dakotans who know and understand the workings of government while staying well-connected to its citizens. An observation was made that the last time we had a transition that came close to resembling the activities of this week was the somber occasion following the death of Gov. George Mickelson in 1993.
As all of this was going on it was conducting legislative business as usual. A few items of note from the past week follow:
- The bill requiring the posting of the 10 Commandments in classrooms and schools across the state was passed by the Senate on an 18-17 vote and now moves on to the House for consideration. After getting a lot of feedback from many citizens, I voted against this legislation.
- The bill repealing the use of seat belts for front seat occupants was defeated in committee.
- The bill disallowing the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines was passed by the House on a 49-19 vote and will now come to the Senate later in the session. This will remain one of the most controversial issues to be dealt with for the third year in a row.
- Legislation making it easier for those students 16 years of age or older to drop out of school passed by a surprising margin (to me at least) of 34-1. This will now move over to the House for consideration.
- In a surprise to many, the House Education Committee defeated two separate bills dealing with school choice/vouchers/education savings accounts (take your pick as to description). One of these bills mirrored provisions proposed by Gov. Noem in her budget address in early December. The consensus is that some version of this legislation will be “resurrected” by any one of several measures available in our legislative process.
- Work on the budget continues as the Joint Committee on Appropriations meets daily to try and hammer out a balanced budget to present to the Senate and House in early March. I am a member of that committee, and we will be struggling the next several weeks to prepare a budget that we can all live with. Stay tuned on that front.
The flow of proposed bills coming in has been fast and furious with the count up to approximately 425 as of today (Saturday afternoon, Feb. 1). Deadlines are fast approaching by which time legislation has to be submitted. As these bills come in the respective Senate and House leadership has to try and stay on top of getting these referred to the proper committee. Never a dull moment for sure!!
Keep in mind that there will be a Cracker Barrel for the District 4 and 5 delegations at 8 a.m. on Feb. 14 at the Codington County Extension building. This will be held in conjunction with the Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce Winter Farm show.
As always don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I particularly enjoy feedback from citizens from this part of the state. Until next week!
Sen. Glen Vilhauer. District 5
605-868-3239, glen.vilhauer@sdlegislature.gov
