Hill City Prevailer

Appropriations starting to pick up

Published by admin on Thu, 02/23/2023 - 9:22am
Things are picking up at the Capitol in the appropriations committees.   Just for clarification, there is a Appropriations Committee composed of members from the House of Representatives, an Appropriations Committee composed of members of the Senate, and finally, there is a a Joint Appropriations Committee with members from both the House of Representatives and the Senate.   The joint committees are done having budget hearings and now we are working on bills that appropriate money. 

Pass on encouragement

Published by admin on Thu, 02/16/2023 - 9:10am
Do you consider yourself a happy person? What about the people you interact with every day? Would you consider them to be happy? I’m curious because I read in “How Happiness Happens” by Max Lucado that only one in three people consider themselves happy. 
What a sad commentary. That means most of the people we encounter daily are struggling, and the smiling faces we greet may be hiding burdens. 

Session’s busiest two week are upon us

Published by admin on Thu, 02/16/2023 - 9:08am
Now that we are in the second half of the 2023 legislative session, we are facing hard deadlines and the busiest two weeks of session, investing long days and evenings in order to ensure that, as mandated in our constitution, we present a balanced budget by the end of session. 

How can we know if they don’t say no?

Published by admin on Thu, 02/09/2023 - 8:57am
This is not a column about me taking sides on the Julie  Frye-Mueller situation, but I was a little confused as to how a person in that instance would have known that the conversation they were having with a staff member was inappropriate.
I read the redacted letter the staff member wrote. It makes no mention of her letting the senator know she was uncomfortable with the discussion.
It does say the staffer felt she needed to be “careful of what I say or do in his presence,” referring to Julie’s husband Mike “so as to not upset him or Julie.”

Session is at the halfway point

Published by admin on Thu, 02/09/2023 - 8:43am
It’s hard to believe that as of this week we are officially halfway through the 2023 legislative session in Pierre. It has been an interesting session so far. We have an amazing new group of House members (43 percent are new this year) and I am enjoying working together with them in a professional manner. My district mate Dennis Krull and I are working hard in the House to ensure that you are well represented in Pierre! 

What the Appropriations Committee does

Published by admin on Thu, 02/09/2023 - 8:41am
In the last column I told you I was put on the Appropriations Committee and that I would explain to you briefly what appropriations does.
The Appropriations Committee is a legislative committee responsible for reviewing and making recommendations on the state’s budget and financial matters. The committee considers proposals for state spending and makes recommendations for allocation of funds to various departments and programs. The committee also reviews and monitors the state’s financial status and makes recommendations for changes to budget and financial policies.

The woes and wonders of winter

Published by admin on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 9:47am
The sun is shining as I write this. Clouds cover parts of the sky, but you can still tell it’s blue. People commented to me that it was a little cold, but I won’t complain. Any winter day that I can take a walk in the sunshine is perfect to me. 
Yes, winter has its woes. There are bitterly cold and cloud-covered days, but I’m used to this. In 2021, southern Minnesota had negative 20 to 30 degree temperatures and gray skies for two months straight. The winter blues was suffocating some days, but I don’t often struggle with that here. 

How we deal with all the bills

Published by admin on Thu, 02/02/2023 - 9:46am

As I write this, we are in the third week of the 98th legislative session. We are seeing more bills that are being brought forward and assigned to committees.

My mourning ritual

Published by admin on Thu, 01/26/2023 - 8:52am
It’s not easy to say goodbye to our loved ones. And those loved ones can include furry friends, not just humans. 

Things have gotten underway in Pierre

Published by admin on Thu, 01/26/2023 - 8:50am
The following information was from week one of the legislative session.
 
The first week of the 98th session of the South Dakota Legislature in Pierre is over.   I want to give you, my constituents, an update of what transpired.