LEGISLATIVE REPORT

Representative Rocky Blare

District 21

Gregory/Tripp Charles Mix/Bon Homme Counties

Committees: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Vice Chair of Transportation

Capitol Address:

500 E. Capitol Ave.

Pierre, SD 57501-5070

Cell: (605) 840-0963

Home: (605) 842-1617

email: Rocky.Blare@sdlegislature.gov

We just completed our sixth week of the 2021 session. This was a short week, with the Session starting Tuesday and ending Thursday. We met in caucus late into the night Monday discussing the budget and appropriations for the next year.

On Thursday Gov. Noem signed SB 87 into law which will allow Farm Bureau to sell their health benefit plan. I sponsored the bill and I believe it will help many selfemployed farmer/ranchers and self-employed with a much more affordable health benefit option.

HB 1100 passed out of committee and we will vote on it this week. It adds one year of flexibility to the implementation timeline for Initiated Measure 26 (the medical marijuana program) passed by the voters this past year. It requires a committee to meet and recommend solutions before next session. According to CPPC “ the fastest timeline to create an effective sustainable and functioning medical marijuana system is between “14 to 20 months.” Presently, Measure 26 allowed for eightmonths for implementation. The Dept. of Health is responsible for overseeing the implementation, but they have been overwhelmed with COVID.

SB136 passed the House Transportation Committee which allowed for a petition requesting vacating a highway, if the petition is signed by two or more voters in an organized township and 2/3 of the adjacent landowners. The petition will be presented to the County Commissioners or Board of Supervisors. They will decide if it is in the best interest of the public to honor the petition. Currently the petition requires signatures from greater than 1% of the ballots cast in the last gubernatorial election in the county.

HJR 5003 passed which would submit to the voters of SD at the next general election a new section Article XI of the constitution of the State of SD. It would change the vote required to pass an initiated constitutional amendment or initialed measure referred to the people by

the Legislature that imposes or increase taxes or fees that obligates $10 million or more in any of the first five years to become part of the Constitution or state respectively, only if approved by 60% of the votes cast. The resolution resists big taxes and big government growth. The legislature will still have to pass revenue or fee increases by 2/3 vote. That will not change. We need to be held to a higher standard.

Another hotly debated bill was HB1140 which is the open fields doctrine. It allowed conservation officers to come onto private property to do game checks and license checks whenever they wanted too. The GFP hasn’t been doing this for years and it wants landowners to know that they respect their rights. They have been working with landowners for permission and assistance to insure anyone doing anything illegal is caught. They want to do this without trespassing on anyone’s land or disrupting a hunt.

SCR 604 passed out of the House Ag committee and on the House Floor. It supports COOL trade negotiations to remove barriers for country of origin labeling of meat products. Products that are meat “only” raised, slaughtered and sold in the US can be labeled as “American Beef” or “Beef of the USA” etc.

HB1228 passed out of the House Ag Committee which updates our industrial hemp legislation which passed last year. It comes in compliance with USDA’s new regulations and also allows for more production in the state with a more streamlined application process. I believe the safeguards are still in the bill to protect the general public and the fees remain the same.

HCR 6006 also passed out of the House Ag committee. It urges Congress to amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 with a view to foster efficient livestock markets to increase competition and transparency among packers who purchase livestock. It will require that at least 50% of each packer’s facility’s purchases be purchased on the spot or open market. Those purchased livestock will be delivered within 14 days of purchase agreement. This is not the law, but is urging our new president and new trade negotiations to make this agreement so our livestock producers can get fair and open price transparency when selling cattle, etc.

Finally, we have deferred HB1112 which I brought. It would extend the safety zone from a residence, school or church from 660 feet to 300 yards. This is a safety issue as scientific evidence now shows that it should be up to 1200 feet. Most farms have out buildings, corrals barns, hay yards and grain bins that extend well beyond past their residence. If they are working outside their homes with their children or grandchildren, they are in danger with the present law. This does not remove the requirement that the safety zone should be posted or anyone can hunt with their permission. This is not an anti road hunting bill or hunting preserve bill. My commonsense bill is helping the sportsman in their desire to hunt safely and not harm innocent human life, property or create animosity. Over the last twenty years, most of the rural schools closed and there are many abandoned farms so the amount of road hunting opportunities has increased. Increasing the safety zone by 240 feet to be safe should not cause a great hardship for our sportsmen and women. Many sportsman’s groups like Isaack Walton League are against this bill. We will see how it goes Tuesday in the House Ag committee.

Again, thank you for contacting me this past week. We will have a very busy week again. Please feel free to visit anytime.

Until next week God willing.

Representative Rocky Blare rockyblare@gmail.com

Representative Caleb Finck

District 21

Gregory/Tripp Charles Mix/ Bon Homme Counties

Committees: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Legislative Procedure, Chair of Transportation

Capitol Address:

500 E. Capitol Ave.

Pierre, SD 57501-5070

Cell: (605) 933-2042

e-mail: Caleb.Finck@sdlegislature.gov

We are now 2/3 of the way though this legislative session and the Capitol will be buzzing this week with the crossover deadline approaching on Thursday. Next week Tuesday/Wednesday will be our next deadline and that is for the crossover of appropriations bills that are in the Joint Committee on Appropriations. Here is an update on where some of my prime sponsored bills are in the process. HB1118 was a bill to suspend school district general fund cash balance consequences and we discovered after I dropped the bill that the school funding accountability board already had the needed authority and therefore, we did not need the bill, it was sent to the 41st legislative day.

HB 1162 the Re-Homestead South Dakota program was sent to the 41st legislative day, (in other words killed) we ran into a few unintended consequences in committee that were bigger problems than I felt we could tackle fixing this legislative session. I plan to work to fix those issues and bring an improved version of the bill next year.

HB 1228 is the bill I am carrying to make a few modifications to the hemp program. It passed out of House Ag and Natural Resources last week on a 10-1 vote and will be heard on the House Floor this week.

HB 1237 is the bill I have for $3.329M in General Funds for matching a federal bridge grant program for local governments. This bill has passed the House Transportation committee and is waiting for approval in the House Appropriations Committee before moving to the floor this week.

HB 1259 is the bill for the Rural Access Infrastructure Grant that would help townships and counties inventory small structures on secondary roads and provide additional funding for a grant program to help replace them. This bill will be heard in House Transportation Committee on Tuesday the 23rd and then will hopefully continue moving through the appropriations process.

Finally, I would like to thank all the individuals that were able to come out this past weekend for the District 21 legislative crackerbarrels in Avon and Lake Andes. We had some great questions on current bills and some great questions that I will be following up on in future legislative updates.

If you would like any additional information on these or any other issues, please contact me by email at Caleb.Finck@SDLegislature.gov or call me at 605-933-2042. Have a great week!

Representative Caleb Finck