We try to limit the number of action alerts we post, as well as the number of bills we reference in those alerts. But, it’s CROSSOVER WEEK. 

That means committees and chambers are operating on overtime (as is your lobbyist!) because bills have to get through their chamber of origin by the end of the day on Thursday.

So, without further ado, let’s get into the bills where your voice can make all the difference!

Initiative & Referendum-Undermining Bills–House Local Government

You get two birds with one stone on this action–two bad bills on initiative and referendum are up in House Local Government Thursday morning (2/24) at 10am CT/9am MT

SB 77 prescribes fourteen point font size for the full text of an initiated measure or a constitutional amendment on a petition. Pretty much everything else about the petition form and font size is prescribed by the State Elections Board, and this should be, too. Increasing font size adds to costs of petition circulation, and adds yet another unnecessary hurdle that could lead to the disqualification of otherwise legally circulated petitions. 

SB 123 cuts into petition-circulating time by allowing a lengthy time frame for the Attorney General to craft a statement on the measure, invite public comment (but only hand-delivered or by postal mail), and then further time to revise and revisit the language. There’s a useful run-down of the bill’s issues HERE.

Contact House Local Government Committee members and ask them to kill BOTH bills!
becky.drury@sdlegislature.gov, charlie.hoffman@sdlegislature.gov, chris.johnson@sdlegislature.gov, doug.barthel@sdlegislature.gov, greg.jamison@sdlegislature.gov, jess.olson@sdlegislature.gov, lana.greenfield@sdlegislature.gov, mike.weisgram@sdlegislature.gov, nancy.york@sdlegislature.gov, richard.thomason@sdlegislature.gov, ryan.cwach@sdlegislature.gov, tim.reed@sdlegislature.gov, will.mortenson@sdlegislature.gov

Protect Beginning Farmers & Small Acreage Timber Producers–Senate Floor Vote 

HB 1085 has been amended down to make sure it doesn’t adversely impact existing small-acreage vegetable producers (your farmers market and farm stand vendors) and that’s good! But provisions in this bill still impact the ability of beginning farmers to get started and small-acreage timber producers who are working hard toward ag assessment status. It changes the rules on who qualifies for ag-status, and doesn’t take into account those who are protecting the health of our forest lands and other woodland areas by sustainably producing and harvesting a major agricultural product in this state–trees and timber.

This bill could be up on the Senate floor as soon as Thursday, 2/25. Let Senators know they should kill this bill, and urge a better study of the impacts of changes in ag assessment rules in the interim, so we can better target those who are taking advantage of loopholes without targeting folks trying to start up or sustainably manage their production for the long term.

EAST RIVER SENATE: (Districts 1-25)
al.novstrup@sdlegislature.gov, arthur.rusch@sdlegislature.gov, blake.curd@sdlegislature.gov, brock.greenfield@sdlegislature.gov, bryan.breitling@sdlegislature.gov, casey.crabtree@sdlegislature.gov, david.wheeler@sdlegislature.gov, erin.tobin@sdlegislature.gov, herman.otten@sdlegislature.gov, jack.kolbeck@sdlegislature.gov, jean.hunhoff@sdlegislature.gov, jim.bolin@sdlegislature.gov, jim.stalzer@sdlegislature.gov, john.wiik@sdlegislature.gov, joshua.klumb@sdlegislature.gov, kyle.schoenfish@sdlegislature.gov, larry.zikmund@sdlegislature.gov, lee.schoenbeck@sdlegislature.gov, margaret.sutton@sdlegislature.gov, marsha.symens@sdlegislature.gov, mary.duvall@sdlegislature.gov, michael.rohl@sdlegislature.gov, reynold.nesiba@sdlegislature.gov, wayne.steinhauer@sdlegislature.gov 

WEST RIVER SENATE:  (Districts 26-35)
david.johnson@sdlegislature.gov, gary.cammack@sdlegislature.gov, helene.duhamel@sdlegislature.gov, jessica.castleberry@sdlegislature.gov, julie.fryemueller@sdlegislature.gov, mike.diedrich@sdlegislature.gov, reddawn.foster@sdlegislature.gov, ryan.maher@sdlegislature.gov, timothy.johns@sdlegislature.gov, troy.heinert@sdlegislature.gov

Protect Medical Marijuana Patients–Support Compromise Amendment 1100G

The SD House of Representatives will vote on HB 1100–TOMORROW (Thursday, 2/25). The “compromise” amendment originally filed would still leave medical marijuana patients without legal protections until January 1, 2022. We are urging legislators to support the New Approach SD common sense compromise bill: HB 1100G, which accepts some delay on implementation, but protects patients from criminalization in the meantime. Please contact House members and tell them to REJECT other amendments and vote for the compromise bill that protects patients during implementation of medical marijuana.

East River House Members Districts 1-13
aaron.aylward@sdlegislature.gov, arch.beal@sdlegislature.gov, bethany.soye@sdlegislature.gov, carl.perry@sdlegislature.gov, chris.karr@sdlegislature.gov, doug.barthel@sdlegislature.gov, drew.dennert@sdlegislature.gov, ernie.otten@sdlegislature.gov, fred.deutsch@sdlegislature.gov, greg.jamison@sdlegislature.gov, hugh.bartels@sdlegislature.gov, jennifer.keintz@sdlegislature.gov, john.mills@sdlegislature.gov, kaleb.weis@sdlegislature.gov, lana.greenfield@sdlegislature.gov, larry.tidemann@sdlegislature.gov, mark.willadsen@sdlegislature.gov, marli.wiese@sdlegislature.gov, nancy.york@sdlegislature.gov, randy.gross@sdlegislature.gov, rhonda.milstead@sdlegislature.gov, richard.thomason@sdlegislature.gov, steven.haugaard@sdlegislature.gov, sue.peterson@sdlegislature.gov, tamara.stjohn@sdlegislature.gov, tim.reed@sdlegislature.gov 

East River House Members Districts 14-25
caleb.finck@sdlegislature.gov, charlie.hoffman@sdlegislature.gov, david.anderson@sdlegislature.gov, erin.healy@sdlegislature.gov, jamie.smith@sdlegislature.gov, jon.hansen@sdlegislature.gov, kent.peterson@sdlegislature.gov, kevin.jensen@sdlegislature.gov, lance.koth@sdlegislature.gov, linda.duba@sdlegislature.gov, lynn.schneider@sdlegislature.gov, marty.overweg@sdlegislature.gov, mike.stevens@sdlegislature.gov, mike.weisgram@sdlegislature.gov, paul.miskimins@sdlegislature.gov, richard.vasgaard@sdlegislature.gov, rocky.blare@sdlegislature.gov, roger.chase@sdlegislature.gov, ryan.cwach@sdlegislature.gov, spencer.gosch@sdlegislature.gov, sydney.davis@sdlegislature.gov, taylor.rehfeldt@sdlegislature.gov, tom.pischke@sdlegislature.gov, will.mortenson@sdlegislature.gov

West River House Members Districts 26-35
Oren.lesmeister@sdlegislature.gov, becky.drury@sdlegislature.gov, chris.johnson@sdlegislature.gov, dean.wink@sdlegislature.gov, jess.olson@sdlegislature.gov, kirk.chaffee@sdlegislature.gov, liz.may@sdlegislature.gov, mary.fitzgerald@sdlegislature.gov, mike.derby@sdlegislature.gov, peri.pourier@sdlegislature.gov, phil.jensen@sdlegislature.gov, rebecca.reimer@sdlegislature.gov, sam.marty@sdlegislature.gov, scott.odenbach@sdlegislature.gov, shawn.bordeaux@sdlegislature.gov, taffy.howard@sdlegislature.gov, tim.goodwin@sdlegislature.gov, timothy.johns@sdlegislature.gov, tina.mulally@sdlegislature.gov, tony.randolph@sdlegislature.gov, trish.ladner@sdlegislature.gov 

Thank YOU for Taking ACTION!