By Kevin Woster

So, Mitch Krebs will make $105,000 to be Mike Rounds’ new press secretary?

That’s, uh, for one year.

I could make that much here at the Journal, of course, but I’d have to negotiate a multi-year contract, with a signing bonus.

$105,000.

That’s even more than Jodi Schwan - a KELO recruit - makes down in Mayor Dave Munson’s office in Sioux Falls.

Well, a litttle more.

Even Harlan doesn’t make $105,000. And he’s a god.

What gives?

Does anybody out there seriously think Krebs and Schwan are worth more than Harlan and Woster?

Be gentle.

By Kevin Woster

I don’t understand why all newspaper advertising shouldn’t be taxed. I never have.

I don’t get the free-press, free speech arguments. And it has always seemed like special treatment.

Am I just dense?

By Kevin Woster and Bill Harlan

The Capitol hotline report: The Senate vote vote to expel failed 14 to 20, with one absent. (Sutton. He left the floor before the vote.)

Then it voted 32-2 for censure. The two no votes were Sens. Jerry Apa of Lead and Bill Napoli of Rapid City.

There was one member absent for each vote. Any guess who that was?

AND THIS FROM HARLAN:

When the Senate voted 32 to 2 to censure Sen. Dan Sutton, the two “no” votes came from the Black Hills. But they were votes in protest, not in support of Sutton. Sen. Jerry Apa, R-Lead, and Sen. Bill Napoli, R-Rapid City, both voted with the minority to expel Sutton.

“No privileges were lost,” Apa said after the vote. The censure, he said, was the same as no punishment at all.

“He admitted that he had a page to his room, that he got in the same bed as the page when there was a hide-a-bed there,” Apa said. “We either have standards or we don’t.”

Napoli asked, “How can you be a little bit guilty?”

Napoli said the issue was not censure but guilt or innocence, and he believe Sutton was guilty of making unwanted sexual contact. “The message from the Senate is, send us your children and we’ll only molest them enough to get censured,” Napoli said. “What a terrible message for us to send to the people of this state. It’s awful.”

*Had the count wrong in the first version. BH

By Kevin Woster

Here’s an update from Our Man Wednesday in the Capitol.

“The gallery is packed with high-school students. (Apparently from government class visits)”

That’s William “Bird Dog” Harlan on point - by cell phone - from the state Senate gallery, as we we near the vote on whether Sen. Dan Sutton will be censured - or worse, or maybe better? - by the full Senate.

Bird Dog is right in the middle of it. More to come.

By Kevin Woster

This just in from our intrepid Capitol sleuth/sculptor/yoga instructor/reporter/photographer/blogger, William Gutzon Harlan: The abortion bill is in, and numbered: HB1293.

Doesn’t quite have the same ring as 1215. But maybe it’ll grow on us, huh?

Also, Gov. Rounds has named his new press secretary. Actually, that’s not true. Mitch Krebs already had a name. (The governor is powerful, but…)

The news director from KSFY TV in Sioux Falls will start in the governor’s office Feb. 12.

So ends speculation about who would replace Mark Johnston as the governor’s chief word slinger.

I waited and waited, but the big guy never called….

P.S. I forgot to add, District 10 Republican Rep. Shantel Krebs of Sioux Falls is Mitch’s wife.

By Bill Harlan

South Dakota House Bill 1181 would levy a 4 percent tax on political advertising. Let me admit bias upfront. Every two weeks I get a check from a company that makes money selling ads, including political ads. I’m no neutral observer. Still, is taxing political speech even remotely constitutional? I’m willing to listen to arguments. (Such as, you’re not really taxing speech, per se, but rather the flattened, mashed and pulped remains of the dead tree upon which the political ad is printed.)

On the other hand, maybe HB 1181 is on to something. Like most media, we’re always trying to figure out ways to make money on the Internet. How about if we have a rate card for Blogmore comments?

-Criticizing George Bush, Hillary Clinton or other national figures: 5 cents. (It’s easy.)
-Criticizing Mike Rounds, Scott Heidepriem or other state figures: 10 cents. (More research required.)
-Criticizing Jim Shaw, Sam Kooiker or other city officials: 25 cents. (Knowledge of local government is rarer.)
-Criticizing other Blogmorites: $1.00 (This is our bread and butter. Cha-CHING!)
-Steve Sibson or Bill Fleming criticizing Bill Fleming or Steve Sibson: $397.95 (I’m seeing a retirement villa in France.)
-Criticizing the gods of Blogmore, aka KW and BH: Priceless.

Ask about our cash discounts.

By Bill Harlan

What a day at the South Dakota Legislature tomorrow. You should drop by.* Listen to hearings on the Democratic (SB 117) and Republican (HB 1140) plans for increasing education spending. The new abortion bill (with exceptions) will likely land. The Democrats’ minimum wage bill ($7.25 per hour, HB 1191) will get a hearing.

Tomorrow afternoon there will be a Senate vote on disciplining Sen. Dan Sutton for his alleged misbehavior with a page.

Also tucked away in tomorrow’s hearings, a bill about depleted-uranium shells, to wit:

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED, An Act to provide for the notification of certain members of the armed forces concerning screening for exposure to depleted uranium.

This is an interesting idea — mainly because there may be South Dakota veterans who were exposed to uranium depleted artillery shells but also, of historical interest, because an artillery range for uranium-depleted shells was proposed for Hell Canyon in the southern Black Hills. (Uranium is very dense and heavy. Depleted uranium shells can pierce armor.)

Also on the hearing agendas:
-Ignition interlocks to stop drunks from driving.
-A requirement that hospitals itemize bills.
-A polling-place bill inspired by the Open Bible poll controversy last fall.

*
To read any bill, go here and use the bill numbers or keywords. I use Firefox, so I just call up the whole bill list and look for likely words in the titles. You can do that with I.E. too. And go here to listen to hearings or the legislative chambers online. The sound quality is excellent.

By Kevin Woster

Even the Hillary haters among us must have enjoyed - just a little bit - the New York senator’s “evil men” moment over in Iowa on Sunday.

How could you not?

When asked if her experiences indicated she could stand up to “evil men” around the world, Clinton repeated the question for the audience, with style.

“The question is, we face a lot of dangers in the world and, in the gentleman’s words, we face a lot of evil men and what in my background equips me to deal with evil and bad men,” she said.

Then, with a subtle sense of comedic style that I wasn’s sure she possessed, Clinton paused and gave the audience a knowing smile that spoke more eloquently, and humorously, than any words could have.

It was delightful, one of those campaign moments certain to endure.

We could use a lot more of those.

By Bill Harlan

BLOGMORE BULLETIN: OPEN FIELDS FAILS IN COMMITTEE 6 TO 7. IT’S KILLED FOR THIS YEAR … PROBABLY.

Just a quick note on this morning’s activities, featuring a new incarnation of the open fields law. If you don’t know what that means, you won’t care. If you do know what it means — and you’re on either side — you just felt a twinge. More soon.

By Bill Harlan

A Blogmorite roaming the halls of the Capitol today alerted me to the little tableau above, which was on a small table at the very back of the Senate chamber. A defibrillator and a 10 Commandments pamphlet — an emergency cache to cover a range of mishaps.

By Bill Harlan

Rep. Don Van Etten, R-Rapid City, holding the card, joins other legislators in announcing a new bill to ban abortions – with exceptions for rape, incest and health of the mother. (Rep. Mary Glenski, D-Sioux Falls is in red. Blogmorites can feel free to fill in other names.)

Supporters of a new abortion ban — this one with exceptions for rape, incest and health of the mother, they say — are waiting for the LRC to report out an official version of the bill with a number. (It will be a Senate bill.) See my story on the RCJ homepage.

Here are the visual aids:

By Bill Harlan

HB1227 would ban alcohol sales. Here it is:

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED, An Act to prohibit the issuance of certain alcoholic beverage licenses for establishments located near Bear Butte.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA:
Section 1. No on-sale, off-sale, or malt beverage license may be issued or reissued and no license transfer may be granted to any applicant pursuant to Title 35 for an establishment that is or will be located within four miles of the outside boundaries of Bear Butte State Park, except for any establishment that is located within the existing boundaries of any municipality, as mapped on the effective date of this Act.

The sponsore are representatives Bradford, Dennert, Elliott, Feinstein, Halverson, Sigdestad, and Van Norman; the senators Katus and Hanson (Gary)

The Mount’s constitutional scholars should now weigh in. As an aside, check out the AP story we ran Saturday, which inspired a lively discussion under “comments.”

By Bill Harlan

From the Did We Have To Spell This Out? Department comes House Bill 1149, “An Act to prohibit the firing of a firearm at any school building, vehicle, or premises.” You mean you can do this NOW?

The bill gets a hearing Tuesday before the House Education Committee. Here are some excerpts, with the proposed additions to the current law in boldface:

(3) The use or possession of a firearm, as provided in § 13-32-7, on or in any elementary
or secondary school premises, vehicle, or building or any premises, vehicle, or building used or leased for elementary or secondary school functions or activities ; or the firing of a firearm, as provided in § 13-32-7, at or upon any elementary or secondary school premises, vehicle, or building or any premises, vehicle, or building used or leased for elementary or secondary school functions or activities .

… or who fires a firearm at or upon any elementary or secondary school premises, vehicle, or building or any premises, vehicle, or building used or leased for elementary or secondary school functions , whether or not any person is endangered by such actions, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

As always, you can track this bill and others here.

By Bill Harlan

See a LONG article in this morning’s Washington Post headlined “At Roll Call, an Uneasy Silence.” The subhed: “Sen. Tim Johnson’s Illness Has Raised Personal and Political Concerns on the Hill.”

Not much new, but an interesting portrait of a temporarily empty Senate seat.

By Kevin Woster

Wild Bill Fleming posed a good question in answer to a post below on the latest abortion bill, expected to surface this week in the state Legislature:

Should a lawmaker vote on crucial issues like this one based on personal philosophy or public opinion?

If I’m a state legislator (a ludicrous example, I know, but stay with me) and I support abortion restrictions but the majority of voters in my district don’t, is my greatest obligation to my convictions or to theirs?

If past votes show my district in opposition but polling indicates statewide support, then what do I do?

And the bonus question: If Fleming challenged me in the Libertarian Party primary, who would you vote for?

HARLAN ADDS: WHEN WOSTER AND FLEMING FACE OF IN THE LIBERTARIAN PRIMARY …. OK, I can’t even complete that thought.

By Kevin Woster

If you think state Sen. Bill Napoli has raised a ruckus in the Capitol in years past, Rep. Jeff Haverly says you might want to buckle your seat belt and hold on: You ain’t seen nothing yet.

Now that Napoli isn’t serving on the Appropriations Committee, a brain-numbing numbers chore that can keep a legislator from other Capitol business - the guy known for his abiding love of cars and four-barrel attitude has time to rumble with some other issues.

Right now that happens to be lobbying state officials to find an alternate site for a proposed minimum-security prison unit in Rapid City. But Haverly says you can expect to see Napoli spread the wealth of of energy and attitude around.

“He’s not as busy. He has lots of time on his hands (compared to those Appropriation days),” Haverly said with chuckle, adding that he thinks more of Napoli will be a good thing.

“We’re not on the same page all the time,” he said. “But his pit-bull attitude is a wonderful thing for District 35. He’s able to make people listen.”

Sometime they even hear him beyond District 35.

By Bill Harlan

The Senate Select Committee on Discipline and Expulsion seconds ago voted 6-3 to censure Sen. Dan Sutton. Senators Dave Knudson of Sioux Falls, Bob Gray of Pierre and Ken McNenny of Sturgis, all Republicans, dissented, calling for expulsion.

Knudson said he’d write a minority report.

By Bill Harlan

See the AP story on our homepage in minutes. Here’s the lede:

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Lawmakers confirmed Friday that a bill banning most abortions in South Dakota will be introduced again in the Legislature, and it will contain exceptions for rape, incest and the health of women.
The measure was in the final drafting stages, and it was expected to be offered early next week. Tuesday is the deadline for individual lawmakers to introduce bills. Complete details of the measure were scheduled to be released Monday.

By Bill Harlan

I ran into Sen. Tom Katus at breakfast this morning. Normally these encounters are off the record, but Tom agreed to speak to the notebook about the bill to abolish the death penalty bill, which is is co-sponsored. (See the previous post.) “That’s what I ran on,” he told me. “It’s not secret.” It’s also no secret that a landslide majority of South Dakotans favor the death penalty, as at least one constituent reminded him. And as the lone Democrat representing Rapid City — and the Black Hills, for that matter — Mr. Katus lives on the political endangered list. Still, he said he had to vote his conscience on this one. “I just don’t think it’s a deterrent,” he said.

Katus also could face a tough choice on a new anti-abortion bill, with exceptions for rape, incest and health of the mother. He won’t commit one way or another until he sees a bill — which I think could land today* — but when asked about the issue he always begins by talking about his two adopted kids. Katus is a supporter of options other than abortion. He told me that when he ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House in 1980, he got killed by pro-life AND pro-choice Democrats for not being staunch enough either way. (He got buried by Ken Stofferahn by the way, who went on to get buried by Republican Clint Roberts.)

An aside:

Whether an abortion bill with exceptions can make it out of committee this year is an open question, but the possibility raises another question. The anti-HB1215 campaign last fall hammered the “no exception” theme. Does that leave them vulnerable to a “with exceptions” bill?

PS:

Bill drafts “with sponsors” are due by 5 p.m. Central Time today. “Individual bills” are due Tuesday.

*This is an “Internet quality” Mount Blogmore speculation, which is to say, it’s not worth committing to ink and paper. Take it with a bag of salt. Don’t cash in your IRA to put money on it. I’ve already been wrong once this week, speculating that more witnesses would be called Thursday in the Sutton hearing.

Bulletin: I get one right. Two abortion bills, with exceptions for rape incest and the life of the mother, will be unveiled Monday and introduced by the Tuesday deadline.

By Bill Harlan

From the Don Quixote Dept. comes Senate Bill 161, filed today, to abolish the death penalty. Here’s the pertinent paragraph:

(1) Class A felony: death or life imprisonment in the state penitentiary. A lesser sentence than death or life imprisonment may not be given for a Class A felony. In addition, a fine of fifty seventy-five thousand dollars may be imposed;

The sponsors, Democrats all, are Senators Jerstad, Bartling, Tom Katus of Rapid City, Kloucek, Koetzle, and Nesselhuf and Representatives Thompson, Burg, Elliott, Glenski, and Lucas

It goes to a hearing at the Senate State Affairs Committee on at a time and date to be named later.