By Bill Harlan

All speaking for SB173, left to right: State House Democratic Leader Dale Hargens, Senate Democratic Assistant Whip Jim Peterson, Gov. Mike Rounds, House Republican Leader Larry Rhoden, Senate Republican Leader Dave Knudson.

See my story. This major change in property-tax structure in South Dakota will likely get a vote in the House tomorrow. It failed in a House committee, and now supporters are rallying the troops.

By Bill Harlan

Steve Sibson on the Grand Staircase: “Tell them I’m on my way to disagree with a Republican governor,” he told me.

At long last I meet in person the legendary Steve Sibson — destroyer of liberal worlds, champion or the religious right, nemisis of leftisists.*

Steve took time to visit me in the press room. We had a nice chat. He’s here to oppose standards for pre-kindergartens, and in 10 minutes he’ll be in the aforementioned hearing to oppose the minimum wage. Steve also apologized if he has offended anyone with his posts. “I get passionate,” he said. More on our talk later.

*I know, but “leftisist” works better with “nemisis.”

By Bill Harlan

Committee work for the 2007 South Dakota Legislature is winding to a close, but this morning at 10 a.m. CST (9 a.m. BST) the House State Affairs considers three bills:

SB 105: the bill to “require an annual adjustment to the general fund levies of a school district by reducing local effort by nine million dollars from funds deposited in the property tax reduction fund from the tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products. ”
SB 207: the bill to increase the minimum wage.
SB 157: the bill to “revise the funding for K-12 education and to create a teacher compensation assistance program.”*

*The title of SB157 doesn’t begin to describe this bill, which includes a plan to increase from 3 percent (or inflaction, whichever is lower) to 4.3 percent the annual “index” by which state aid to schools automatically increases. That’s the proposal by Senate Republican Leader Dave Knudson, but it’s opposed by the Rounds administration.

By Bill Harlan

The debate is heating up over the proposal to switch ag valuation from market values to production values. SB173 also would do away with the 150-percent rule — a law that says that if properties sell for more than 150 percent of their taxable value they can’t be used in the mix for valuing other property. This makes almost no difference to homeowners in Rapid City, but it makes a huge difference on ag property throughout the state. Custer County, for example, has had almost no qualified sales in nearly a decade.

So Senate Republican Leader Dave Knudson of Sioux Falls and House Republican Leader Larry Rhoden of Union Center — two architects of SB173 — are holding a press conference on the bill today. Senate Democratic Whip Jim Peterson of Revillo and House Democratic Leader Dale Hargens of Miller are joining the two Republicans.

The press conference is 11 a.m. CST, 10 a.m. BST. (Blogmore Standard Time)

By Bill Harlan

Turned on CNN this morning and who should I see but our very own JT on “micromanaging” the war. An excerpt from the online version:

But Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, said Monday that curtailing the mission of U.S. troops would create other problems.
“What if those troops are fired upon? Can they not return fire because the United States Senate says they’re not to have a combat role?” Thune asked. “Just when I thought this debate had reached the low point on the depth chart, the Senate Democrats have drained a little more out of the pool.”

I’m struggling with the depth-chart water-level metaphor, but I do understand John T’s point. Are the Democrats in dangerous territory here? It’s one thing to pass suggestions or even directions to the cockpit. It’s another to wrestle the pilot for the controls. (I don’t like my metaphor either. Find better ones, Blogmorites.)

By Bill Harlan

House Taxation Committee just sent SB173 to the oblivion of the mythical 41st legislative day. This is a bold proposal to switch agricultural land from market valuation for tax purposes to a production valuation, also called a “cash-rent” system. It sounds arcane, but supporters hope to solve, in part, a giant problem in South Dakota’s property-tax system: the so-called “150 percent rule.”

The vote was 8 to 7 to kill SB173.

Without a smoke-out, it’s dead, but committee Chairman Joel Dykstra just told me a smoke-out to force the bill out of committee is almost certain. Rep. Charles Turbiville, R-Deadwood, told me chances of a smoke-out are “150 percent.” A smoke-out takes at least a third of the chamber, so in the 70 member House that’s 24 votes.

UPDATE: SMOKEOUT HAPPENED

By Bill Harlan

The Federal Rail Administration said no to the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad’s request for a $2.3 billion loan. See our story. Has justice been done, Blormorites, or did the FRA deny South Dakota an opportunity?

By Bill Harlan

The Senate just passed HB1140, which would direct $9 million from the new tobacco tax to education spending, thus relieving property taxes. The vote was 32 to 3. Sen. Bill Napoli, R-Rapid City knew it was a lost cause but he spoke against the bill. He said in part:

“I don’t believe for one minute the people of South Dakota intended to benefit from that tax – to take money from cancer-ridden smokers who are fighting their health problems every single day. … They’ve got diseases, they’ve got lung cancer, throat cancer, and we’re taking money from them and benefiting us.”

By Bill Harlan

The estimable Mr. Wiken and Darlene raised the issue in comments of the efficiency of a unicameral legislature, as practiced in Nebraska. Having one house only certainly seems like a timesaver. See this Minnesota House site for interesting comparisons.

What says Blogmore? One house or two? (Would three be a “menage a chambre”?)

By Bill Harlan

The Senate Local Government Committee approved 4-1 SB1125, a storm-sewer funding mechanism that could have a big impact on Rapid City, which needs a mechanism to pay for storm-water runoff measures the Clean Water Act will demand in coming years. Property owners will pay some sort of storm-water runoff fee. It’s passed the House. Now it goes to the Senate.

By Bill Harlan

The Senate Appropriations Committee just nixed a $50,000 grant to the South Dakota Hall of Fame. See SB101. Sen. Jerry Apa, the chairman, spoke against the bill, recommending supporters talk to tourism and the executive branch to come up with some sort of matching-fund program or grant for next year. “I know this is a very worthwhile bill,” he said.

By Bill Harlan

The South Dakota Legislature has only eight days left to pass, reject or ignore pending legislation. (Not counting the “40th legislative day,” March 26, when lawmakers return to act on vetos and for other last-minute chores.)

They’ll have to act fast fast FAST!

Fortunately, legislation has already “crossed over” — that is, House bills are in the Senate and Senate bills are in the House. So push has arrived at shove. The big shoe left to drop is whether the new abortion ban that passed the House will be smoked out of a Senate Committee. We’re also wondering whether the Department of Corrections will find a site for a new Rapid City minimum-security prison so lawmakers can appropriate money to buy the land. (It’s on the Senate Appropriations agenda, but it’s been deferred several times.) The omnibus campaign finance reform is up for a vote in the House tomorrow. The Senate schedule tomorrow includes a booster-seat law, tech institute funding, anti-meth funding and the House version of a plan to funnel $9 million in tobacco money to education.

Some of the committee highlights for tomorrow, the 32nd legislative day:
-The Senate Local Government Committee considers the storm-sewer legislation that’s critically important to Rapid City, HB1125.
-House Appropriations consider the $12 million renovation and remodeling project for Custer State Park, SB218.
-House Health and Human Services considers the enlarged smoking ban, SB196.

That’s all child’s play compared the House State Affairs Committee, which will need Popeil’s Pocket Legislator to get through Monday’s agenda. It includes:
-The Senate version of the plan to funnel $9 million of tobacco money for schools (SB105).
-The Zaniya Task Force proposal to study health-care funding (SB132).
-The Republican plan for K-12 funding and increasing teacher pay (SB157).
-A proposal to create an open government commission (SB108).

*NEW FROM RONCO!
“Amend, pass, defeat, hoghouse, reconsider or defer to the 41st day with one easy-to-use tool! Millions sold in Europe!! NOT AVAILABLE IN OLIGARCHIES!!! (Military invasion to establish democracy sold separately. May not be available on some continents.)”

By Bill Harlan

The Senate is adjourned, and I think the House is soon to follow. Couple of notes from Gov. Mike Rounds’ weekly press conference before I crank up the XM radio and head west:

1. The governor thinks there might be advantages to passing the HB1293 abortion ban next year rather than this year. See my short story online.

2. The governor never says whether he’ll veto a bill before it gets to his desk, but the tech-school governance bill has veto written all over it. That is, if it survives the House.

By Bill Harlan

Minutes ago in the House Health and Human Services Committee:

SB187 would have require health-care facilities to inform rape victims about emergency contraception, which can prevent a pregnancy. The Senate passed the bill with a “conscience clause,” which, according to the bill’s supporters, made it meaningless. (In other words, you’d have to tell a rape victim about emergency contraception unless you think it’s morally wrong.) Rep. Mark Kirkeby, R-Rapid City, offered an amendment to the bill, stripping out the conscience clause. That failed 6 to 7. Then Kirkeby, who said the bill was meaningless if it included the clause, moved to “table” the bill. That kills it.

By Bill Harlan

Rep. Gordon Howie, R-Rapid City, says the new abortion ban, HB1293, will not be “smoked out” of committee today. (That requires at least one third of the Senate, or 12 votes.) He didn’t say when that might happen. Supporters are “strategizing,” he said. I don’t think the problem will be getting the smoke-out votes. The problem will be getting the 18-vote majority to do anything else with the ban.

By Bill Harlan

Having spent lots of time with my wife’s grandson, now 4, I am intimately familiar with the embarassing contortions sometimes necessary to hook up the child restraint seat. But I’m happy to do it. This morning the Senate Transportation Committtee went a step further, approving a measure that would also require booster seats for kids who are at least 5 but less than 8 years old. The bill already has passed the House. See the AP story.

Sen. Bill Napoli, R-Rapid City, voted against it, saying thousands of children have been killed by child restraints. He thinks parents should decide whether to use them. “We’re creating a generation of morons who don’t know how to take care of themselves,” he told me later.

By Bill Harlan

In a move that displeased many people in the room, House Education Committee Chairperson Phyllis Heineman, R-Sioux Falls, just postponed action on the tech school governance bill. She did it after more than an hours or testimony.

“It’s poor chairmanship,” lobbyist Mitch Richter said after the postponement. He represents tech-school officials who favor the bill. Now, if the committee votes to suspend a rule, action on the bill will be tomorrow when the proponents are out of town.

SB95 is important to many people in Rapid City, who think West Dakota Technical Institute and the three other tech schools should have independent governance. Now they’re governed by school boards, which also are in favor of the separation. Rapid City School Board President Margie Rosario even testified for the bill this morning. The problem with postponing action is, most of the proponents of the legislation will have gone back home to Rapid City, Sioux Falls and Watertown. Rep. Jeff Haverly, R-Rapid City, who testified as a proponent, said the committee should have acted this morning. “I don’t think that’s fair to the people who came up here today,” he said. “She should have acted on it today.”

SB95 does have powerful opponents: the state Department of Education, the Board of Regents and the governor. They say a separate technical institute board would create another level of bureaucracy.

Story coming.

By Bill Harlan

SB79 changes the boundaries of the Black Hills Fire Protection District from Piedmont through Rapid City and south to the Cheyenne River. (The boundary moves from the railroad tracks to Interstate 90 up north and from the railroad tracks west to Highway 79 south of Rapid City.) An amendment prohibits shooting fireworks within 300 feet of the boundary.

The purpose of the bill was go move some property south of Rapid City out of the district — at the request of Sen. Jim Lintz, R-Hermosa — but another amendment also fixes a glitch in state law which, unbeknown to anyone, has outlawed fireworks in Rapid City since 1992.

The House Ag committee just approved it and put it on the consent calendar, which means passage is highly likely.

By Bill Harlan

Apparently blogging does NOT mean never having to say you’re sorry. See “The messy relationship between bloggers and politicians” in The Christian Science Monitor. The story by Courtney E. Martin has the subhead: “Electoral campaigns must recognize that they are not only hiring the writer, but taking on a full body of work.”

Full body of work? Yikes. That will be bad news for some Blogmorites. Here’s an excerpt.

Mr. Edwards hired two young feminist bloggers in late January. But just weeks later, both of them – Amanda Marcotte of Pandagon and Melissa McEwan of Shakespeare’s Sister – felt compelled to resign following a firestorm of controversy over their past comments. Ms. McEwan, for example, once referred to President Bush’s supporters as his “wingnut Christofascist base.” Ms. Marcotte once created a satirical and quite vulgar Q-and-A in which she wondered what would happen if the Virgin Mary took emergency contraception. Unsurprisingly, both inspired the wrath of conservatives, including Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, who called the bloggers “foul-mouthed bigots.”

*Feet in mouth 50 cents

By Bill Harlan

The Senate State Affairs Committee just voted 8 to 1 to kill HB1293 — an abortion ban with exceptions for rape, incest and the health of the mother. Even some supporters of HB1215 spoke against it as unconstitutional. More in a bit. (Sen. Gene Abdallah, R- Sioux Falls was the lone “yea” vote.)

There could be a “smokeout” to force the bill out of committee to a vote of the full Senate, but Senate Republican Leader Dave Knudson of Sioux Falls said, “The root issue here is the clear unconstitutionality of this bill.”