Description: The South Dakota State Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of South Dakota. It is a bicameral legislative body, consisting of the Senate which has 35 members, and the House of Representatives, which has 70 members. The two houses are similar in most respects; the Senate alone holds the right to confirm gubernatorial appointments to certain offices. The Legislature meets at the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. It begins its annual session of the second Tuesday of January each year. The legislative session lasts 40 working days in odd-numbered years, and 35 days working days in even numbered years.Term: 4 consecutive 2 year termsSalary: $16,348/year + $178/day for legislators who reside more than 50 miles away from the capitolRequirements for Office: 21 years old; 2 years residency; qualified voter; may not have been convicted of bribery, perjury or other infamous crime; may not have illegally taken "public moneys".Petition Requirements: Depends on party and legislative district. See SD Secretary of State's website for details.
Past legislation provided funding to the SD Housing Development Authority to cover infrastructure costs in municipalities, spurring development.
Currently, the most common option is requesting a TIF, which redirects property tax dollars for up to 20 years back to the developer; boosting development of affordable housing.
As the Davison County Planning & Zoning Director, I support continued growth, which equalizes the property tax burden for all residents. These grants and loans will ease the new development costs for workforce housing, spurring developments, while keeping the housing costs reasonable. Every structure built adds property value to the tax rolls, reducing the burden for all. Every structure built adds property value.
The Legislature routinely sacrifices funding to the State Aid to School Formula. Schools received addition funds, but the salary increases don’t increase at the same rate, due to administrative and support costs. The average teacher salary is still at the bottom. However, the starting teacher salary hovers in the middle for the Nation. SD still has several hundred vacant teaching positions at any given time. If we increase, so do our neighbors, still leaving us at the bottom.
Additional funding does not equate to smarter students. However, attracting better teachers is a good start. The SD Education System needs a thorough review, getting back to the basic courses to prepare students to be successful in college and a career.
Some will say there is not enough time to gather signatures. Personally, I feel there is. If you feel strongly enough about an issue, you will find the supporters to help get signatures.
We are required to show identification for several things in life and elections should be no different. Although there may be some fraud in elections, I do not feel there is in our District. I have watched first hand how they are run and am confident they are secure.
I am not sure government should get involved in the business of childcare. This is a private business issue. There are several existing programs to assist a business with costs. Where does government stop? We can't get our fingers into every issue.
The counties in my district provide property tax collected to the local governments. Personally, when I get up in the morning I like to have running water. On my way to work, I like to have a decent road to drive on. I also like the feeling of our community being protected by law enforcement. So, when it comes to collecting taxes, that is a local issue to be taken up with the schools, cities, and county.
The State has increased the budget drastically over the last 10 years, yet we are not focusing on how to reduce the State budget, we focus on the local budgets. Can we reduce spending? Absolutely. Do we need tax reduction? Absolutely. I think we need to tackle this from both sides, cutting spending and increasing revenue.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
