State Senator District 11
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: $14,778.60/year + $157/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.
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Chris Karr
(Rep)
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Steve Natz
(Dem)
What should our state government do to support access to affordable housing?
How do you view the initiative and referendum process in South Dakota? Are there any changes to this system that you would support?
How will you protect voting rights while maintaining the security and integrity of our elections?
What should our state government do to support access to affordable, quality childcare?
What do you see as the most important challenges facing our state?
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Voters are telling me property taxes are too high and the government keeps bragging about its surplus. We need to take a hard look at our priorities as a state and get a better handle on how we fund the business of government. In the complicated discussion of affordable housing, the question of property taxes gives way to a fairly straightforward answer: The government shouldn’t be responsible for pricing people out of their homes.
The initiative is as vital as it is accessible. South Dakota’s experiment in direct democracy continues to pay dividends as citizens implement the initiatives politicians lack the care or courage to put forward for themselves. We saw this with passage of Medicaid expansion, a policy the legislature turned down several times before the voters approved the issue. In Pierre, I will fight to preserve the sanctity of the initiative and referendum process, and I will ensure voters always have a way for their voice to be heard, even when their government refuses to listen.
A lot of people have lost faith in our election process and for good reason. The politicians they send to Pierre continually vote against the public interest, and when the voters succeed in putting forward their own policies through the ballot initiative process, the legislature routinely undermines the will of the people. I will be a champion for the South Dakota voter; I will fight against the government’s repeated impulse to overturn election outcomes and promote the democratic processes from which our state slogan originates, “Under God, the people rule.”
The question of childcare can be an intimidating one. The legislature has spent the last four years looking for a one-size-fits-all, “silver bullet” to the childcare crisis. However, the solutions we need fit like pieces of a puzzle, one at a time. For example, many communities around the state have already seen the payoff from early childhood education opportunities and after-school programming. Removing regulatory hurdles will allow businesses to support in-office daycare for their workers. These solutions in isolation will not solve the problem, but if we implement several small initiatives, we can develop a comprehensive system worthy of South Dakota’s children.
A quick glance at our state’s finances may lead one to believe that the state of South Dakota’s government is strong (annual surpluses, “low taxes,” etc.). However, a closer look reveals a system in crisis. Property taxes are at historic highs while our state depends on the federal government for several of our most important programs. The programs that the state chooses to participate in are administered by inefficient bureaucracies or underfunded grant processes. It’s time for the legislature to step up and build a government that serves the needs of the people.
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