Updates from Pierre

Letters to District 30 

02-05-2023

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The Appropriations Committee is a legislative committee responsible for reviewing and making recommendations on the state's budget and financial matters. The committee considers proposals for state spending and makes recommendations for allocating funds to various departments and programs. The committee also reviews and monitors the state's financial status and recommends budget and financial policies changes.

In the House, we passed HB 1011. This is one of the most significant tax cuts in State History at 18 million.  The House is serious about cutting taxes. We passed SB 41(200 million) Housing infrastructure program bill.  It was declared an emergency so the funds could be used for this year's construction season.

Other bills we will be considering are:

• House passed HJR 5004  currently being heard by the Senate. If passed by the legislature and the voters, it will incentivize people to return to work by allowing the state to require Medicaid recipients that can apply for work to do so.

Some tax cuts that will be up for consideration are:

•  The grocery tax cut (HB 1075) is a sales tax cut with estimated savings for taxpayers at $100-$110 million. Governor Noem proposed this.

• Property Tax Cut for Homeowners (HB 1043) with an estimated tax cut for taxpayers at  $75 million. This was proposed by the Legislative Summer Study Committee on Property Taxes this summer with our own Representative Ladner as the Chair.

• General Sales Tax cut. (HB 1137)  This bill would change the State sales tax rate from 4.5 to 4. Estimated cut for taxpayers at $170 million.

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We will be working on these tax cuts for the session and most likely will not hear it on the floor until March. With all these tax cuts, we must be cautious about how we go about putting money back into the pockets of South Dakota taxpayers.

We are also looking at Reimbursement for nursing homes and issues involving workforce retention and the election process.   Issues of workforce retention and the shortage of skilled labor in the state must be addressed.

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If you want to see how your elected officials voted on any bills, go to https://sdlegislature.gov/.  You can also check attendance in the house or senate and the progress of any of the bills for consideration. 

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