(South Dakota Broadcasters Association)– Fifty million dollars more for water projects came within two votes of passing in the South Dakota House of Representatives Thursday (March 9, 2023).
SB 156 would have provided federal infrastructure funds to be used between now and 2025. The vote was 45 to 25 and failed because it needed a two-thirds majority to pass as an appropriation.
Earlier Thursday, the Senate had no trouble passing the measure on a 30 to 3 vote.
The $50 million amount comes from a compromise from a House-Senate conference committee. Last year, the Legislature approved $600 million in federal ARPA funds for water projects.
While there was little debate in the Senate over the funding, there was considerable debate in the House on adopting the conference committee report. Some legislators said since the state still needs a plan to use the funds, legislators should wait until next year to deal with the issue.
Most legislators did not concur with that thought.
“Parts of South Dakota need water,” said Republican Rep. Steve Duffy from Rapid City. “In the west, it is a little more acute. Climate change is real. We have the longest river in the United States (the Missouri River). People in the West want access to it. They have the power and influence to do that.”
Republican Rep. William Shorma of Dakota Dunes disagreed.
“The (Noem) Administration says we don’t need to do it (allocate the funds) yet,” He said. “We have no plan. In business, I never got a project approved without presenting a plan first.”
Republican Rep. Greg Jamison of Sioux Falls said access to clean water is one of the reasons why Sioux Falls has grown and expanded its economy.
“It has fundamentally changed Sioux Falls’s shape and destination because of water,” Rep. Jamison said. “Put the money into the fund to be used later.”
SB 156 is now in limbo, with only the Veto Day left on March 27.
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