Final Week of Session by District 24 Rep. Mike Weisgram.
The last week of legislative session was somewhat disjointed with session convening in the mornings before immediately recessing for budget-related meetings and negotiations.
Medical marijuana legislation was also top of mind this week. While Constitutional Amendment A is on hold until the Supreme Court makes it ruling, IM-26 (medical marijuana) is not. Legislators made various attempts at finding modifications that would be acceptable to both the House and Senate, but no agreement was found. The original wording of IM-26 will prevail, meaning the Department of Health and the Municipal League will be challenged to quickly develop guidance for our communities and State. It seems oversight from the legislature and other stakeholders would have been helpful.
It was a “hurry up and wait” kind of week, so in my free time I reflected on my first legislative experience. I found the following to be true:
- Professionalism of the Departments is top notch.
- Efficiency, innovation, and cost controls are the topics of much discussion.
- Our government officials desire to move the perspective of government forward.
- When considering legislation, the benefits of local controls versus government statues is ever present and debated.
- Communication, respect, and the willingness to constructively compromise are key factors in everything (which, of course, can always be improved).
I can’t help but try to compare my private business career experience with my (limited) legislative experience, but I acknowledge it is like comparing apples to oranges. So, in the legislator’s seat, I learned to lean on my principles when discussing, influencing, and voting on legislation. The biggest differences between government and business that I could see are government’s lack of “competition” and absence of the “fear of failing financially.” Private business owners experience this constantly, and it is quite a motivator. Another considerable difference is government’s appropriations (money spending) process. Structurally it seems correct, but it is clunky, too. I am not on the appropriations committee, so I am merely a bystander observing the process. I am struck by the cadre of people involved with everything from revenue forecasting, funding requests, and spending decisions. There are many cooks in the kitchen, including the Bureau of Finance and Management, Legislative Research Council, eighteen representatives and senators comprising the joint appropriations committee, all the state departments and agencies, and the Executive Branch. Considering it is the People’s money that is being spent, I am guessing the process is “clunky” by design.
Be rest assured that the abundance of one-time revenue was invested in projects that will be of great benefit to our State, our citizens, and our Country in the years to come. Whether or not you are comfortable with the federal government sending us funds that paid for some of our ongoing expenses in the name of COVID relief (and increased the size of our federal debt), it did free up dollars we had already budgeted. This meant we could invest them in worthy one-time projects. The following investments are notable for me: needs base scholarship funding, new bioproducts facility (at Brookings research park) that combines private business and university research, paying off debt already incurred, rehabilitating rail line from Fort Pierre to Rapid City, mineral industry building on the campus of South Dakota Mines (our country needs more rare earth minerals for technological advancements), and the Ellsworth Air Force Base Liberty Center to support the new B-21 Raider deployment in western South Dakota.
Even though the 2022 legislative session begins next January, preparation for it already begins this Monday. Your District 24 legislators (Mary, Will, and myself) will be touring, researching, asking questions, analyzing, and proposing what moves our district and state forward. Thank you for the opportunity to serve. I has been a high honor.
Home schooling legislation by District 24 Rep. Mike Weisgram.
The legislative session brings a multitude of topics to the forefront. This week, one of the hot issues was home schooling. SB177 updates existing homeschool legislation by allowing homeschooled children to participate in extracurricular activities without local school board restrictions. It also removes the standardized testing requirements in effect for fourth, eighth, and eleventh graders, leaving the children’s proficiency reporting as a responsibility of the parents. Another reporting issue is that the new legislation allows parents to directly notify the Department of Education that their child will receive alternate education rather than requiring that they inform their school districts.
When it came down to it, SB177 passed, and I was in the minority vote. I never had a doubt that the vast majority of homeschool parents and children experience a very positive education. In fact, I would venture to guess that 95 percent of children are succeeding with the current legislation due to dedicated parents. The reason I voted against the legislation was because I worry it increases the chance of education neglect. I also questioned the lack of proficiency testing. That said, I do appreciate the increased opportunity for extracurricular access that the bill assures.
I was the benefactor of very positive conversations with homeschool parents, and I appreciated that they could respect my hesitancy and conclusion. The perspectives of many school teachers and administration professionals were of much value as well. One thing an administrator shared with me resonated throughout my deliberations. It centered on the fact that there are a few scenarios where children are deprived of an adequate homeschool environment. They are not common, but they are present. This administrator explained that they saw the majority of homeschool situations as best-case scenarios with children excelling and thriving in their homeschool environments.
Yet the concern about this legislation making it easier to withdraw from public schools because of less accountability was real. In regard to those children who will undoubtedly face education neglect, this administrator said, “We see too many of the worst-case scenarios to afford to turn our backs on them.” I never got over the concern for those future at-risk children and because of that could not vote for SB177. The legislation passed, and I am hopeful for the positives to be realized and watchful for how undesirable consequences can be lessened.
Next week is the final week of this legislative session. Setting the final budget process will be the main focus. The joint Senate and House Appropriations committee, the Governor’s office, and the Legislature will play a role in ultimately deciding how state funds are spent. The goal, as it is every year, will be to provide a high level of services and investments to the citizens of the state while keeping taxes low.
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