S.D. Legislative session graphic. Photo courtesy Dakota Radio Group.
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO.com) — The South Dakota legislative session got underway officially with Governor Kristi Noem’s State of the State speech. She highlighted her policy and spending priorities.
House Majority Leader Kent Peterson of Salem says the state’s economy is solid.
“We’ve come through the pandemic as well as anyone,” Peterson said. “It was very nice to hear about all of the things that [Noem] is working on, but most importantly for me how our economy is doing.”
South Dakota is poised to pass its biggest budget ever this year, bolstered by federal COVID-19 aid. Peterson says there will be an intense debate over the available dollars.
“I remember years when we’d fight over five or 10 million dollars, total,” Peterson said. “You’re talking a billion, a billion and a half dollars [this year], an unprecedented amount of money.”
Senate Minority Leader Troy Heinert of Mission said he would have liked to have heard more in Noem’s speech about the primary source of the state’s record revenue.
“I was glad to hear that we’re doing so well financially,” Heinert said. “I was a little disappointed that we’ve had billions of dollars pumped into the state by the federal government. That has helped quite a bit.”
Heinert says he was disappointed the Governor didn’t talk more about COVID-19 in her speech.
“When you look at the papers and when you talk to people in the communities, COVID is coming back and we need to make sure we recognize that this is still an issue, and there are going to be some problems yet,” Heinert said.
Noem referred to the pandemic in the past tense several times in her speech, while also speaking out against government vaccine mandates. Read the full text of her speech here.
Bill introduction continues this week and the first committee hearings will start this week.
(Jerry Oster, WNAX, contributed to this report.)
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