From the week ending January 29, 2010.

This week was a very busy week for everyone at the Capitol. The deadline for finalized bills was Thursday, and all bills must be introduced into their respective houses by Tuesday, February 2.

Priority Bills Submitted to LRC!
DRA's Home Processed Foods Bill and Pipeline Spill Recovery Bill have both acquired sponsors on both sides of the isle and house, and have been submitted to LRC to be finalized. The Home Processed Foods Bill has Rep. Sly (R-Dist. 33) as the prime sponsor in the House, and Sen. Merchant (D-Dist. 7) in the Senate. The prime sponsor for the Pipeline Spill Recovery Bill is Sen. Maher (D-Dist. 28) and Rep. Lucas (D-Dist. 26A).

When finished in LRC the bills will be introduced into their respective houses and assigned a bill number, either Monday or Tuesday at the latest. After these bills are introduced we will wait for them to come up on the agenda for their assigned committees. The Home Processed Foods will most likely go to House Health and Human Services Committee, while the Pipeline Spill Recovery will be directed towards the Senate State Affairs Committee. We will know a couple days before the committee hearing if our bills are being addressed. At that point, we will want to get as many people affected and/or working on these bills (especially the Pipeline Bill) to come out and testify.

Legislators are already talking about these bills, even before they have been introduced. Sen. Howie (R-Dist. 30) has spoken about the possibility of amending the Pipeline Spill Recovery Bill. He thinks the bill would be more favorable if it were amended to have some of the fees collected go towards road maintenance. This would not necessarily be a bad thing, but there is worry that if the amendment is not worded correctly it could take too much money away, leaving the fund short of funds. We will keep our ears open and make sure to continue work with those wanting to amend the bill, so we don't get short changed.

Raw Milk
DRA and concerned members continue to work with Rep. Brunner (R-Dist. 29) to draft possible amendments for HB 1057. Currently, the thoughts are there will be multiple amendments. Rep. Brunner is interested in changing the point of sale requirements from only being allowed on the producers' farm to no requirements, as long as it is a direct sale between producer and consumer. He also would like to lower the penalty for selling unlabeled raw milk. The bill in its current for sets the maximum fine at $5,000 however with DRA's advice it will possibly be lowered to $500-$1000. On the other hand, changing the permit requirements is not a big priority for him. He feels that requiring producers to acquire permits would be a fair compromise to offer the Dept of Agriculture.

However, Rep. Brunner remains open to any and all amendments DRA and producers will bring to him, and he continues to be interested in working with DRA to insure our concerns are met like the permitting requirement and the sale of value added products. HB 1057 is hesitantly being planned for a committee hearing in two weeks, at that point DRA will need to have our proposed amendments and contribute a large showing of local producers to push this along.

Midwifery Bill Submitted
Three midwifery bills were introduced this week in the House and Senate. SB 96 will provide for the registration of certified professional midwives. SB 107 will allow for the practice and regulation of licensed midwives; and HB 1183 authorizes birth centers to operate in the state. These bills were drafted by SD Safe Childbirth Options, which DRA will help support throughout the session.

Livestock Definitions
In the continuing debate and legislative battle over the National Animal Identification System, Sen. Maher introduced SB 75 last week, which would define premises as the contact person responsible for the animals. During the same hearing Sen. Howie submitted an amendment that hoghoused SB 75 and replaced the language with more specific language referring to participation in NAIS. After hearing arguments from both sides, it was decided that SB 75, and all of its amendments will be deferred to the next committee hearing on Tuesday, February 2nd. Arguments and testimony will again be heard from both sides, and the amendments will be considered and voted on. Members interested in this issue should make plans to attend the 10 a.m. hearing. Call the DRA office,605-697-5204, if you would like help preparing.

Small Scale Renewable Energy
Sen. Kloucek (D-Dist. 19) introduced three bills that address renewable energy and efficiency projects. SB 93 exempts certain small wind energy facilities from property taxation. SB 94 promotes the establishment of rural community based energy development projects, and SB 95 established a grant program to fund certain energy efficiency projects.

Possible Limitations for University Presidents
Sen. Kloucek and Rep. Lange (D-Dist. 8) introduced SB 111 that prohibits outside employment and compensation from any corporate business by presidents of state institutions of higher education.

If you have any questions please call the office at 605.697.5204 or email.

In Pierre,

Luke Temple, DRA Organizer and Lobbyist