2. Other topics YOU could discuss with SENATORS this weekend and early next week:
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SB147, to expand Medicaid. Of course, urge ALL legislators to SUPPORT this. The bill will be voted on first by Senate Appropriations committee:Â Buhl O’Donnell, Haverly, Phyllis Heineman, Omdahl, Parsley, Peters, Tidemann, Van Gerpen, White
SB169, pre-natal care for babies who will be US citizens once they are born, whether their moms are or not.
This makes moral sense as well as financial sense. Urge SUPPORT of these Senators on Health and Human Services committee:Â Bradford, Curd, Heinert, Phil Jensen, Rampelberg, Rusch, Tieszen
SB135, allow cities more sales tax for special projects. It goes to Senate State Affairs (listed above). Please ask them or the bill sponsors, Senator Brown and Rep. Munsterman, about this. Why more of such a regressive tax should be allowed. Aren’t cities faring well enough on revenues already? Wouldn’t it raise the tax people’s groceries? On their heating bills? and phones and internet? etc. Higher prices on these things already give increased revenue to cities. Going from the cities’ current 2% to 3% would be a 50% increase in city sales tax! That seems so huge, it makes me wonder if I understand this bill. If you find out anything, let me know.
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SB166, a big increase in the number of signatures needed for a citizen initiative. The practice has been to require 5% of the number of voters in the last election for governor. This bill requires 5% of all the registered voters, whether they vote or not. It’s a huge increase. This would make it harder for citizens to put measures before the voters. I say it is enough work already, and I have not noticed that our ballots had too many citizen initiatives under the present requirement. Why put a damper on democracy? (At the same time, a bill to require students to pass a civics exam is easily passing so far on its way through the legislature.)
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3. Two HOUSE bills to note here:
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Speaking of initiated measures for the vote of the people, HB1094 would change the minimum wage initiative that was just passed by the voters in November. This bill suggests that minimum wage should go down, if the consumer price index were to go down.Â
— But the point of the measure the voters passed was to bring minimum wage UP, up closer to something people could live on. It is still far from that. Full-time work at the current minimum ($8.50/hr) does not even reach poverty line for a family of 3.Â
— The value of a worker’s labor does not go down just because prices go down. These are two separate things.
— And why bring down the pay ONLY for the lowest-paid workers?Â
Urge all Rep’s to OPPOSE HB1094, especially House Commerce committee: Rep’s Beal, Deutsch, Harrison, Hawley, Kirschman, Al Novstrup, Rounds, Schoenbeck, Stalzer, John Wiik, Willadsen, Wollmann, Zikmund
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HB1193, shift sales tax off food. With this bill, SD cities would keep taxing food, but the state’s sales tax would go from 4% to zero on food and from 4% to 4.35% on non-food, keeping the same revenue for the state.Â
— This bill makes some of the regressivity out of our sales tax, the part due to taxing groceries.Â
— South Dakota is one of the few states taxing groceries. None of our neighboring states does this.
— Currently your total tax on food over a year is enough to buy your food for 3 weeks.Â
— Most SD households would come out ahead with the best benefit felt right in the grocery store.Â
— You can buy used clothes, books, furniture etc, but you cannot buy used food!Â
Urge SUPPORT of all Rep’s, especially House Taxation committee: Rep’s Bartling, Beal, Duvall, Don Haggar, Killer, Kirschman, Latterell, May, Al Novstrup, Rasmussen, Rozum, Russell, Solum, John Wiik, Willadsen
TO CONTACT LEGISLATORS:
Or call at home on weekends. They expect this. Find phone numbers on
l3wis 
