PIERRE, S.D. (KELO.com) — Impeachment proceedings sucked the oxygen out of much of the past week, but there’s still a lot to do in the final eight days of the state Legislature in Pierre.
State appropriators have been busy working on the state budget. State coffers are full of one-time money and budget requests reflect the surplus.
But that doesn’t mean appropriators are in a mood to spend.
Take SB151, a bill to build out infrastructure supporting Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City was tabled Tuesday. A number of Pennington County Republicans were among those voting to table the bill.
Marijuana in all its forms remains a hot topic. Lawmakers continue to discuss how to best address the ‘will of the people’ regarding medical and recreational marijuana but are divided on when and how to proceed.
Rural broadband is a major push from Governor Noem’s office. Lawmakers generally support the concept but differ on how much to spend.
The main run of the 96th Session of the South Dakota State Legislature is scheduled to wrap up on March 11th. Lawmakers will return to Pierre on March 29 for one final day to take up any vetoes sent down from the Governor’s Office.
(Patrick Callahan, SDBA, contributed this report.)
