2019 S.D. Legislature: Nursing home closures at forefront as session ends

PIERRE – The South Dakota Legislature will conclude its 94th Session on Friday to consider any vetoes the Governor might issue, as well as resolving any matters that need the attention of the full Legislature. As of this writing, there remains over 30 Bills on the Governor’s desk.  

We will also have our first Executive Board meeting on Friday after we adjourn. This year, I will serve as Chairman of the Executive Board. The “E Board” serves as the interim voice of the entire Legislature between the sessions. We will consider any interim or summer studies and we will discuss many issues which need attention as we look forward to the next session.

The issues which seem to be of greatest importance as we work through the summer will involve ongoing efforts to address nursing home closures and the possibility of repurposing some of those homes, such as allowing the currently unused beds to be utilized in other ways. We also need to address the receipt of federal funds/grants and whether those funds in certain cases are even necessary. There are still unanswered questions in regard to juvenile criminal corrections and a need to evaluate our adult corrections problems. Are we simply incarcerating people who actually need treatment as opposed to punishment? Or, is the punishment sufficient or is it excessive? We will also give ongoing attention to the delivery of mental health services across the state and how to make that more effective and efficient.

I have often spoken of the Legislature’s need to become more engaged with the oversight of our state government, and that is now in the developmental stage. It has been many decades since our Legislature composed its own state budget. That, too, is beginning to change. We do have a very professional support staff, but needs additional staff members to provide assistance to oversee the changes taking place within the state agencies in regard to both agency services as well as their budgetary needs. As I write this, I am mindful of the desire to have streamlined services, including in the Legislature. However, it is important to realize that our Legislature has either the smallest or nearly the smallest staff and budget of any state in the United States.

A quick summary of our state budget is as follows: 49 percent of the state budget goes to education, 35 percent is used to take care of people in terms of Medicaid, DSS/DHS as well as other state institutions, 10 percent goes to protecting the public through corrections, the courts, public safety and the Attorney General’s office, and 6 percent pays for all of the rest of the functions of state government, including the five constitutional offices, the Governor’s office, AND the Legislature.  n fact, the entire Legislature consumes LESS THAN one-fourth of 1 percent of the entire state budget. So, we intend to remain a lean operation, but we also want to be effective in serving the best interests of the citizens of South Dakota.

Again, I encourage you to visit the Legislative Research Council website. There you will be able to see how each of us voted on the Bills and probably hear some of the explanation as to why we voted for or against each bill. The archived testimony and floor debate are available at any time on the Legislative Research Council website found at https://sdlegislature.gov/

Thank you for following the progress of the annual legislative session and thank you for your insights in regard to any of the bills we are considering. Be sure to contact me with questions you might have. I try to respond to anyone from Districts 10 and 25, so please note that on the subject line of your email.  Steven.Haugaard@sdlegislature.gov