Or call and leave a message with the pages; tell them who message is for, the message, who you are. The page will deliver your phone message to their desk, Senate 773-3821, House 773-3851

If you scroll down to the bottom of the page we have the e-mails for this years full house and full senate –  We also show the members of some 2023 & 2024 key committees. 

Bill Status Report 2024 – this gives you a summary of the status of all bills at the time you down load it. https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/BillStatus/69

 MyLRC is a state web page were you can set up an account and add bills, committee/chambers, statutes changed to your lists so that LRC will alert you by e-mail, when actions on them/by them are taken. If you are tracking mutiple bills, LRC will keep you appraised of their progress. https://mylrc.sdlegislature.gov/

Extensive bill tracking– in  past years Nancy Hilding studied all bills and engaged in bill tracking for environmental and good government bills that was placed  on this web site, which she updated every few days. If you want copies of previous years bill tracking, contact Nancy.  This year DRA has a google spreadsheet published on their web page with bill tracking of environmental and “good government” bills.

 ===========================================================================LinkLto a SDANW Zoom presentation by Linda Lea Viken and the passcode for you to use, in order watch

Linda Lea Viken’s presentation titled Legislative Essentials..

.this presentation about how to use the very useful Legislative Research Council’s website for accessing the legislature and its work:

https://zoom.us/rec/share/RqO8XeQy9s7kidQCwhLfV9Xx8EL0FN

fUgRVwpxEGmOQ6cCcOcWkda9_PLKUP4Csq.yrpEyVbVfPL3ANz9

 The passcode:  v+2V%sye

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2. Environmentalist Lobbying

SDGFP has bill tracking also and watches different bills –  https://gfp.sd.gov/legislative-updates/ 

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2024 PHAS Bill list – Bill Tracking – This section moved

 to a new web devoted to that task, :

https://phas-wsd.org/phas-bill-tracking-for-sd-legislature/  

 On the other web page is our bill tracking list. This bill tracking list started on this page, but grew too long, so it needed it’s own page. It 

 is a list of mostly find Environmental Bills, but a few “Good Government” bills are added. DRA bill tracking has more “Good Government” bills.  At first there is a short review of each bill but a few bills have longer alerts or discussion – which occur below the full bill list, but if immediate action needed, a longer alert may be moved above all the other bills.  Bills with asterisks to the left side are having action soon.

 LONGER BILL ALERTS

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SB 134 https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/25033 (< Link to the bill’s web page)  

THIS BILL IS DEAD 3/4/24, PHAS OPPOSES THIS BILL –  A bill to make an appropriation to create the healthy forest critical infrastructure relief and grant program and to declare an emergency. 

Bill progress

    This bill was voted on, on the Senate Floor on Tuesday, 2/27/24. It passed out of the Senate 2/27/24, unopposed, with a $1 appropriations, as a courtesy to the bill sponsor, who says he is still trying to figure out if SGB 134 qualified for  federal ARPA funds. It went to the House for a vote on 3/4/24. The House killed it n 3/4/24.

PAST HISTORY

  It was  first referred to Senate State Affairs, who on 2/2/24, passed it out of committee to Joint Appropriations with a do pass recommendation. Nancy  Hilding can send you,  on request, a copy of our written testimony on the bill for State Affairs, 

    It was up in Joint Appropriations for a hearing on 2/20/24. The bill was amended on 2/20/24 to reduce the award to the timber businesses from 20 million to 6 million and to restrict it so only half of it  (instead of 75%) can go to one entity. Thus Neiman (largest harvester of BHNF saw timber)  can now get only 3 million instead of 15 million. Nancy Hilding and Jim Terwilliger (the head of SD Bureau of Finance and Management) testified against it.  (You can listen to our testimony on-line – https://sdpb.sd.gov/sdpbpodcast/2024/jap26.mp3#t=2122)

No action was taken on 2/20/22.

        On 2/23/24 Appropriation amended it again and reduced the appropriated amount to $1 and passed it forward to the Senate floor.  A bill proponent asked for an amendment, to change amount awarded to $1, as a tactic to keep the bill alive, while proponents attempt to get an answer from the Federal Government on the question of if the proposed grant qualifies for federal money (Which the SD Bureau of Finance and Management says it does not).  This leaves the bill alive and allows for future negotiations on the amount to be awarded, description of grant conditions or source of money. 

    While was not on the Monday 2/26/24 Senate calendar, we were told to expect that calendar to be amended due to requirements of legislative rules and for the bill to be voted on on the Senate Floor on Monday 2/26/24. This did not happen. It is on the Calendar for Tuesday 2/27/24  We are told that the $1 funding amount Appropriations assigned normally reflects controversy over the bill.  Folks need to be writing their Senator or all of them, if you want. (Scroll down for e-mails of all of them). 

       The bill passed  the Senate with $1  appropriated.  It will next move to the House floor.

The bill was voted on in the House 3/4/24. It was killed on the house floor. This bill had an emergency clause, so it needed two thirds to pass. Two thirds of 70 is 46.62. The bill as amended,  failed to achieve that number, first vote  YEAS 44, NAYS 26  & There was a vote on whether to allow a  reconsideration vote; YEAS 46, NAYS 24: and the actual reconsideration vote YEAS 41, NAYS 29. 

Issues with the bill:

    This bill should be opposed, as it will help prop up the unattainable logging of the Black Hills, which is ongoing, in violation of federal law, due to political pressure. . It is also socialism for the logging industry. There is ample data indicating that due to wildfires, bark beetles and overcutting, there is not a sufficient inventory of trees to support Black Hills timber industry as it exists today.  Unfortunately, it will need to pare down to be viable long-term.  It does not make sense for taxpayers to support the current timber industry infrastructure, when it cannot remain viable.  Instead, the timber industry should be focused on downsizing for the long run.

ARPA allocation

    It is our understanding that the bill seeks to get Federal money that SD has received from the American Rescue Plan Act (Covid rescue legislation of 2021). Here is a link on Wikipedia that explains that fund https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Rescue_Plan_Act_of_2021

    The head of Bureau of Finance & Management testified twice that he did not think the bill met the requirements of the American Rescue Plan Act grant program.  He said that if the moneys are used inappropriately, the State might be audited and SD would have to return the money spent to the Feds. 

      Here is a link to the CFR for the rule that governs this federal grant program for State & Local Recovery Funds-  – https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/2023-Interim-Final-Rule.pdf  For more information on how the SD State Fiscal Recovery Fund works- see web pages on > https://bfm.sd.gov/budget/FY2025/StateFiscalRecoveryFunds.pdf  

Low Inventory of saw timber, not Covid, is the threat to saw mills

             Most of the reductions in timber supply the Black Hills industry are facing, are related to lack of standing saw timber inventory on the BHNF & are due to decades of over cutting (at a not sustainable rate) and are not related to Covid. Toni Strauss, deputy Supervisor sent me (Hilding)  an e-mail on 2/6/24 that said “We are also not able to quantify any impacts related to the COVID pandemic.” 

        If the timber industry is allocated access to SD’s share of federal grant money that it might not qualify for, it would be depriving worthy Covid harmed or threatened entities in SD of accessing that pool of federal grant money, whose money they actually would qualify for. 

            The major purchaser of Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) sawlogs is Neiman. Neiman might get 3 million from this bill, as the bill is currently written. Neiman has 2 Black Hills saw mills:  in Spearfish, SD & Hulette, Wyoming. Neiman also has 2 other mills in Colorado & Oregon.

            The BHNF has 200,000-400,000 acres of little pine trees (one-sixth to one third of the Forest). These little trees, close to the ground, can act as ladder fuels to carry fire to the canopy and they are a fire risk.  These thickets were created by opening the canopy, which lets sunlight and water down to the ground and which are an unfortunate side effect of both logging to prevent mountain pine beetle and of beetle kill.  Removing these thickets is pre-commercial logging, that does not create saw timber to supply the mills, but will create jobs relative to Black Hills vegetation management. 

         The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included $1.4 billion for the USDA Forest Service in wildfire risk reduction funds. The Inflation Reduction Act provided an additional $1.8 billion to reduce the risk of wildfire to neighborhoods, infrastructure, watersheds, and the many other benefits forests provide. .  https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/02/20/biden-harris-administration-announces-500-million-confront-wildfire

       A low inventory of adult trees on the landscape, will effect many other multiple-uses, other than timber.

For more information on logging issues in the Black Hills National Forest (BHNF)  we refer you:

The Norbeck Society has a series of web pages on the issue. You start viewing at the Norbeck Society web page at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d8ce039c0ab56657254042d/t/64963a42963cea10ced1ec16/1687566940885/Timber_NS.pdf

 A video presentation by Solomon Smith on BHNF Unsustainable Timber Program, 2023

https://www.facebook.com/norbecksociety/videos/893918888627765

A Forest Service (FS)  technical report, 2021 (This FS report told the BHNF in 2021 that its’ logging rate is unsustainable)

https://www.fs.usda.gov/rm/pubs_series/rmrs/gtr/rmrs_gtr422.pdf

Five letters written to the Regional Forester or the BHNF Supervisor by environmental groups/individuals and retired foresters about the unsustainable cutting of the BHNF in 2021-2023. PHAS helped write 4 of these letters. (You need a Scribd account to access the 5 letters. They are posted too Scribd.  Scribd accounts are free during the first trial month)

Link to index of letters,

https://phas-wsd.org/wp-content/uploads/Links_to-letters-various-environmentalist-groups-BHNFunsustainable-cut.pdf

Some Old References – old generic discussions of beetles and fire ……

“Pine Beetle Infestation and Fire Risk in the Black Hills”  by Grant Foster ,  2010….. Link to URL:   https://www.defendblackhills.org/document/firerisk2.pdf

“Logging to control Insects, The Science and Myths Behind Managing Forest Insect Pests, A Synthesis of Independently Reviewed Research,” 2005  …. Link to URL:   https://xerces.org/publications/scientific-reports/logging-to-control-insects

TAKE ACTION:

You can call and leave a message with the pages; tell them who message is for, the message, who you are. The page will deliver your phone message to their desk, Senate 773-3821, House 773-3851

Below find the e-mail for Joint Appropriations and the entire Senate

SENATE 2024

Arch.Beal@sdlegislature.gov, “jim.bolin@sdlegislature.gov” <Jim.Bolin@sdlegislature.gov>, “Shawn.Bordeaux@sdlegislature.gov” <Shawn.Bordeaux@sdlegislature.gov>, Bryan.Breitling@sdlegislature.gov, casey.crabtree@sdlegislature.gov, Sydney.Davis@sdlegislature.gov, Randy.Deibert@sdlegislature.gov, Mike.Diedrich@sdlegislature.gov, Helene.Duhamel@sdlegislature.gov, RedDawn.Foster@sdlegislature.gov, “Julie.FryeMueller@sdlegislature.gov” <Julie.FryeMueller@sdlegislature.gov>, Brent.Hoffman@sdlegislature.gov, Jean.Hunhoff@sdlegislature.gov, David johnson <David.Johnson@sdlegislature.gov>, Joshua.Klumb@sdlegislature.gov, Jack.Kolbeck@sdlegislature.gov, Steve.Kolbeck@sdlegislature.gov, Liz.Larson@sdlegislature.gov, “ryan.maher@sdlegislature.gov” <Ryan.Maher@sdlegislature.gov>, Jim.Mehlhaff@sdlegislature.gov, Reynold.Nesiba@sdlegislature.gov,  “al.novstrup@sdlegislature.gov” <Al.Novstrup@sdlegislature.gov>, Herman.Otten@sdlegislature.gov, Tom.Pischke@sdlegislature.gov, Tim.Reed@sdlegislature.gov, “Michael.Rohl@sdlegislature.gov” <Michael.Rohl@sdlegislature.gov>, Lee.Schoenbeck@sdlegislature.gov, Kyle.Schoenfish@sdlegislature.gov, Jim.Stalzer@sdlegislature.gov, Erin.Tobin@sdlegislature.gov, David.Wheeler@sdlegislature.gov, John.Wiik@sdlegislature.gov, “dean.wink@sdlegislature.gov” <Dean.Wink@sdlegislature.gov>, Larry.Zikmund@sdlegislature.gov

2024 Joint Committee on Appropriations . their e-mail:appropriations@sdlegislature.gov

Their web page – where you can find agendas and minutes: https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Committee/1206/Detail

bryan.breitling@sdlegislature.gov, chris.karr@sdlegislature.gov, chris.kassin@sdlegislature.gov, “dean.wink@sdlegislature.gov” <dean.wink@sdlegislature.gov>, dennis.krull@sdlegislature.gov, ernie.otten@sdlegislature.gov, jack.kolbeck@sdlegislature.gov, jean.hunhoff@sdlegislature.gov, “jim.bolin@sdlegislature.gov” <jim.bolin@sdlegislature.gov>, john.mills@sdlegislature.gov, john.wiik@sdlegislature.gov, lance.koth@sdlegislature.gov, larry.zikmund@sdlegislature.gov, linda.duba@sdlegislature.gov, mike.derby@sdlegislature.gov, reddawn.foster@sdlegislature.gov, “ryan.maher@sdlegislature.gov” <ryan.maher@sdlegislature.gov>, tony.venhuizen@sdlegislature.gov   

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HB 1071, https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/24868, 

THIS BILL IS STILL ALIVE 2/26/24, 

 PHAS OPPOSES THIS BILL it would let the Governor make agreements with the federal government to extend state authority over uranium mining/milling and handling other radioactive material. An agreement under this bill would eliminate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process for uranium mining/milling and handling other radioactive material. This would shut tribal governments out of the permitting process by eliminating requirements for tribal consultation. The public’s ability to oppose uranium projects would also shrink.  .  BHCWA has an alert on this bill – https://bhcleanwateralliance.org/public-hearings/state-level-comment-notices/  

 It passed the House with split vote – to see vote:  https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Vote/78605  The bill was sent to Senate Commerce and Energy for hearing at 10 am CT on 2/22/24, It passed out YEAS 8, NAYS 1., To Senate floor delayed till 2/26/24.  The bill passed the Senate, so it will go to the Governor for signature

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 SB 201 https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/25010 

provide new statutory requirements for regulating linear transmission facilities and to declare an emergency.  

THIS BILL IS STILL ALIVE 2/23/24 & It was on the senate floor 2/21/24 & passed Senate amended, with split vote YEAS 23, NAYS 11, to House Commerce & Energy, with  hearing on 2/26/24, the bill passed out of committee amended so it will go to the House Floor 2/28/24. Passed.Senate failed to concur with House amendments, so it goes to a conference committee.

 Here is a Dakota Rural Action alert text, sent out before it passed Senate Commerce and Energy (where it was amended):

SB 201 would:

· –      Strip local control from our counties

·   –    Overturn the ordinances passed through local democratic processes

·    –   Leave our entire state vulnerable with ZERO setbacks for CO2 pipelines

·    –   Allow plume modeling to be kept confidential from the communities who would be at risk in the event of a rupture

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SB 111 https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/24844. PHAS SUPPORTS, This bill would revise requirements for mining and mineral exploration. Referred to Senate Ag & NR, where it was amended and passed on 1/30/24. It will likely be on the floor on Thursday 2/1/24. Senate amended and passed it. Vote count 28 v 3- link to vote: https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Vote/79112, Hearing scheduled on  2/22/24 in House Ad & Nat. Resources. It passed out of committee to the Floor where is was amended to slow the rate of the increase in sureties for pre-existing mines.  As amended it passed the house: YEAS 62, NAYS 3 on 2/23/24.  It will now have to go back to the senate to see if they accept the changes. They did. The bill was sent to the Governor.

     This will impact sand, gravel & pegmatite mining & the exploration for minerals by charging larger fees & sureties.  Lithium mining occurs under sand/gravel laws  (Chapter 45-6:  https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/45-6)  not under our hard-rock mining laws (Chapter 45-6B:  https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/45-6B) , as it is mined as  pegmatite ore in the Black Hills. 

    The last surety/fee assignments via statute were in the 1980s  (1983 and 1982 respectively) and due at least to inflation, an increase  in the fees is needed. Our Sand/Gravel mining laws (Chapter 45-6) are woefully inadequate and need revision and this is a first step. These fees/sureties could be higher, but this is reform heading in right direction. 

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**Senate Bill 14, https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/24559 PHAS OPPOSES THIS BILL BUT IT PASSED BOTH HOUSES

Would permit taking of coyotes by invitees of landowner from snowmobiles in certain conditions – hunting from snowmobiles is currently not  allowed for any species except for coyotes & only by landowner/lessee. The bill  would also permit  “invitees” of landowner/lessee to hunt from snowmobiles, but removes the prohibition of chasing or driving coyotes for the permitted hunters

This bill passed out of Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee with an amendment by a unanimous vote- The amendment added a clause to prevent harassment of coyotes from snowmobiles.  Other species are protected from being chased, driven, harassed or killed from snow mobiles in this statute, but coyotes are only protected from “harassment, which is not defined in the chapter. Harassment is not the same as driving or chasing, as the verbs are separately listed for other species.  It was placed on the consent calendar. On Monday SB 14 was removed from Consent Calendar by Sen Nesiba and delayed for a vote until Tuesday, Jan 23rd. The bill passed the Senate with 3 “nay” votes. It is up in House Ag and Natural Resources on Tuesday 2/6/24, It passed Committee with 10 votes and 3 absent and was placed on consent. We asked the public to contact Representatives and ask them to remove it from the consent calendar. It was not removed from the consent calendar. Passed House on 2/7/24 with 2 votes against.  Here is a link to letter we (PHAS) sent  to all members of the House of Representatives on this bill. https://www.scribd.com/document/704285409/Please-Remove-SB-14-From-Consent-H-PHAS-Letter

 We object to this as cruelty to animals & also indiscriminate coyote hunting doesn’t work to reduce the population, so it is animal cruelty to no agricultural purpose.

Here is a link to our letter against SB 14 that explains issues with the bill: https://www.scribd.com/document/700546391/Please-Remove-SB-14-From-the-Consent-CalendarF  . Here is a link to a discussion sheet for arguments against indiscriminant coyote hunting  – https://projectcoyote.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/PC_SAB_Coyote-Facts_FINAL_2020_08.pdf   

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HB 1043 https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/24879. PHAS SUPPORTS, THIS BILL IS DEAD 2/14/24, Bill classifies lithium as a precious metal and authorizes a tax on it. House Ag & NR Committee amended and passed the bill 12-0, House passed 57-9 on 1/22.

 Vote tally:  https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Vote/78705  Sent to Senate Ag & NR. Amended to a 5% net profit tax and passed 7-0. Failed on the Senate floor 23-9 on 2/8. The bill needed 24 votes for the required 2/3s majority of the 35 members elect. Senator Deibert moved to reconsider the vote, that will happen Monday 2/12/24. Sen Deibert is a bill sponsor (responsible for helping the bill in Senate).  Here’s the nine Senators that voted against this bill, if you know any please contact them: Nays: Beal, Bordeaux, Crabtree, Foster, Hoffman, David Johnson, Larson, Nesiba, and Wiik.  Also Frye Mueller was absent, so we don’t know her position. Failed 2/12/24 here is the link to the vote:: https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Vote/79466

• HB 1043 would add lithium to the list of minerals for which companies would have to pay a severance tax — a fee for mining in our state. This bill would fill a gap in the law, as companies already have to pay tax on mining for other minerals. HB 1043 would generate funds that could help with infrastructure costs associated with mining and the clean up of lithium mining sites. 

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4. Key Committee Members for 2022 and 2023 and 2024

(we are in the process of updating these lists – 2024 lists may be the same as or very similar to  2023 – please note the year for each committee list)