The Rural Lobbyist: Your weekly recap and forecast

January 20, 2017 – By #South Dakota Farmer UnionIt has been a busy week for SDFU out in Pierre fighting for family farmers and ranchers. Check out the info below to get our recap for the week and what to look out for going forward:

This Week *SDFU Board met with the Governor’s Office and the Secretary of State’s Office to discuss ADRDL, Premium E-30, and Farm Reports. *SDFU Lobbyists met with Public Utilities Commissioner Chris Nelson to discuss legislation related to grain buyers and grain warehouses.

*SDFU lobbied in favor of SB 22, removing the requirement for drone registration under 55lbs. The bill current awaits action in the House.

*SDFU lobbied in favor of SB 23, granting the authority to make loans from the state highway fund to local governments for roads and bridges. The bill currently awaits action in the House.

*SDFU lobbied against HB 1012, removing the requirement for the annual farm report. SDFU is still seeking a compromise amendment to merge in the information in both reports into a single report.

*SDFU lobbied in favor of SB 9/10, establishing the natural resource districts and providing for their elections. The bills were each differed by a vote of 7-2.

*SDFU lobbied for the removal of section 2 in SB 59, which would have had far reaching impacts on the initiative process. These attempts were successful as section 2 was struck from the bill by a vote of the committee.

*SDFU discussed legislative issues during Ag Hour on KWAT Radio in Watertown.

While this certainly doesn’t include all of the conversations and actions of the SDFU team in Pierre, we hope it gives you an idea of what your organization has been doing for you. Here is a look at what you should keep an eye out for going forward:

*The Governor’s Office has filed it’s version of last year’s buffer strip bill. This particular bill is similar to last year’s bill which was strongly supported by SDFU. The new bill, SB 66, takes a somewhat different approach to achieve the same result.

*Still no legislation filed for proposed funding for the Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Lab. These conversations still dominate the halls of the capitol.

*Recently reappointed Secretary of Agriculture Mike Jaspers will present to the Senate Ag committee on Tuesday along with State Veterinarian, Dr. Oedekoven and Commissioner of School and Public Lands, Ryan Brunner.

Stay tuned through Twitter and the Rural Lobbyist for more updates on the happenings in the state capital. Also check out our SDFU Bill Tracker on the right hand side of our Rural Lobbyist page! It is a new feature this year and will help provide great information on the legislation your SDFU team is following.

*Note: As we update the list, certain bills may appear on the list that don’t coincide with SDFU concerns. Rest assured we are constantly updating the list to take care of those problems. If you have any questions or comments on legislation feel free to contact me at [email protected] or at 605-350-8410.

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Last Modified: 01/20/2017 8:36:42 pm MST