Bills are changing fast via ‘hog house’ amendments

By: 
Rep. Steve Haugaard, District 10

Bills are being ‘tabled’ or ‘moved to the (non-existent) 41st day’ at lightning speed in the last two weeks of the 2022 Legislative Session. As has become the norm here in Pierre, there are pet projects that have the endorsement of the ‘powers that be’ as well as those that have support from the majority of the lobbyists.  

In these last days of the Session there are Bills that are suddenly being amended or entirely replaced with new wording. An entire rewrite is called a “hog house” amendment. With that in mind, it’s important to pay close attention to any Bill that is of interest to you. These changes can occur in the midst of a Committee Hearing or even on the Floor of the House or Senate.  

Many organizations and agencies are seizing on the opportunities presented with the flood of federal money. There are Bills in regard to “workforce housing”. It is asserted that this is a major need across the state, but the reality of these Bills is they are not limited to modest homes in affordable price ranges. The fact is there are few, if any, limits on the types or locations of these homes. As has been noted in our committee discussions of these Bills, they involve ‘grants’ and/or ‘revolving loans’ for developers, which will essentially increase their profit potential and decrease their personal investment. This is another example of how our ‘conservative’ state has increased our use of taxpayer dollars to pick winners and losers and to increase ‘public–private’ partnerships.  

What is missing from much of our legislative action is a ‘comprehensive plan’ to solve problems and we end up finding band-aids for long term issues. We really need to develop policies based upon principles of limited government and limited taxes. We should recognize that we are stealing away opportunities from the private sector to exercise wise discretion in meeting individual needs. “One size does not fit all.”

Please review the Bills and also the Committee calendars and agendas to see which issues are of special interest to you. Please go to www.sdlegislature.gov to listen in on the meetings or to find out when and where you can be involved.

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