Troy Heinert of District 26 Reporting from Pierre

Above: Senators Heinert and Killer host students from St. Joseph's of Chamberlain on the Senate Floor

Greetings friends, neighbors, fellow tribal members, and especially to the District 26 constituents. The fourth week of the 93rd Legislative Session was a flurry of activity as we had reached the deadline for individual bills. There have been over 600 pieces of legislation filed this session, so I don’t expect a break in the action anytime soon. The Senate has been clearing our floor calendar daily, which will help speed the process as we approach crossover day.

Congratulations to District 26’s own Bart Blum on his re-appointment to the SD Brand Board. Mr. Blum and his family are great assets to our state and our district! The Senate Ag Committee also passed SB 156, an act to revise certain provisions regarding brand inspections. This bill will allow East River producers to obtain a brand inspection for their livestock prior to taking them into a brand inspection area. This language is permissive and not a requirement. SB 156 will be debated on the Senate floor this week; feel free to reach out to me with any questions.

Thursday Feb. 1st was quite a treat for me. The 7th and 8th grade students from St. Joseph's in Chamberlain were able to join us in the Capitol. I was able to take them onto the floor and explain the process of how a bill becomes law. I really enjoy when school groups are able to visit their Capitol; a future Senator or Governor’s dream may be sparked in just a simple visit. Please reach out to me if you have a group coming to Pierre or if you would like me to visit with your students at their school.

Thank you to all the people that recently attended the cracker barrels in Chamberlain and Kimball. I enjoy seeing your community and visiting with you about the issues in Pierre as well as getting direction from you on topics you would like to see us take on. I appreciate that in District 26 we are able to gather and have candid conversations about issues no matter what party you may belong to. We talked about the important issues of education, healthcare, and specific bills. We spent a considerable amount of time talking about how meth is destroying our communities and families. I agree with many of you that as well intentioned as SB 70 was from a few years ago, the Legislature has not lived up to its promise to fund it. I will continue to pursue this funding to be used by our counties to adequately address their needs for counseling, treatment, prevention, and adjudication. We are truly five steps behind this problem and it will take all of us to get in front of it.

I appreciate the opportunity and responsibility to represent you in Pierre. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions, concerns, or ideas. I enjoy hearing from you! I can be reached at Troy.heinert@sdlegislature.gov or 605-319-6570. Thank you again!