OTHER NEWS
How they voted: A look at the 2009 legislative session

By Robert O'Connell
Public Affairs & Communications Director

Each year the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce rates legislators on how they voted on the bills that are approved by the Chamber's Board as its platform. The Chamber strives to be impartial and accurate in presenting this information. The publication of "How They Voted" is designed to facilitate an ongoing dialogue on business concerns between voters and elected officials. The compilation shown here should not be viewed as a rating of overall effectiveness of individual legislators; rather, this information is a way to inform Chamber members how area legislators responded to issues strongly advocated by Sioux Falls businesses and Forward Sioux Falls investors.

When legislators are called away from the floor and are not present during a vote, an "excused" vote is recorded and the legislator gave proper notification regarding the need to be away from the floor. However, whenever a legislator was excused or absent on a particular bill, the Chamber scored the non-vote as a "No" vote. The votes for Districts 9 through 15 are shown on the attached chart. A (+) indicates a vote aligned with the Chamber's position on each issue, and a (-) indicates a vote that did not support the Chamber's position. The number in parentheses indicates the legislative district in which each legislator serves. All votes in this listing are on final passage of the bill unless otherwise indicated.

For more information about the 2009 session, contact the Chamber's lobbyist and Public Affairs & Communications Director Bob O'Connell at (605) 336-1620 or roconnell@siouxfalls.com.

The Chamber's 2009 Legislative Platform contained a plank supporting the state's continued funding of the Lewis and Clark water project. The state funding amounts to $6.3 million from fees and not from the general fund. HB1238 contained the funding for the Lewis and Clark project.

This year the Chamber again promoted a bill to enhance K-12 education funding. SB 106 reflected the Chamber's position and passed the Senate. The House Education Committee changed the bill completely so no House vote is reflected on the chart. The Chamber thanks the following legislators for their support in the House Education Committee for the bill as originally promoted by the Chamber: Thompson, Fargen, Killer, Sorenson, Schlekeway and Elliot.

The Chamber supported a number of bills to enhance transportation infrastructure. HB 1007 would have raised funds for transportation infrastructure. The vote on this bill is shown in the chart.

Another platform plank would have allowed the Department of Education to establish standards for pre-school education. The bill that reflected this concept was SB 191. The bill died in the House Education Committee and there is no vote in the full House to rank legislators. However, the Chamber thanks the House education members for their votes in favor of SB 191: Thompson, Fargen, Killer, Sorenson, Elliot and McLaughlin.

The Chamber plank on property tax reform supported legislation that would result in a fair, equitable and uniform system of property tax and that the tax should not unduly burden any classification of property. The production model for assessing agricultural land passed the legislature in 2008. The final numbers for that system were adopted this year. The results of the studies on that system seem to indicate that, at least initially, the system will meet the Chamber Board's requirements. However, there were a number of legislators who expressed concerns about the system and who supported an alternative process. On this plank, therefore, the Chamber will not reflect a vote on the chart but will carefully continue to monitor the impact of the change. It should be noted there was no dispute that the system now in effect does not reflect the Chamber's criteria.

The bills previously mentioned reflect the Chamber platform planks sent to the legislators. Other noteworthy bills supported by the Chamber during the session include the following:

HB 1072 was changed during the session to allow for a tourism tax increase of half a percent. That tax continues the tourism promotion fund and arts funding including about $1 million in federal funds. The Chamber thanks the following legislators who voted to continue these important projects: Peters, Krebs, Schlekeway, Solberg, Curd, Steele, Thompson, Blake, Cutler, Feinstein, Kirschman and Vanderlinde in the House and Abdallah, Dempster, Jerstad, Heidepreim and Knudson in the Senate.

SB 68 will allow for a research park to be established under certain criteria in Sioux Falls. The Chamber appreciates the assistance of the following legislators who voted for this bill: Abdallah, Dempster, Gant, Jerstad, Heidepriem, Knudson, and Miles in the Senate and Engels, Hunt, Krebs, Schlekeway, Solberg, Curd, Steele, Thompson, Blake, Cutler, Feinstein, Kirschman and Vanderlinde in the House.

HB 1027 will assist small employers to provide health insurance for their employees. The Chamber thanks all legislators who supported this bill, which passed both houses unanimously.