When figuring legislative spending, perhaps naivete is part of the problem

By Gordon Garnos

AT ISSUE: South Dakota's legislators are now on their two-week hiatus before they return March 17 for the real, final day of this year's session.

It appears the two big issues facing this session and getting the most press were the Governor cutting $2 million from the Highway Patrol's budget and how much money was going to be sent to the k-12 schools in the state. Of course there were other spending issues as well, including what the Regents are going to get to run our public colleges, but we didn't hear much about them.

SOUTH DAKOTANS won't learn until March 17 what new laws the state will have and which ones will hit the trash can with the magic touch of the Governor's veto. Whatever happens March 17, it is obvious that the honeymoon between Governor Mike Rounds and our legislators is now over. Is it a case of "What's in your wallet?" Whether or not they will be able to kiss and make up by that wizardry day remains to be seen.

We say there is a rift between the two branches of South Dakota government because of the battles during the past 34 days or so. For example, early in the session most of the legislators signed onto a bill that would put back $2 million into the Highway Patrol's fund. However, by the time the fat lady got through last Thursday singing the verse about the replacement of these funds, the legislators, or most of them, anyway, decided maybe the governor was right and, consequently, none of that $2 million was going to be replaced.

However, the prime sponsor of that bill, Sen. Gene Abdallah, from Sioux Falls' District 10, appears to have fought to the end, but to no avail. This appears largely because of one of his District 10 counterparts, Rep, Shantel Krebs, wife of Mitch, the Governor's chief of staff.

IN THE CLOSING arguments in his attempt to regain the Patrol's funding, Abdallah wondered if S. Krebs was representing the Legislature or the Governor's office. Needless to say, Mrs. Krebs didn't much like that crack and let him know in no uncertain terms that she represented just about everyone in South Dakota.

There are two bottom lines to this battle: First, South Dakotans won't be seeing as much of the Highway Patrol as we should this next fiscal year and second, I suspect we won't see Sen. Abdallah spending much in Rep. Krebs' two Sioux Falls boutiques for some time to come...

THE UNFORTUNATE thing about the Legislature's appropriation for education is that it traditionally comes on the the last day, instead of getting the job done earlier in the session. This year it was no different. It, too, again proved the honeymoon between Governor Rounds and the Legislature has been strained. This showed on several fronts. First, they couldn't decide how much money was going to be spent during the fiscal year that starts July 1.

Rounds' staff estimated there would only be $1.84 billion available from tax revenues while the legislative economic pundits predicted there would be about $11 million more in the state's kitty, putting their guess at $1.95 billion. This certainly had to be another bone of contention with the Governor.

Then, when the Governor suggested just a 2.5 percent increase for both our K-12 students and state employees, that had to stick pretty hard in someone's gizzard. From there, there were all sorts of proposals for these groups. They ranged from a flat $1,000 raise for state employees to as high as a 4.25 percent increase in the state aid to education spending package.

THE FINAL NOTE came when the (figurative) smoke finally cleared and the hoopla was coming to an end about 11 p.m. last Friday, when our legislators approved a $3.6 billion budget, the other funds coming, of course, from the feds and other sources. Its budget settled at $4.9 million higher than Governor Rounds had recommended.

So, what's it going to do for our teachers? It boils down that there will be a 3 percent increase in state money going to education, which at least one-half percent must be used to raise teacher salaries above their normal raises. What this means in actual dollars and "sense" will come from the school districts, themselves.

In the meantime, as the curtain came down on the main part of this session, it looks like the Governor is unhappy with the legislators; the legislators being unhappy with the Governor; the House members are upset with the Senate members and the Senate members are upset with the House members; and the Democrat legislators are ruffled at the Republican legislators and the Republican legislators are ruffled at the Democrat legislators. So, what does all of this mean? It means this was another session as usual, but more on that next week....


Gordon Garnos was long-time editor of the Watertown Public Opinion and recently retired after 39 years with that newspaper. Garnos, a lifelong resident of South Dakota except for his military service in the U.S. Air Force, was born and raised in Presho.