The 2019 legislative session begins soon and the 94th legislative session features more than a few key days.
This year’s session contains two more days than last year’s and kicks off with Gov. Kristi Noem’s first State of the State address on Tuesday, January 8.
Gov. Noem also plans to hold an additional speech to address her budget proposal, but the date has not been set; ASBSD will update that information when available.
On the final day in January (1/31), all bills and resolutions will need to be introduced in order to be considered by the legislature.
Two weeks later, on Thursday, February 14, the Joint Appropriations Committee will select its revenue targets for the Fiscal Year 2020 budget.
A staple of legislative session is ASBSD’s Legislative Day, which will be held on Tuesday, February 19 AND coincides with South Dakota School Board Recognition Week, which will take place from February 18-22.
The following week of the 2019 legislative session brings “Crossover Day”, which means all bills have to be passed through the original chamber they were introduced in order to continue on in the legislative process, on Monday, February 25.
Soon after, all bills – save for the general fund bill – and resolutions must pass both legislative chambers by Thursday, March 7.
The final three days of session, beginning Monday, March 11, will accommodate any conference committees needed for the House and Senate to attempt to reach an agreement on a disputed bill and for the chambers to pass the bill, with the final full day of session set for Wednesday, March 13.
Finally, legislative session comes to an official end on Friday, March 29 with “Veto Day.”
As always, updates from legislative session can be found regularly on the ASBSD Blog, Twitter feed and Bill Tracker page.