Pierre
Deadline passes for SD bill introductions
It’s debate time in Pierre. The period to introduce bills in the South Dakota Legislature has closed, and Gov. Dennis Daugaard already signed his first bill in the 2016 legislative session Monday. The bill, soon-to-be law, will give a rebate of sorts to state and local government to enter into contracts that create energy efficiency […]
Legislature addresses transgender rights in K-12 schools
A rise in transgender culture has swept through pop culture and media this past year, and now there are multiple bills regarding the rights of transgender students now being evaluated by the South Dakota Legislature. House Bill 1008 would require that public schools must provide transgender students with “reasonable accommodations,” and restrooms, locker rooms and […]
Pierre tackles South Dakota teacher pay
Gov. Dennis Daugaard is leading the charge to get South Dakota out of last place when it comes to teacher pay. “This is the year to act,” Daugaard said in his State of the State address Jan. 12. A task force commissioned by Daugaard found that South Dakota’s average teacher pay was $11,888, a year […]
Board of Regents requests $4.7 million for tuition freeze
Students at the University of South Dakota paying in-state tuition may be breathing easier next year about their tuition bills. After raising tuition rates by an average of about 5.8 percent at all six South Dakota public universities for the 2015-2016 school year, the South Dakota Board of Regents is pursuing $4.7 million in funding from the state […]
Legislators allocate emergency funds for needs-based awards
Governor Dennis Daugaard signed Senate Bill 91, declaring an emergency for the South Dakota Needs Based Grant Program and allocating $150,000 in emergency funding to the South Dakota Board of Regents March 30. The law is a temporary fix for a $1.5 million program established in 2013 to fund needs-based scholarships for South Dakota residents. […]
UPDATED: Gun bill ignites debate for campus, legislators
The state House has voted down a measure that would allow people 21 years or older to carry a concealed weapon at the University of South Dakota. House lawmakers voted 48 to 20 to dismiss House Bill 1206, which was opposed by student groups who lobbied lawmakers to deny the proposal. The House Local Government Committee voted […]
District 17 legislators inform residents of session happenings at cracker barrel
House Bill 1030 hits home for District 17 Rep. Nancy Rasmussen, R-S.D. The bill would require operators of motor vehicles to give bicyclists three feet of space on town roads and six feet of space on highway roads. Her son nearly crashed because of an incident on a highway between a semi-truck and bike rider […]
Students spend part of semester in state Capitol
Senior Clay Hoffman didn’t originally consider interning outside of Vermillion during his final semester as an undergraduate at the University of South Dakota. Then senior Tyler Tordsen, Student Government Association president, informed Hoffman of possible opportunities in Pierre during the state’s legislative session. Tordsen was convincing enough for Hoffman, who decided it would be an […]
S.D. legislative session: Four bills that pertain to USD students
As the 2015 South Dakota legislative session gets underway in Pierre, The Volante has compiled a list of bills to keep an eye on that pertain to students at the University of South Dakota. No requests from USD were received by the South Dakota Board of Regents asking to submit any bills to the Legislature this […]
Law professor advocates for no-fault divorce law
Tania Aesoph was 50 years old and a mother of five when she was murdered in 1999. She separated from her husband-turned-murderer, David Aesoph, twice — once in 1994 and again in 1999. Both times, she was told because her husband did not want a divorce she would have to hire family lawyers toorak and […]