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Groton Daily Independent
Tuesday, March 06, 2018 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 235 ~ 14 of 35
says it was a “transparency issue.” Senate Democratic Leader Billie Sutton questioned whether a ballot question campaign that ordered handouts before getting an out-of-state contribution exceeding $10,000 would have to throw away those materials and start over.
He urged lawmakers to use “common sense” and defeat the measure.
Twin legislator pay raise bills advance at SD state Capitol
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Twin bills that would give South Dakota legislators a pay raise and tie their salaries to the state’s median household income are advancing at the Capitol.
House lawmakers voted 49-15 Monday to approve one proposal. The Senate State Affairs Committee voted earlier that day to send a mirror version to the Senate oor.
Republican Sen. Jeffrey Partridge says the measure aims to fairly compensate future lawmakers in order to encourage a wider range of quali ed candidates to run for of ce.
Republican Sen. Stace Nelson, an opponent, says there are many quali ed South Dakotans who are willing to serve.
The bills would set legislators’ salaries at one- fth of the South Dakota median household income. That would increase pay to more than $10,000, up from lawmakers’ current salary of $6,000 per session plus a per diem allowance.
Craft brewing compromise moves to South Dakota House oor
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota House panel has approved a bill that would ease a state production limit and other regulations on microbreweries.
The House Commerce and Energy Committee voted 11-1 Monday to send the measure to the chamber’s oor. Gov. Dennis Daugaard has pushed for the brewing overhaul, saying state regulations are sti ing the industry.
The advancing bill comes after competing microbrewing measures at the Capitol initially pit beer distribu- tors against craft brewers. Senate lawmakers united around the compromise last month, voting unanimously to send the bill to the House.
It would create a microbrewery license allowing the businesses to produce 30,000 barrels of beer an- nually, up from 5,000 barrels, and let craft brewers bypass distributors to sell up to 1,500 barrels of their suds each year directly to bars.
Single-subject mandate for constitutional changes advances
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A measure that would ask South Dakota voters to mandate that constitutional amendments encompass only one subject is headed to the full Senate.
The Senate State Affairs Committee voted 6-3 Monday to approve the resolution, which would put the constitutional change on the November ballot. It has passed through the state House.
House Speaker Mark Mickelson, the sponsor, says supporters want to make sure voters understand what they’re voting for.
Rebecca Terk, a lobbyist for conservation and family agriculture group Dakota Rural Action, opposed the proposal. She questioned how the plan would work and says it would clutter up the ballot.
Seoul: Koreas agree to hold summit talks at border in April By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG, Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has agreed to meet with South Korea’s president next month and impose a moratorium on nuclear and missile tests if his country holds talks with the United States, a senior South Korean of cial said Tuesday after returning from the North.
The agreements, which follow a urry of cooperative steps taken by the Koreas during last month’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, brightened prospects for a dialogue between North Korea and the U.S.