Bill proposing revolving loan fund for county jails expected this session

Attendees at a pre-legislative luncheon hosted by the Aberdeen Area Chamber of Commerce were peppered with several topics legislators expect to discuss during the next legislative session and that includes counties and a potential funding option for jail projects.

The lunch was Thursday at Northern State University's Kessler's Champions Club and featured legislators from Districts 3 and 23 as well as local lobbyist Julie Johnson who each provided their take on what topics they expect during this session.

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District 3 Sen. Al Novstrup, R-Aberdeen, said county funding is expected to be a topic of discussion as well as regional jails.

District 23 Sen. Bryan Breitling, R-Miller, said he expects to see two bills concerning regional jails this session. One will outline the ability of counties to create a compact so residents in multiple counties can be taxed for the development of a regional jail. A second would propose the creation of a revolving loan fund.

Breitling said he will be sponsoring the bill proposing the revolving loan fund, which is in draft form and hasn't officially been submitted. The bill is expected to propose setting aside $50 million for the revolving loan fund, which would be administered by the South Dakota Association of County Commissions.

Breitling, who discussed the nuances of this bill following the lunch, said he expects the amount for the revolving loan fund will change, but he knows of three counties that would be interested in this option -- Pennington, Walworth and Brown. And, he said, between these two proposed bills, it provides two tools in the toolbox for counties when it comes to jail projects.

In his discussion about the legislation, Breitling said Gov. Kristi Noem has proposed using $84 million in funding set aside in an incarceration fund for improvements to two state prison facilities. That, he said, is just part of about $1 billion in improvements that are needed.

"But that doesn't change the fact that our counties have a lot of obligations," Breitling said noting several county jail facilities are 100 years old.

"We need to find a way to help support counties between some of these types of opportunities," he said.

Bill expected that proposes funding for Lake Hiddenwood Dam

Breitling also noted in his opening remarks that he is working with a group that is hoping to rebuild the Lake Hiddenwood Dam.

"We're going to see if we can get that supported," he said.

While details of that proposal weren't discussed at Thursday's lunch, a draft of the proposal was provided to the American News by a member of the lake Hiddenwood Foundation, which worked to establish a new access road to the park and get it reopened to the public.

A draft of the proposed bill proposes setting aside $4.5 million to replace the dam at Hiddenwood.

Built in 1926, the earthen dam at Lake Hiddenwood was washed out after 13 inches of rain fell in May 2018. The park was closed soon after until a new road was established into the park in 2022.

Several other topics up for debate this session

Johnson said several items of local interest will be up for discussion this session including Northern State University and whether additional funding is needed for its Lincoln Hall project; WINS, a collaborative water project between the city of Aberdeen, WEB water and BDM Rural Water, workforce needs; child care needs; and the funding for small business development centers.

Johnson said Aberdeen, WEB and BDM have made strides on WINS in the last year and $5 million for this project is expected to be included in the governor's omnibus water bill, but that $5 million is only going to cover a short section of pipe.

As for housing infrastructure, Johnson said $200 million was set aside for housing infrastructure but a disagreement between the legislature and the governor's office has held up any funding being disbursed. A bill resolving those questions is expected early in the session.

As for small business development centers, Johnson said, the governor has proposed changing how those will be funded. With an office here in Aberdeen, Johnson said, this issue merits attention.

"The Legislature is going to need a good education on how critical these are," she said. "A lot of us rely on them every day."

Other larger issues will also merit attention, like Medicaid expansion and the governor's proposal to eliminate the state's sales tax on food.

District 3 Rep. Carl Perry, R-Aberdeen, said another proposed legislation takes a look at presumptive probation and who would qualify. As the law is written now, Perry said, those who are arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine are presumed to qualify for probation regardless of how much they had. The idea, he said, is to propose legislation that would eliminate that presumption of probation if someone has more than five grams of meth.

"We want to say if they have five grams or more they're considered a dealer and they won't qualify for probation," Perry said.

In an unrelated topic, Perry also asked a question of those in attendance about the current 45-day time frame available for absentee voting. Perry asked if there was a preference for more time or should the time allowed be less.

Of the two responses, Perry heard a suggestion for 21 days and another to leave it where it was.

District 23 Rep. JD Wangsness, R-Miller, said in a recent discussion with auditors there wasn't a concern about the amount of time available for absentee voting. Instead, he said, there was concern about how quickly someone could establish residency and be eligible to vote.

The 2023 Legislative session begins Tuesday with Gov. Kristi Noem's State of the State address.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: S.D. Legislature to hear bill proposing revolving loan fund for jails