Legislative committee softens budget blow to SD State Library, but concerns remain
From left: Sen. Ernie Otten, R-Tea; Rep. Mike Derby, R-Rapid City; and Sen. Mark Lapka, R-Leola, listen to a budgetary brief in Pierre on Jan. 14, 2025. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)
South Dakota's main legislative budget committee softened the proposed cuts to the State Library on Thursday at the Capitol in Pierre, but library advocates said the cuts still go too far.
The Joint Committee on Appropriations endorsed House Bill 1041 in a 16-2 vote, with the two votes against it coming from Reps. Erik Muckey, D-Sioux Falls, and Scott Moore, R-Ipswich.
The original proposal would have cut $1 million in state funds from the State Library, cut the state Department of Education's ability to seek $1.4 million in federal funding for the library and laid off a dozen employees. Former Gov. Kristi Noem proposed the budget cuts during her December budget address in response to lower-than-anticipated revenues and rising Medicaid costs.
State Library budget cut would hamstring local libraries, opponents say
The changes made Thursday would rescue most of the programs that were proposed to be cut, said South Dakota Department of Education Secretary Joseph Graves, including most databases, access to interlibrary loans and 'adequate personnel to provide for the training and the promotion of the summer reading programs.'
The department's ability to seek $1.4 million in federal funding would also be reinstated to help 'make the difference' in cuts at the state level, Graves said. The actual budget cuts are not in HB 1041, since they're embedded in the state's general appropriations bill.
The legislation dissolves the South Dakota State Library Board with plans to cut about $825,000 in the library's budget and three-and-a-half full time positions. The library would retain 'standard oversight' by the library director and the Education Department, Graves said. He told lawmakers earlier in the week the changes would cut four databases made available through the State Library to public libraries across the state, including Ancestry Library, Fold3, HeritageQuest and Swank.
The library will be able to keep a total of 17 full time positions, said Rep. Terri Jorgenson, R-Rapid City. The library currently has 21 employees.
Jorgenson, who worked on the changes with the state Department of Education, said the changes are a 'way for us to save our State Library.'
Muckey said that statement is 'half true' in an interview with South Dakota Searchlight after the meeting.
'I simply just want the bill dead so we can restore all the funding back,' he said.
South Dakota Searchlight's Joshua Haiar contributed to this report.
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Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Trump's DHS ‘report all foreign invaders' poster stokes hatred, not safety
The Trump administration escalated its anti-immigrant campaign by promoting a poster calling on Americans to report 'all foreign invaders' to authorities, only days after sending the National Guard and Marines to quell largely peaceful protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles. It may be no coincidence that President Donald Trump's latest anti-immigration offensive comes at a time when the World Bank and major U.S. financial institutions are predicting an economic downturn, fueled by his tariff wars. The new immigration moves seem designed to distract from the country's economic slowdown. The Washington D.C-based World Bank issued a report on June 10 forecasting that the U.S. economy will grow by only 1.4% this year, or half of last year's rate of 2.8%. It cited Trump's trade wars as one of the main culprits. Just days earlier, Elon Musk — the world's richest man and until last week a top Trump adviser — warned that the president's tariffs 'will cause a recession in the second half this year.' Musk later apologized for some of his posts and deleted several of them, including that one, after being warned of potential administration retaliations against his companies. The Morgan Stanley investment bank projects that the U.S. economy will grow at a meager 1.5% this year, and 1% in 2026. Trump may also be seeking to distract from his 'One Big Beautiful Bill' tax legislation, now pending in the Senate. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office warns it would strip millions of Americans of Medicaid health coverage and could increase the deficit by $2.4 trillion over the next decade. Granted, Trump and his hard-line immigration adviser, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, have a long history of lashing out against immigrants. Trump famously said in 2023, and has repeated several times since, that immigrants 'are poisoning the blood of our country.' In recent days, Miller has labeled the Los Angeles demonstrators are an 'insurrectionist mob' and a 'threat to civilization.' This, despite the fact that — as of this writing — not a single death has occurred during the Los Angeles protests. By comparison, Trump hailed the violent Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol rioters as 'patriots,' even though their rampage left at least seven dead and more than 150 police officers injured. The poster urging Americans to rat on 'all foreign invaders' appeared June 11 on the Department of Homeland Security's official X (formerly Twitter) account, and was quickly shared by Miller on his own social media. The poster, reminiscent of World War II propaganda, depicts Uncle Sam wielding a hammer as he hangs a sign reading: 'Help your all foreign invaders.' Below, it lists an ICE hotline for reporting the so-called 'invaders.' In smaller print, the DHS post urges Americans to 'help your country locate and arrest illegal aliens' and invites them to report 'criminal activity' to the ICE hotline. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, an immigration attorney and senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, noted that the poster was originally created by a white supremacist known for spreading anti-Jewish and anti-black propaganda, who took credit for it. Regardless of its origin, the DHS-endorsed call to report 'foreign invaders' echoes tactics used by authoritarian regimes — as happened in Nazi Germany, or still happens in Communist China or Cuba. The government telling you to inform on your neighbors is profoundly un-American. It contradicts America's respect for the rule of law, equal rights for all and a professional civil service, Reichlin-Melnik said. 'The bigger issue is the use of the word 'invaders,' because undocumented immigrants are not invaders,' he told me. 'No invasion in history has involved people crossing the border to work as dishwashers, or to pick crops, and who entered the country legally.' Even the hundreds of thousands of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and humanitarian parole holders from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti and other countries — whom Trump now seeks to deport — cannot be described as 'illegals,' as the administration insists. By definition, someone approved by the U.S. government to enter and work legally is not an 'illegal alien,' critics say. 'The biggest danger is that this kind of rhetoric is dangerous, because people believe it, and it can lead to violence,' Reichlin-Melnik told me. 'The El Paso shooter in 2018 drove hundreds of miles to massacre people at a Walmart because he sincerely believed that Latinos were invading the United States.' Indeed, we're treading a perilous path. First, Trump administration officials claimed their anti-immigration crusade would target mainly 'illegal criminals' — a stance many Americans support. Then, the net widened to include 'illegal aliens' in general. Now, the goalpost keeps shifting, and the rhetoric targets 'all foreign invaders.' The DHS-publicized poster is not funny. This leap is a leap too far, too fast, and in the wrong direction.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
House tax-and-spending bill and other Trump administration changes could make millions of people lose their health insurance coverage
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Several GOP senators have either said they oppose it or have expressed strong reservations for a variety of reasons, including the trillions of dollars the package would add to the U.S. government's debt. As a scholar who researches access to health care, I am concerned about the possibility that millions of people will lose their health insurance coverage should this bill become law. In many cases, that could occur due to new bureaucratic obstacles the bill would introduce. About 25.3 million Americans lacked insurance in 2023, down sharply from 46.5 million in 2010. Most of this 46% decline occurred because of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan agency that provides evidence-supported information to Congress, estimates that 10.9 million Americans would lose their health insurance by 2034 if the House of Representatives' version of that package were to become law. Of these, as many as 7.8 million would lose access to Medicaid. 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The bill would also make it harder for states to come up with their share of Medicaid funding by limiting 'provider taxes.' These taxes are charged to hospitals, doctors and other medical providers. The revenue they raise help pay for the state's share of Medicaid costs. And the legislative package would also reduce federal funding to cover Medicaid costs in states that provide coverage to unauthorized immigrants using only their own funds. Threatened with billions in losses, the states that do this are unlikely to maintain these programs. In California alone, this would jeopardize the coverage of 1.6 million of its residents. Losing Medicaid coverage may leave millions of low-income Americans without insurance coverage, with no affordable alternatives for health care. Other proposed changes in the House bill would indirectly cut Medicaid coverage by forcing people to deal with more red tape to get or keep it. This would happen primarily through the introduction of 'work requirements' for Medicaid coverage. When enrolled in the program, applicants who are between 19 and 64 years old would need to certify they are working at least 80 hours a month or spending that much time engaged in comparable activities, such as community service. Work requirements specifically target people eligible for Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act's expansion of the program. They tend to have slightly higher incomes than the other people eligible for this benefit. Arkansas gave Medicaid work requirements a try during the first Trump administration. Researchers who studied what happened found that 1 in 4 of the Arkansans enrolled in Medicaid affected by the policy lost their health insurance coverage. They also found that in most cases, this occurred because of bureaucratic obstacles, and that the policy didn't lead to more people getting jobs. By some estimates, the work requirements provision alone would lead to close to 5 million people of the 7.8 million being denied Medicaid coverage. At the same time, the bill would increase how often Medicaid beneficiaries have to reapply to the program to keep their coverage from once every 12 months to twice a year. It also would delay or reverse several policies that made it easier for Americans to enroll in Medicaid and maintain their coverage. Many of those who aren't kicked out would also face either new or higher co-payments for appointments and procedures – restricting their access to health care, even if they don't wind up without insurance. There is ample evidence that obstacles like these make it hard to remain enrolled in safety net programs. Historically, the people who are most likely to lose their benefits are low-income, people of color or immigrants who do not speak English well. The bill would also affect the more than 24 million Americans who get health insurance through Affordable Care Act Marketplace plans. Changes in the House version of the bill would make it harder to get this coverage. This includes reducing the time Americans have to enroll in plans and eliminating certain subsidies. It also makes the enrollment process more complicated. Combined with other changes the Trump administration has made, experts expect Marketplace premiums to skyrocket. The Congressional Budget Office expects more than 2 million beneficiaries to lose coverage due to these new policies. Americans buying their own insurance on the ACA marketplaces may also face higher premiums. Increased subsidies in place since 2021 are set to expire at the end of the year. Combined with Trump regulatory decisions, this may lead to more than 5 million Americans losing coverage – whether or not the GOP's tax-and-spending package is enacted. The effects of the bill would also be compounded by further changes by individual states. This could include the introduction of monthly premiums that people with Medicaid coverage would have to pay, in Indiana and other states. Some states may also reduce eligibility for certain groups or cover fewer services, as states seek to reduce their Medicaid costs. And some states, including Iowa and Utah, are already pursuing work requirements on their own whether or not they become mandatory across the nation. If fewer Americans have health insurance due to changes the Trump administration is making and the policies embedded in the pending tax-and-spending legislative package, the health of millions of people could get worse due to forgone care. And at the same time, their medical debts could grow larger. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Simon F. Haeder, Texas A&M University Read more: US health care is rife with high costs and deep inequities, and that's no accident – a public health historian explains how the system was shaped to serve profit and politicians There's no evidence work requirements for Medicaid recipients will boost employment, but they are a key piece of Republican spending bill Work requirements are better at blocking benefits for low-income people than they are at helping those folks find jobs Dr. Simon F. Haeder has previously received funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for unrelated projects.
Politico
2 hours ago
- Politico
Pritzker unleashes on ‘political circus'
Presented by Good morning, Illinois, and welcome to Friday the 13th. NEW OVERNIGHT: Israel launches strike against Iran, by POLITICO's Eric Bazail-Eimil and Nahal Toosi TOP TALKER AN AHA MOMENT: For much of Thursday's nearly eight-hour, contentious hearing before the U.S. House Oversight Committee, Gov. JB Pritzker sat quietly and spoke only when a question was directed his way. He defended Illinois laws that protect immigrants and reiterated he wants undocumented criminals kicked out of the country. The governor didn't always agree with the premise of the questions, but he tried to answer as completely and politely as possible. When Texas Republican Rep. Brandon Gill pivoted from immigration to talk about transgender issues, a talking point for Republicans in the 2024 election, Pritzker didn't miss a beat, saying, 'So, you're admitting this is just a political circus?' Later, Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert asked Pritzker and fellow Democratic Govs. Tim Walz and Kathy Hochul of Minnesota and New York, respectively, whether damage to property is the 'definition of a peaceful protest.' It was a pointed question. Boebert was referring to protests in Los Angeles and across the country that are pushing back at the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement. Pritzker couldn't contain his anger. 'I find it hard to believe that you're lecturing us about peaceful protests,' he said. 'Look at what happened Jan. 6 here at the Capitol.' Boebert tried to interrupt, but Pritzker persisted. That was 'insurrection,' he said, and pointing to the irony of her question, he said, 'It is outrageous.' Their exchange is here. Pritzker didn't hold back after that, criticizing questions he found misleading or inaccurate, especially when they were posed by Illinois Republican Reps. Mary Miller and Darin LaHood, who joined the Oversight Committee as guests so they could question Pritzker. Miller asked the governor if he would continue 'tying the hands of Illinois law enforcement,' a reference to Illinois law that prevents local police from assisting with federal immigration efforts. Pritzker bristled: 'You know, Congresswoman Miller, I am not going to be lectured to by somebody who extolled the virtues of Adolf Hitler,' Pritzker said, referring to comments she made just ahead of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol (and later apologized for). Their exchange is here. LaHood used his time to talk about what he sees as Pritzker's failings as governor, including 'families struggling with the highest combined state and local tax burden in the country.' Pritzker leaned in, saying, 'I'm glad to see you here. I know you were unwilling to meet with your constituents about the Medicaid cuts that you voted for.' The two then talked over each other for LaHood's remaining time. Here's a clip. More congenial were Pritzker's exchanges with Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Delia Ramirez and Danny Davis. They are all Democrats and allowed the governor to offer up more thoughtful answers. The Padilla moment: Ramirez used her time to also call attention to a video that was posted during the hearing. It showed California Sen. Alex Padilla being forcibly removed from a Department of Homeland Security press conference in Los Angeles. Here's more, via POLITICO. 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Vock — How JB Pritzker's faith and Holocaust work are powering his dire warnings about Trump, by The Christian Science Monitor's Cameron Joseph WHERE'S JB No official public events WHERE's BRANDON At Chicago State University at 11 a.m. for the Metra Station groundbreaking Where's Toni No official public events Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or a (gasp!) complaint? Email skapos@ THE STATEWIDES — Secretary of state's office says law enforcement using license plate reader data illegally: 'While license plate readers can be used by law enforcement to investigate violent felonies and missing person cases, the state law also prohibits use of the data for matters including aiding in the detention or investigation of a person based on their immigration status -- and it can't interfere with someone's abortion rights,' by the Tribune's Jeremy Gorner. — Michael Madigan due in court Friday for sentencing on corruption convictions, by the Sun-Times' Jon Seidel — Calls to the Illinois domestic violence hotline were up again in 2024, by the Sun-Times' Sophie Sherry CHICAGO — 100 students in a school meant for 1,000: Inside Chicago's refusal to deal with its nearly empty schools: 'Declining school enrollment has left 30% of Chicago public schools at least half-empty. 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Larry Snelling tells judge he would 'never use' snap curfew powers, by WBEZ's Mariah Woelfel — Chicago police say they don't 'assist in immigration enforcement' but have turned over key records to feds, by the Sun-Times' Tom Schuba — Chicagoans continue protests against Trump and ICE Thursday, by the Tribune's Caroline Kubzansky, Laura Rodríguez Presa and Nell Salzman BUSINESS OF POLITICS — In IL-08: Hanover Park Trustee Yasmeen Bankole has been endorsed by the International Brothers of Electrical Workers Local 701. — SPOTTED: Cook County Commissioner and IL-08 congressional candidate Kevin Morrison drew a crowd for his annual Pride event at Sidetrack earlier this week. Among the 100 attendees were State Rep. Kelly Cassidy and Candace Gingrich, Alds. 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Wells, known as the 'King of Mitzvahs,' were given the center's Medal of Valor. — Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart and Chief of Victim Services Jacqueline Herrera Giron were presented with Champion of Victims' Rights awards from Marsy's Law for Illinois for their work advocating for victims' rights. Reader Digest We asked about day games v. night games. Clem Balanoff: 'Day games as I get older.' Art Friedson: 'I lived five blocks from Wrigley in 1988, the year the lights went up. Ours was one of the few houses on the block without a NO LIGHTS sign. Still, nothing compares to a ball game at Wrigley on a hot summer day with a cold beverage in your hand. Nothing.' Carlton Hull: 'Night games!' Charles Keller: 'Night games because, you know, work. Go Cubs Go!' Dave Lundy: 'Day games except during the work week then hate day games which they schedule too often.' Jim Lyons: 'I wish the Cubs would play more day games. Of course, I'm retired and it will give me something to watch in the afternoons.' Ed Mazur: 'Day games for this 82 year old. Then a long nap after the Red Line ride home.' Steve Sheffey: 'Day games. When Lee Elia delivered his rant, he was talking about me at the time, and nothing made me prouder.' Timothy Thomas: 'Day at Wrigley (Cubs), night at Guaranteed Rate (White Sox).' NEXT QUESTION: In a sentence, what's your most ridiculous summer vacation story? FROM THE DELEGATION — Congressmen Sean Casten's (IL-06) bipartisan Mental Health in Aviation Act has been approved by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. — Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) questioned U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins during a House Agriculture Committee hearing, where she raised concerns about the president's budget proposal for USDA 'that suggests slashing funding for agriculture research, nutrition assistance and conservation,' according to her team. The video is here. THE NATIONAL TAKE — MAGA warned Trump on Iran. Now he's in an impossible position, by POLITICO's Rachael Bade — Appeals court lets Trump keep National Guard in Los Angeles, by POLITICO's Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein — House clears $9.4B in funding clawbacks requested by White House, by POLITICO's Katherine Tully-McManus and Jennifer Scholtes — White House looks to freeze more agency funds — and expand executive power, by POLITICO's Scott Waldman and Corbin Hiar MEDIA MATTERS — Chicago Tribune offering newsroom buyouts: 'The newsroom's union, which ratified its first contract just seven months ago, said in a statement cutting staff as a 'short-term profit boost' is unsustainable,' by the Sun-Times' Kaitlin Washburn. — House narrowly approves President Trump's request to cut public media funding, by the Sun-Times' Tina Sfondeles TRANSITIONS — Joseph Cohen is now the managing partner of Burr & Forman's Chicago office and a partner in the firm's government contracts practice. He was a partner at Fox Rothschild. — Kyle Gann is now a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright in Chicago. He's in the business practice group and a member of its transactional and regulatory insurance team. He was a partner at Winston & Strawn. — Rick Nowak is a partner in Mayer Brown's litigation and dispute resolution practice in Chicago. He was with Fidelity Investments. IN MEMORIAM — Ken Buzbee, a former state senator, died earlier this month. Details here — Claudette Soto, founding member of Chicago UNIDOS in Construction and the group's first board president, has died. Her obit is here. — Trude Matanky, who helped form Matanky Realty Group in 1955, has died. Services here EVENTS — Today at 1 p.m.: Mayor Brandon Johnson will be a guest on the Jesse Jackson Jr. radio show. Listen here — Saturday: U.S. Reps Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton — all candidates for U.S. Senate — headline a discussion with Proviso Dems. Details here TRIVIA THURSDAY's ANSWER: Congrats to Ald. Pat Dowell and Hart Passman for correctly answering that Julius Rosenwald funded the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry back in 1932 but didn't want his name on the building. TODAY's QUESTION: What was the University of Illinois originally called? Email skapos@ HAPPY BIRTHDAY Today: State Rep. Dave Severin, retired Cook County Judge John Curry Jr., Cook County Judge Patricia Spratt, chief of staff to Congresswoman Robin Kelly Matt McMurray, lead development writer at the nonprofit City Bureau Tyra Bosnic, former political candidate Scott Lee Cohen, Surus Illinois Senior Account Manager Chris 'CJ' Gallo, securities trader Lee Blackwell, Democratic fundraiser Dylan Lopez, attorney Antonio Favela and former state Rep. Luis Arroyo Sr. Saturday: President Donald Trump, Teneo Senior Adviser Peter Thompson, Chicago mayoral adviser Beniamino Capellupo, Illinois Republican Party General Counsel John Fogarty, Illinois Policy Institute's Communications Director Melanie Krakauer, career and job-search coach Celeste Wroblewski, Booth School of Business Communications Director Casey Reid, retired teacher Fred Klonsky and OnMessage Senior Copywriter Julia Cohen Sunday: State Rep. Chris Miller, Cook County Judge Neil Cohen, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Chris Stacey, Associate Judge Martha-Victoria Jimenez, political commentator Art Friedson, University of Chicago ethics professor Laurie Zoloth and Urban Prep Foundation founder Tim King -30-
