Latest news with #PhilJensen
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Which education bills received a passing or failing grade in the 2025 legislative session?
South Dakota's 100th legislative session proved to be a busy one for education. Of the more than 400 bills filed, a quarter of them touched on education in some capacity. From failed bills to make school board elections partisan or limit education lobbyists' funding, to attempts to defund an entire school district or use public money for private education, things got political. Rep. Phil Jensen, R-Rapid City, lost his vice-chair position on the House Education committee and shortly withdrew his bill to defund the Huron School District after public outcry. He initially brought the bill after Huron administrators opposed school choice bills and after he learned trans students were allowed to use the bathroom of their choice in Huron. Thursday marked the final regular day of the legislative session ahead of veto day set for March 31. That's when Gov. Larry Rhoden will have signed or vetoed several bills and the Legislature will come back to reconsider them. He already vetoed one bill, House Bill 1132, that would have expanded the state's child care assistance program for child care employees. Here's where things stand as of Friday morning. Multiple education bills were delivered to Rhoden's desk on Wednesday and Thursday and await his signature, including: House Bill 1040 would make students pay more, and let the state pay less, for students to take high school dual credit courses that give them college credit. House Bill 1041, which repeals some of the duties of the state library and its board, including providing certain specialized library services and operating a state publication library distribution program, but adding braille and talking book services. House Bill 1114 would give the South Dakota Board of Technical Education $4 million to purchase equipment for education in high-demand workforce fields like building trades, health care, welding, radiation and more. House Bill 1239, which would make public schools and public libraries create policies allowing people to appeal books to school and library boards to determine if they're obscene. Initially, the bill would have removed defenses for librarians charged with disseminating material harmful to minors. House Bill 1259 would segregate restrooms in public schools and state-owned facilities by sex assigned at birth. Opponents have called it anti-trans, and the Transformation Project has sent emails to allies telling them to ask Rhoden to veto the bill as former Gov. Dennis Daugaard did for a similar bill in 2016. Senate Bill 100, which would allow college students to concealed-carry firearms on the state's public technical college and university campuses with an enhanced permit. And, two bills containing the state budget, House Bill 1046 and Senate Bill 55. Three different school choice finance bills heavily opposed by educators and education lobbyists failed this session, including: House Bill 1009, which would have created $7,405 educational empowerment accounts in the form of a debit card for parents of students attending private school to spend on tuition, fees, textbooks and curriculum, educational therapies, testing fees, transportation, technology and more. It would have cost the state up to $160 million. House Bill 1020, which would have created $3,000 education savings accounts that parents of students in private or alternative instruction could have used in a South Dakota Department of Education account and marketplace on tuition, fees, curriculum, technology or testing fees. It would have cost the state up to $64 million. Senate Bill 190, which would have given property owners a property tax credit to use to cover education expenses like tuition, fees, textbooks, curriculum or more for any child age 5-18 in a nonpublic school or receiving alternative education, losing districts anywhere from $33 million to $126 million in revenue statewide. Two different bills that came as a reaction to the Sioux Falls School District and other local area schools switching to a cashless ticketing system failed, and one was signed into law. Those three bills are: House Bill 1017, which would have required school districts accept cash payments for admission to school events, failed to be reconsidered in the House. House Bill 1048, which would have required cash payments be accepted as payment for any goods or services sold to a customer under $100, was killed in the House Commerce and Energy committee. Senate Bill 219, which will require public schools and accredited private schools to accept cash payments for admission to school-affiliated events, was signed by Rhoden on March 11. Activities directors from the district have testified that people aren't turned away at the gate if they want to pay with cash, and said it isn't a large-scale issue or widespread community concern. Forty representatives voted to kill House Bill 1201, which would have alerted parents if their student talked to their school nurse, counselor, teacher, administrator or another school staff member about their gender identity. HB 1201 also would have prohibited school staff from teaching about gender identity and expression, encouraging or coercing a student to believe gender is different from sex, and not telling parents that their student perceives their gender is inconsistent with their sex assigned at birth. A similar type of bill, House Bill 1177, which would have prohibited school employees from facing disciplinary action if they misgendered a student or failed to call them by their current, preferred name, was killed in the House Education committee. Attempts to inject religion into public schools — by way of chaplains, the Ten Commandments and state motto 'Under God the people rule' — all failed this legislative session. So did a proposal to require education on the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings standards after similar bills failed in the 2021, 2022 and 2024 legislative sessions. Rep. Kadyn Wittman, D-Sioux Falls, tried for a third time to remove costs for students eligible for free or reduced-price meals, and to reimburse districts who pick up those costs with state funds, but her proposal failed in the House Appropriations Committee. One new law: students 16 and older can withdraw from school if their parent, guardian or other custodian gives written consent after Rhoden signed Senate Bill 71 on March 5. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota education bills that passed or failed in the Legislature
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Bill allows for interpreters in license road test
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A bill that allows a driver whose native language is not English to use an interpreter during a driving test for a South Dakota license is headed to the state House of Representatives. The House Transportation Committee passed Senate Bill 193 9-3 on Tuesday. The bill had multiple supporters who testified on Tuesday and no opponent testimony, but it did get some discussion in the committee. SB193 has already passed the Senate 33-2. Republican Rep. Phil Jensen was one of three who voted against the bill. 'If you are in America, you need to learn to speak English,' Jensen said. 'If you want to drive you need to learn English and you need to speak English.' In support of SB193, Republican Rep. Brian Mulder said he served in Germany for five years and passed a driver's test. He was allowed to take it in English. A person who doesn't speak English as their first language learns to read road signs, Mulder said. Those road signs are international signs, said David Owen, a lobbyist with the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce , who testified in favor of the bill. Bill supporters said the drivers taking the test must pay for the interpreter and the interpreter cannot provide any advice. The bill also requires interpreters to be approved by the South Dakota Department of Motor Vehicles. Sponsor Democrat Sen. Jamie Smith said he worked with the DMV to address its concerns about the original version of the bill. The importance of the bill to the workforce was also stressed as well as how it would help reduce the number of unlicensed drivers and uninsured drivers in the state, which Smith is good for the economy and all policy holders. David Parsley of Madison said he was supporting a refugee family. Two adults in the family worked outside of Madison and obtaining a driver's license was important to their jobs. Although they may not be fluent in English, they are learning, Parsley said. 'I do think it will put more people into the licensed and insured category,' Republican Rep. Keri Weems said in support of SB193. The importance of insured drivers was also stressed by Republican Rep. Amber Arlint during the discussion of SB193. Committee chairman Republican Rep. Tony Randolph said it seems the state may be making too many accommodations for those whose primary language is not English, yet he said he wasn't going to vote against the bill. He hoped for more discussion on it on the House floor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
College frosh, sophs can't choose to live off-campus
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — Most first- and second-year students at South Dakota's public universities will have to continue living in the schools' dormitories and taking the schools' meal plans, the state House of Representatives has decided. SD Senate votes to maintain child marriage House members argued for a half hour on Tuesday about a proposal from Republican Rep. Phil Jensen to let them have the freedom to sleep and eat where they choose. In the end, House Bill 1193 failed on a 28-42 vote. 'Dorm life isn't great,' Jensen said. But Republican Rep. Mike Stevens called for the bill's defeat. He said the Legislature had committed to $87 million of bonds for student housing that would be at risk if freshmen and sophomores weren't required to live there. That could affect bond ratings for other governments when they want to borrow, he warned. 'That impacts everybody across the state,' Stevens said. He noted that students can apply for exemptions to live off-campus. Republican Rep. Bobbi Andera called for the House to focus on who would potentially benefit from the proposed change. 'This is about our children and their choices, and their parents' choices,' she said. Jensen in closing brought up another point. 'Students amass an incredible amount of debt during the four years or five years or six years to get a degree,' he said. KELOLAND News spoke with people in Brookings about the proposal last week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill prohibiting required campus living for SD university students fails in the House
State Rep. Phil Jensen, R-Rapid City, on the South Dakota House floor during the 2024 legislative session. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) The South Dakota House of Representatives voted down a bill Tuesday at the Capitol in Pierre that would have prohibited public universities from requiring students to live on campus the first two years of their education. Republican Rapid City Rep. Phil Jensen introduced House Bill 1193, calling the South Dakota Board of Regents policy 'unnecessary' because 'dorm life isn't great' and legal adults should be able to choose where they live and what they eat. He added that students face an 'incredible amount of debt' to earn college degrees, with required on-campus housing and meal plans adding to that debt. SD university students wouldn't be required to live on campus under committee-endorsed legislation Heather Forney, vice president of finance and administration for the state Board of Regents, which oversees the university system, told lawmakers during the bill's committee hearing last week that the system relies on student housing fees and meal plans to help pay for infrastructure for dining, housing, student unions, book stores and wellness centers at South Dakota's six public universities. The system could lose up to $87 million annually if the legislation passes, Forney told lawmakers, which would cause a default on roughly $263 million in bonds used to build those facilities. The Bureau of Finance and Management also opposed the legislation because of concerns that a potential default would impact the state's AAA bond rating. A state's bond rating is used by investors to evaluate the risk of a bond investment for projects, with a higher rating leading to better rates for taxpayers. Opponents of the bill said the policy helps students transition to college living, increases retention among students, and improves networking among students. About 93% of students who ask for an exemption are granted it, according to the regental system. Other students are granted modifications to fit their needs, said Rep. Amber Arlint, R-Sioux Falls. The House rejected the bill 42-28. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SD university students wouldn't be required to live on campus under committee-endorsed legislation
State Rep. Phil Jensen, R-Rapid City, speaks to another legislator in the South Dakota House of Representatives on Feb. 5, 2025. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight) Students attending South Dakota public universities would no longer be required to live on campus the first two years of their education under legislation endorsed by a legislative committee Wednesday at the Capitol in Pierre. Republican Rapid City Rep. Phil Jensen introduced House Bill 1193, calling the South Dakota Board of Regents' two-year housing policy 'impoverishing' for students. The legislation came from students who want to change the policy because they believe it would be cheaper to live off-campus. Students said they met with university officials about their concerns, but their request to change the housing policy was turned down. 'Making students do this for two years is completely unnecessary and, rather frankly, it is a money grab by the universities,' said Levi Taglioli, a student at the University of South Dakota and a legislative intern. SD university leader argues against maintenance and repair budget cuts Heather Forney, vice president of finance and administration for the state Board of Regents, which oversees the university system, told lawmakers that the legislation would create an 'untenable' situation. She said student housing fees and meal plans help to pay for infrastructure for dining, housing, student unions, book stores and wellness centers at South Dakota's six public universities. The system could lose up to $87 million annually if the legislation passes, Forney told lawmakers, which would cause the university system to default on roughly $263 million in bonds used to build those facilities. The Bureau of Finance and Management also opposed the legislation because of concerns that a potential default would impact the state's AAA bond rating. A state's bond rating is used by investors to evaluate the risk of a bond investment for projects, with a higher rating leading to better rates for taxpayers. The cost will be much greater than $87 million, said Rep. Mike Stevens, R-Yankton, because it would cost the state, cities, counties and schools significantly more to borrow money for infrastructure projects if the state loses its AAA bond rating. 'I think all of us are in for saving our taxpayers money,' Stevens said. 'You're costing our taxpayers millions of dollars by passing this bill.' Rep. Travis Ismay, R-Newell, said he supported the legislation because adults shouldn't be forced to live somewhere to go to college. Forney told lawmakers that the housing policy does have exceptions, with about 93% of requested waivers granted for students. Lawmakers on the House Education Committee passed the bill with an 8-7 vote. It'll head to the House floor next. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
