Veto day on March 31 marked the formal end of the 100th South Dakota legislative session. Now, lawmakers are looking back on the year, and forward with their priorities.
One of those issues is child care, an area Brookings Republican Sen. Tim Reed has long been outspoken in efforts to address.
Reed said lawmakers should acknowledge the drain, and potential change, addressing child care could bring.
“There’s some folks out there who’d like to get to work, so we should be working as hard as we can so they can get into their career," Reed said. "Number two is, we need that workforce for the future. What can we do to make sure kids are as ready as possible for when they start kindergarten?”
A bipartisan bill, sponsored by Reed and Sioux Falls House Democrat Erin Healy, was vetoed by Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden. That bill would have expanded the state’s child care assistance program for families making up to 300% of the poverty rate.
Reed said it’s a letdown when good legislation makes it to the governor’s desk, only to be vetoed.
“I was disappointed that the governor had vetoed our child care bill — I still think it’s a great idea," Reed said. "We’re going to try to figure out another way to get this idea done over the interim, and we’re also going to bring the group together that worked on the full (child care) report and see if there’s anything else we can do for child care.”
Reed said that bill, and other issues on his mind like out-of-school care, isn’t finished just yet.
“It’ll be a busy summer, and I hope to bring bills back for next year, I think we’re going to see a lot of bills come back for next year," Reed said. "We had a lot of first-year legislators that had brought bills, so they’re probably going to go home, rework the bills, and see what they bring back. I also think the property tax issue is going to be very interesting to watch over the interim.”
Among the issues facing the state industry is a funding model described by advocates as “unsustainable” and a lack of workforce compounding the challenge.