Julie Auch for House – District 18
February 22 at 10:36 PM
Opening the eyes of many legislators has been my goal this 100th legislative session.
With new leadership in both Houses and on the Appropriations Committee, this legislative body is now aware of how some of the state departments have been “spending” your money these past many years.
It has been uncovered that two, thirty-year leases with expenditures of over $340 million and $11 million in furnishings, were signed with the full knowledge of the previous appropriation leadership. The Bureau of Human Resources and Administration, who signed these leases, came before the appropriations committee the first week of session asking for an additional $5 million in yearly rental payments. Our new appropriators started asking questions and discovered these huge expenses that did not receive legislative approval.
As a result, I wrote House Bill 1205 (HB 1205), which was presented to stop all leases over five years and $10 million unless legislative approval is granted. This bill would have also halted the funding of the One Stop in Sioux Falls.
HB 1205 died on the floor after heavy lobbying by the Bureau of Finance and Management. But Senate Bill 145 (SB 145) which has the same language, hopefully will successfully work its way through both Houses and bring accountability to you the people of South Dakota.
Also, there have been investigations into the appropriation of nearly $1 billion for a Level 5, 1,500 bed men’s prison. No one denies that we need to upgrade our prison system. However, the magnitude of this expense keeps me awake at night! It will put an additional yearly burden of tens of millions of dollars upon you, the South Dakota taxpayers, to staff and maintain.
South Dakota doesn’t have the outlay of funds to support this size of a drain on our budget. So, to find more money do we increase the state sales tax, cut education spending, or is a state income tax in our future?
I am thankful for the results of the 2024 primary and general elections that brought so many new faces into our legislative branch and helping uncover the cover-ups that has been going on for years. Together we are searching for ways to be more accountable and transparent to you, the hard-working folks of South Dakota.
I will continue to be a proponent of private property rights, property tax reform, and local control. As always, representing District 18 and working for South Dakotans is a distinct honor. Thank you for all your emails and letters. Please keep them coming.
Respectfully,
Representative Julie Auch
District 18