LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
By Jill Stephenson, SDSCA Government Relations Chair
Thank you to all of you members who contacted your legislators during the 2006 SD Legislative session!! I was so impressed with the input our members gave through emails and phone calls. Thanks also to Kelly Duncan, Executive Director, and Mitch Richter, SDCA's lobbyist, for jobs well done. All the behind the scenes work paid off with HB 1194 not making out of the Senate Education Committee. (This bill, among other things, originally made it illegal for a school employee to give a referral to family planning, etc.)
As you read this, the 81st Legislative Session is done. This was the status of several pieces of legislation that interested our group: HB 1217 - referred to as the "abstinence" bill - Senate Education Committee Voted "do not pass;" and the bill was deferred to the 26th Legislative Day (which in essence kills a bill). HB 1225 - increases compulsory age of school attendance to 18 was also deferred to the 36th Day.
HB 1137, (the practice law bill that SDCA fought so hard for) did not make it out of the Senate Commerce committee after having passed the House on a vote of 68-0.
Next year, I will be moving on to the SDCA board as a member of the Government Relations Committee. SDCA sponsored my attendance at the ACA Legislative Institute in Washington, D.C. This was a tremendous training opportunity which as a final activity gave me the chance to lobby our SD members of Congress. This is an opportunity made possible through a grant from ACA.
I want to also thank all the people who made my time as Government Relations Chair so enjoyable. It was great to meet new friends and reconnect with old (even if it was to ask you to testify!). Please consider volunteering for this position on the SDSCA board for this next year. Feel free to call me if you have any questions. Believe me; you don't need to know much at first about politics or the legislative process. There are plenty of us to guide you and you will pick the rest up along the way. You will enjoy the connections you make.
It is essential that we monitor legislation that will affect us as school counselors and that we promote our profession along the way.
HIDDEN MESSAGE!
If you have read this article, email Jenny Noteboom at jenny.noteboom@k12.sd.us. In your email, tell her what the theme for SDSCA is for this year and your name will be put in a drawing for a personal CD player to be drawn at the spring conference! The deadline to submit your name and answer to the question is Wednesday, April 5, 2006.