By Dana Hess | South Dakota Searchlight
There is plenty to keep legislators busy in the current session in Pierre. They must find a way to overhaul the property tax system without bankrupting schools and counties. Some lawmakers have pledged to try to find money to boost funding for education, health care and state employee salaries. And, of course, there’s always a budget to balance.
In amongst the bills that might actually do South Dakotans some good, there are others that serve a more selfish purpose. They are not meant to govern but to goad. These bills are attempts to cast the prime sponsor and those who have signed on to the legislation as more conservative than their colleagues. They are determined to “Make America Great Again” no matter how silly or symbolic the cause.
Among those are bills intent on re-litigating the COVID-19 pandemic. They seek to put a stamp of legality on the use of drugs backed by the kind of science that could only generously be described as sketchy.
Since state-sanctioned prayer is not allowed in schools, some lawmakers are again attempting to splash God all over the classroom walls. It’s not enough that in 2019 lawmakers mandated putting “In God We Trust” on a prominent wall in each school. This year, House Bill 1243 unsuccessfully sought to put the South Dakota motto, “Under God the People Rule,” on school walls as well. If this keeps up, there won’t be room for schools to display maps or the periodic tables.
Then there’s Senate Concurrent Resolution 604, which does its best to erase the line between church and state. It does this by telling South Dakotans to pray and fast. “Seek the Lord Most High” the legislation advises. Like most legislative attempts to drag religion into schools or other public places, this one doesn’t take into account that some religious South Dakotans aren’t Christians and others don’t believe in a God at all.
The resolution admonishes South Dakotans to take the month of July to fast. It’s notable that the bill’s sponsors didn’t choose January or February for the fast, but that would have meant missing all those free meals from interest groups during the legislative session. If nothing else, the Legislature’s endorsement of the resolution proves the spineless nature of the restaurant lobby as it allows a legislative seal of approval on a monthlong fast during barbecue season.
In an election year, it’s easy to see how these bills garner sponsors and support. No one wants their failure to vote the right way splattered all over an opponent’s political advertising. So they go along to get reelected.
Slogans on school walls? We’ll get God back into the schoolhouse somehow.
Prayer and fasting? We cancelled our Fourth of July picnic.
There’s a through line of bills this session that carry greater weight than just the topic in the title. What they basically say is “My conservatism is bigger than yours. Vote against this bill and see what happens in the primary.”
This isn’t legislation or leadership. It amounts to political bullying. None of it will make South Dakota a better place to live, and that should be the standard for everything coming out of Pierre.
This commentary was written by Dana Hess of South Dakota Searchlight, an online news organization.
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