Speaker Steven Haugaard (R-11/Sioux Falls) illegally booted lobbyist Yvonne Taylor from the House floor for calling him wacky; will he punish Representative Roger Chase (R-22/Huron) for calling him disorganized?
Chase said he was frustrated this year, his third in Pierre, in the lack of organization on the House floor. He said he told incoming House speaker Steve Haugaard he hopes there’s more professionalism next year.
“Too much of the time we’re out walking around, we’re conversing, we’re singing happy birthday three different times a day,” Chase said.
It’s also the speaker who determines the assignment of bills to committees.
House Agriculture and House Transportation, which Chase is a member of, only were assigned 14 and 17 bills respectively, while House State Affairs had 72 and House Judiciary had 61, he said.
“Now, I realize those are the committees that are going to hear a lot of the important bills, but looking at the bills that they heard, a lot of those could have been divided and split out to other committees,” he said [Roger Larsen, “Lawmaker: Hemp Production Will Likely Be Legalized Next Year,” Huron Plainsman, 2019.03.19].
Speaker Haugaard sits on House State Affairs, which is chaired by Majority Leader Lee Qualm (R-21/Platte).
Among the bills Speaker Haugaard and House State Affairs could logically have left to other committees:
- Senate Bill 86, the failed Partridge Backtrack cum food tax repeal (usurped from Taxation);
- SB 92, on municipal petitions (why not Local Government?);
- House Bill 1177, forcing doctors to perform ultrasounds on women seeking abortions (better in Health and Human Services);
- HB 1236, requiring insurers to cover autism treatment (better in Health and Human Services);
- HB 1175, Rep. Erin Healy’s (D-14/Sioux Falls) effort to establish an advisory council to study and promote preschool, which Speaker Haugaard dragged to his committee so he could call it a “socialist agenda” (why not House Education?)
- HB 1151, prohibiting the prohibition of the singing of tribal honor songs or the wearing of tribal beaded graduation caps at graduation ceremonies, which Speaker Haugaard killed in State Affairs, perhaps because he doesn’t want Indians diluting his culture (again, House Ed?);
- HB 1156, designating the accordion as the official state musical instrument (better in the House Committee on Daylight Wasting Time… which we don’t have but which the Legislature desperately needs).
Both of Representative Chase’s prime House bills passed this year; neither had to go to House State Affairs. Expect Speaker Haugaard to keep a closer eye on Chase’s bills next year.
When you’re a SD legislator, it seems everyday is a personal privilege on the Floor. Birthdays and welcoming your family and saying how much you love them and all your friends that come see you can get pretty cheesy. I would agree with Chase on this. I know it is a small rural state but I say let’s just let the elected officials do their work.
This young fellow, Mr. Haguaard, clearly was the worst speaker in the last few dozen years. Banishments and dress codes imposed but not followed and employing his own personal lobbists to advance his agendas and shoddily run committees. Mr. Haugaard was not only a stock of laughing, he made others stocks of laughing as well. This Mr. Chase speaks the truth, and I just bet you many of the legislatures agree with him.
Single party rule has created a lack of professionalism and triviality in state government to the point where the excluded (anybody who isn’t a conservative republican) has pretty much given up on participating anymore. Potty policing, NRA buttkissing, immigrant fearmongering. I”m afraid we missed our only chance to change when Billy Sutton lost. Like Groucho Marx said when he was asked about being excluded from an exclusive social club for being Jewish, “Why would I want to be in a club that would have somebody like me as a member?
Typical SDGOP incompetence.
Typical nationwide GOP incompetence, except for the routine cruelties. They manage those just fine.