KNBN NewsCenter1
January 26, 2021
(UPDATE: 2/1/21 @ 3:20 p.m.): Gov. Noem has signed Senate Bill 46 into law. The bill allows for the consideration of certain instruction to count towards the minimum hours required during a school term during a declared state of emergency. The bill was put in place to help ensure students graduate on-time during the pandemic.
PIERRE, S.D. The state Senate approved an education bill that would allow certain instruction to count towards the minimum number of hours required in a school term during a declared state of emergency.
The language in Senate bill 46 passed as part of another bill last year, but based on what they have learned since then, it has been amended. In a state of emergency declared by the Governor or the President, the states Secretary of Education can waive the required instructional hours if school buildings are closed.
PIERRE, S.D. The South Dakota Senate could soon consider a bill concerning online voter registration, but the measure is a far cry from what advocates hoped for. Late last week, a Senate committee made changes to a measure that would have allowed creation of an online system for South Dakotans to register to vote. .
JOHNSON, Timothy Peter (Tim), Congress, SD (1946)
Senate Years of Service: 1997-
Party: Democrat
JOHNSON, Timothy Peter (Tim), a Representative and a Senator from South Dakota; born in Canton, S.Dak., December 28, 1946; attended public schools; B.A., University of South Dakota 1969; M.A., 1970; post-graduate studies, Michigan State University 1970-1971; J.D., University of South Dakota 1975; budget advisor, Michigan Senate 1971-1972; began the practice of law in Vermillion, S.D., in 1975; member, South Dakota House of Representatives 1979-1982; member South Dakota Senate 1983-1986; Clay County deputy State?s attorney 1985; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundredth and to the four succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1987-January 2, 1997); not a candidate for reelection to the House of Representatives in 1996; elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996 and reelected in 2002 for the term ending January 2, 2009.
Pierre, SD, USA / DRGNews
Jan 6, 2021 10:06 AM
South Dakota legislative leaders are proposing COVID-19 safety protocols to protect those working and attending the upcoming legislative session.
Senator Lee Schoenbeck, President-Elect Pro Tempore, says while it is important legislators fulfill their duties, this year’s priority is that they do so safely. He says they plan to do what they can to mitigate the spread, but legislative business has to go on.
House Speaker-Elect Representative Spencer Gosch says like everything else during a pandemic, it’s a delicate balance between doing what needs to be done and finding a way to do it safely. He says even in a pandemic, government still needs to act.