Representative Phil Jensen introduces HCR 5003…
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Response to Negative Mailers, Phil Jensen
Primary election season is upon us! With this come many mail pieces espousing the political views of candidates. The best way to see through the talk is to look at voting records. Here’s a rundown on some interesting bills from the 2022 legislative session.
HB1267 was a medical freedom bill that would have protected physicians who wished to prescribe Ivermectin to their covid patients. Testifying were South Dakota physicians who were fired for dispensing Ivermectin and/or refusing to take the covid vaccine. The lobbyist for Big Hospital stated that some physicians were dispensing it, but when asked, refused to provide a list of said physicians. This bill would have protected the relationship between physician and patient and allow doctors to care for their patients in the best way they deem possible. HB1267 passed out of the House 40-28 but died in the liberal Senate Health Committee. Voting against medical freedom were Rapid City Representatives Mike Derby, Jess Olson, and Becky Drury.
HB1005 would have protected young girls’ privacy in bathrooms, locker rooms, and overnight stays passed the House and was defeated in Senate Judiciary Committee. Voting against were West River Representatives Mike Derby, Tim Goodwin, Jess Olson, and Senators Mike Diedrich and Helene Duhamel.
HB1198 would have placed either our state motto “Under God the People Rule” or our state seal in each public school, much like our National Motto was placed in each public school three years ago. Liberal Senator Lee Schoenbeck of Watertown ridiculed the bill and led the charge to kill it in the Senate State Affairs Committee. Senator Schoenbeck is also behind South Dakota Strong, the liberal group sending out vicious postcards against conservative legislators. This bill which would give South Dakota students a greater appreciation for South Dakota’s rich heritage passed the House, but was defeated in the Senate State Affairs Committee. Voting against this bill were Representatives Tim Goodwin, Jess Olson, Becky Drury, Dean Wink, and Senators Duhamel, Diedrich, and Cammack.
One of the bills Senator Schoenbeck is attacking conservative legislators on is HB1015 which would have mandated ‘a moment of silence’ in schools. The bill died in House Education Committee. Conservative committee members viewed this as a step backward since the legislature passed HCR6012 in 2020 to restore the right of PRAYER back in schools. I don’t replace Christ with an X on Christmas, and I’m not about to start replacing prayer with a moment of silence. HB1015 was a poorly written bill.
HB1168 would have eliminated all property tax for those 70 and older, whose home value was under $350,000, who had paid South Dakota property taxes for at least 20 years, and whose annual income is $65,000 or less. Unfortunately this bill that would give property owners a tax break died in committee. Voting against were West River Representatives Mike Derby, Becky Drury, Kirk Chaffee, and Jess Olson.
HB1283 requires the Department of Health to post all guidance documents from CDC and CMS regarding visitation at hospitals, nursing facilities, and assisted living centers. This bill provides transparency to ensure that our most vulnerable loved ones remain together during a pandemic and are properly advocated for. It passed the House 64-1 and Senate 35-0. The Department of Health has done a splendid job of complying on their website.
SB117 was a hog-housed bill that would remove the sales tax on our food like other neighboring states have done. Voting against giving the people a break on their food bill were representatives Mike Derby and Jess Olson.
Conservative legislators also attempted to suspend the rules of the House to vote on giving the people a twenty cent reprieve on each gallon of gas purchased over a couple of months in the fall. Voting against this effort to give back some of the peoples’ own money were Representatives Mike Derby, Becky Drury, Jess Olson, and Dean Wink.
South Dakota Citizens for Liberty graded all legislators on numerous bills. Legislators are scored based on their adherence to the United States and South Dakota Constitution as well as the Republican Party Platform. The above-mentioned West River Legislators received the following scores on how conservative they voted: Senator Cammack 33.3%; Senators Diedrich and Duhamel 33%; Rep. Goodwin and Chaffee 59.1%; Rep. Wink 52.4%. Rep. Derby 42.9 %; Rep. Drury 33.3%; Rep. Olson 14.3% Scores for all legislators can be viewed at http://sdcitizensforliberty.org/
Again, with election season upon us, please do your research. In these unprecendented times, it’s important to be informed to elect legislators who will best represent you, the people.
Representative Phil Jensen
District 33