Today, Tuesday, Jan. 9, marks the first day of the 2024 South Dakota legislative session. The Center for Rural Affairs will be tracking policies that affect the rural quality of life and intersect with our goal of building vibrant rural communities. Our monitoring will include:
Energy and environment: With wind and solar projects on the rise in South Dakota, we support renewable energy siting standards that encourage development but also take into account the needs and concerns of communities.
Economic and community development: We are committed to ensuring that rural communities have every opportunity to thrive. We support policies that help provide small businesses and rural families the tools and services they require for success.
Additionally, it’s critical that legislators hear from the people they represent. We encourage you to get involved in the legislative process by communicating with elected officials about the issues you care about. If you don’t know who your legislators are, you can find them at this link.
Upcoming legislative forums:
District 2 Legislative Coffee, Jan. 20, hosted by the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce
District 20 Legislative Coffee, Jan 26, hosted by the Mitchell Area Chamber of Commerce
Aberdeen Area Cracker Barrels, Jan. 27, Feb. 10, and Feb. 27, hosted by the Aberdeen Area Chamber of Commerce
Rapid City Area Cracker Barrels, Jan. 27 and Feb. 17, and March 2, hosted by Elevate Rapid City
District 17 Legislative Coffee, Feb. 10, hosted by the Vermillion Area Chamber & Development Company and Governmental Affairs Committee
We look forward to communicating with you during the legislative session and welcome your input. Feel free to be in touch about issues you feel are important to rural communities. I can be reached at heidiku@cfra.org or 605.240.0039.
