Government spending

COMMENTARY
Reps. Mike Derby, R-Rapid City, left, and Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, shake hands after a $104 million tax cut passed the House unanimously on March 9, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight)

‘You get what you pay for’ with government services

BY: - August 23, 2023

The scene was a District 7 legislative cracker barrel in Brookings, circa 2011 or thereabouts. The lawmakers on hand were two Republicans, Sen. Larry Tidemann and Rep. Scott Munsterman, and one Democrat, Rep. Spencer Hawley.  Near the end of the allotted time for the cracker barrel, Tidemann and Munsterman remained seated but they were taking […]

The Joint Committee on Appropriations meets on Feb. 14, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre to review revenue projections for the remainder of fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2024. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

State budget committee adopts ‘conservative’ fiscal year 2024 revenue estimates

BY: - February 15, 2023

PIERRE – The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Appropriations officially adopted the revenue projections for the remainder of fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2024 on Wednesday morning at the Capitol. The committee adopted an ongoing revenue estimate of $2.3 billion for the remainder of the current fiscal year, which is an 8.2% increase over last […]

The Joint Committee on Appropriations meets on Feb. 14, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre to review revenue projections for the remainder of fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2024. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

State revenue ‘overflowing’ this year, but some lawmakers are cautious about the future

BY: - February 14, 2023

PIERRE – South Dakota’s 2024 revenue is expected to increase by millions of dollars, but experts say that increase won’t last forever, and some legislators are growing cautious about how to spend the state’s excess money in the coming year. At the Joint Committee on Appropriations meeting Tuesday morning at the Capitol, the Legislative Research […]

The House Chamber in the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

U.S. House approves $1.7 trillion funding package and sends it to Biden

BY: - December 23, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted Friday to approve a sweeping $1.7 trillion government spending package that carries along with it dozens of new initiatives, including an update to how Congress certifies electoral votes for president and new protections for pregnant workers.  The 225-201 bipartisan vote, with one member voting present, sends the 4,126-page measure […]

The U.S. Capitol building is seen on Oct. 22, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Huge $1.7 trillion spending package passes in U.S. Senate, backed by both parties

BY: - December 22, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate passed a massive $1.7 trillion funding package Thursday that carries emergency aid for natural disaster recovery and the Ukrainian war effort, pushing past disputes over immigration policy and barely meeting a Friday deadline when current funding runs out. The bill, supported by both Democrats and Republicans, now goes to the […]

In this photo illustration, a mobile phone can be seen displaying the logos for Chinese apps WeChat and TikTok in front of a monitor showing the flags of the United States and China on an internet page, on September 22, 2020, in Beijing, China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

TikTok ban for federal workers close to becoming law, following flurry of state bans

BY: - December 20, 2022

A ban on federal employees using TikTok on their government-issued phones is on track to become law after Congress included the provision in the year-end government funding bill released early Tuesday. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley’s legislation barring the popular social media platform from federal devices was one of several bills attached to the spending measure, […]

The House Chamber in the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

Congress rolls out $1.7 trillion spending deal in race to Friday deadline

BY: - December 20, 2022

WASHINGTON — Congress unveiled a $1.7 trillion spending package early Tuesday that would fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year, completing the annual process that began this spring when President Joe Biden sent lawmakers his budget request.  Biden’s chief budget official in a statement urged Congress to speedily pass the massive […]

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, speaks at a news conference after a weekly Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 7, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Congress clears one-week bill to fund the government, but many hurdles remain

BY: - December 16, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate sent President Joe Biden a one-week government funding bill late Thursday, giving negotiators a few more days to wrap up talks on what is expected to be a $1.7 trillion package to keep the federal government up and running through September.  The short-term bill is the second time Congress has […]

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, holds his weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol on June 13, 2019, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

U.S. House and Senate GOP at odds over massive government spending deal

BY: - December 14, 2022

WASHINGTON — Congress is trying to wrap up its remaining must-pass bills before leaving for the holidays — but a split between Senate Republican and House GOP leaders could hamstring the all-important task of funding government operations and averting a partial shutdown. Senate Republicans are working with Democrats in both chambers to negotiate a major […]

The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. (Jane Norman/States Newsroom)

U.S. House GOP to keep earmarks for local projects — with some ‘tweaks’

BY: - December 1, 2022

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans voted Wednesday to keep earmarks in place when they take over the chamber in January, a move that solidifies GOP support for the controversial spending practice that was brought back under new guardrails and transparency mechanisms less than two years ago.  Earmarking has become especially important to members of both […]