BELLE FOURCHE—The Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce hosted a Legislative Cracker Barrel on Saturday, January 31 at Venue 519. Representatives Travis Ismay (District 28B), Jana Hunt (District 28A) and Sam Marty (District 28) spent the afternoon discussing bills and answering questions from an audience of locals.
Tom Brunner acted as the event’s discussion monitor. The W.I.T. Coalition (Newell) also sponsored the event, along with a Cracker Barrel in Newell that same morning.
One topic of discussion was the proposed brand inspection bill that would make private inspections statewide.
Jana Hunt, a proponent for the bill, explained that as inspections currently work in the state, only half of the state’s cattle get inspected, leaving the entire East River portion of the state without inspections.
Cattle theft has been a prevalent issue around the state; Hunt said that the SD Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (Hunter Roberts) stated that cattle theft is only an issue on Indian reservations.
Brushing off the issue as a “reservation problem” is concerning to Hunt; and “should be concerning to anybody that supports ag in our state,” she said.
Travis Ismay encouraged the crowd to participate in local politics. “If you guys have an idea for a bill, please tell me before session starts,” he said.
Property taxes were another hot topic of discussion. Currently, there are over 30 bills trying to address property taxes. “One of my biggest concerns when we’re dealing with it is, what are the unintended consequences?
We spend so much time arguing our different ideas,” said Hunt. “I hate to say this, but I don’t know if we’re going to have a satisfactory solution this session.”
Legislative Cracker Barrels are held every year during the annual South Dakota legislative sessions and are an opportunity for community members to hear from their legislators.
The Chamber of Commerce noted that it would keep the public updated as to whether there will be another Cracker Barrel this year.
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