The South Dakota House of Representatives advanced a bill this week that could change the state’s election law.
The measure requires people to live in South Dakota for 30 consecutive days to be eligible to vote. House Bill 1066 passed on a 47-22 vote, and now moves to the Senate for consideration.
*In Iowa, the Office of Consumer Advocate would be separated from the Attorney General’s office and restored to its independent status, under a bill advancing in the Iowa House.
The measure would undo changes made as part of Gov. Kim Reynolds’s government reorganization.
The Iowa consumer advocate would be appointed by the governor instead of the attorney general. And, people in the advocate’s office would be employed by the state consumer advocate rather than the attorney general.
Republican Representative Charley Thomson of Charles City says the governor’s decision to fold the advocate’s office into the Attorney General’s in 2023 was a mistake. Thomson said the office is meant to be a “voice for the voiceless.”
The OCA’s job is to represent consumers before the Iowa Utilities Commission and make sure they’re receiving adequate and reasonably priced services.
*In an attempt to alleviate a stubborn shortage of teachers, nearly half of South Dakota school districts now employ international teachers who arrive on visa programs with strong academic backgrounds and extensive classroom experience.
A South Dakota News Watch survey of the state Department of Education revealed about 450 international teachers from the Philippines, Columbia and China are classroom-certified in South Dakota. The state saw a record 138 new certificates issued to international teachers in the 2023-24 school year.
South Dakota school administrators say the international teachers generally arrive with excellent English skills, good attitudes and work ethics, and strong credentials. One Filipino special education teacher in the Crow Creek Tribal School arrived in the fall with a bachelor’s, master’s and two doctorates in education and curriculum.
Teachers come to South Dakota on either the J-1 or HB-1 non-immigrant visa programs that allow them to stay five years or more.
Local school officials say the international teachers integrate well and are generally supported by the students, parents and residents where they work.
*In other news, bird flu has been detected in a commercial turkey flock in Buena Vista County.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture says this is the third case of the virus within domestic birds so far this year. Governor Kim Reynolds on Thursday issued a disaster proclamation for Buena Vista county concerning the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza incident.
Reynolds said the bird flu cases do not present an immediate public health concern, and it remains safe to eat poultry products.
The virus has also impacted dairy cattle, but the impact on dairy herds isn’t nearly severe as on poultry farms.
*Additionally, this week the Iowa Senate Judiciary Committee recommended passage of a bill known as the Medical Ethics Defense Act.
While federal law requires healthcare providers and payers to provide emergency medical services, this bill proposes to give legal protections to those who refuse to provide non-emergency healthcare services that violate their personal beliefs.
The bill further allows religious institutions to make hiring and contracting decisions that align with their religious beliefs.
For practitioners who claim to have been forced to provide medical care that violates their personal beliefs, the Medical Ethics Defense Act would provide whistleblower protections.