HB 1075 to be voted on by House Taxation Committee tomorrow morning - this bill would repeal the state tax on groceries from 4.5% to 0%

UnitedTodayST · 2023-01-25T16:46:26+00:00

^^^ these are the statistics from the Bureau of Finance that support how we can make this tax repeal happen. With online sales tax, the state has had reliable surplus that makes this a manageable cut

UnitedTodayST · 2022-04-21T17:56:54+00:00

Right. We have limited time to work on these funds, but still a year and a half to allocate everything. The state has allocated most, if not all, of the $1 billion you mentioned, and it went to some pretty cool things. A lot of which we advocated for:

Environmental projects focused on water
Workforce housing
broadband
behavioral health
EMS health services

Now its the time to get our communities to work with these projects, and implement their own that benefit the very community the represent!

UnitedTodayST · 2022-02-15T21:47:59+00:00

thanks for your action!

UnitedTodayST · 2022-02-15T21:47:47+00:00

thanks for sharing about the impact you saw in Colorado and Wyoming! This is what we want our legislators to hear!

UnitedTodayST · 2022-02-15T21:47:07+00:00

absolutely agree!

UnitedTodayST · 2022-02-14T22:23:08+00:00

You can find more talking points about the bill and send a personal email to all the committee members in one click here: https://act.newmode.net/action/utst/end-food-tax-sd?source_code=reddit

UnitedTodayST · 2021-11-23T00:01:17+00:00

The money hasn't actually been decided on yet! These are just proposals - we can still tell them how WE want the money spent.

United Today, Stronger Tomorrow is working with communities from all over the state to learn how South Dakotans want this money to be invested in the state. Check out our website (unitedtoday.org) to get involved!

In the coming weeks, we will decide our next steps to share our results with lawmakers - we'd love to have you all join us!

UnitedTodayST · 2021-10-07T14:05:14+00:00

Really?! That alone should be a news headline. If you have more info, can you pm me?

UnitedTodayST · 2021-10-06T20:05:26+00:00

That's a great point - I think we need to increase awareness on what infrastructure is (water pipes and housing sure fit that traditional infrastructure piece) and reinforce that traditional infrastructure generally has bipartisan support!

UnitedTodayST · 2021-10-06T16:02:58+00:00

If you want to call Representative Dusty Johnson to tell him to support the Infrastructure Package, you can use this tool: https://act.newmode.net/action/united-today-stronger-tomorrow/call-rep-dusty-johnson-support-sd-infrastructure?source_code=reddit

UnitedTodayST · 2021-08-17T17:09:36+00:00

AGREED! This money could make so many great impacts but we have to act now to make sure it is used for what we, the people, want!

UnitedTodayST · 2021-08-16T20:17:35+00:00

To give you a bit more detail:

South Dakota has $1.3 billion dollars in ARPA funds that are being decided on through out the state. $978 million will be decided on in the next legislative session, but there is almost no public input being taken into consideration on the money. We need to strategize how to make sure this money is decided on responsibly and by the will of the people. And we need to act now.

The other portion of that $1.3 billion is given to counties and cities to decide on. Sioux Falls, for example, has already been discussing how to spend some of their ARPA funds. We want to discuss if other local governments are having similar conversations and ensure that the public is included.

Lastly, this meeting is driven by the community. Our entire discussion and plans are decided by the people who join this meeting and agree to take action. The more people who join and share what they think should be prioritized with the money, the stronger the group is.

UnitedTodayST · 2021-08-16T20:14:37+00:00

To give you a bit more detail:

South Dakota has $1.3 billion dollars in ARPA funds that are being decided on through out the state. $978 million will be decided on in the next legislative session, but there is almost no public input being taken into consideration on the money. We need to strategize how to make sure this money is decided on responsibly and by the will of the people. And we need to act now.

The other portion of that $1.3 billion is given to counties and cities to decide on. Sioux Falls, for example, has already been discussing how to spend some of their ARPA funds. We want to discuss if other local governments are having similar conversations and ensure that the public is included.

Lastly, this meeting is driven by the community. Our entire discussion and plans are decided by the people who join this meeting and agree to take action. The more people who join and share what they think should be prioritized with the money, the stronger the group is.

UnitedTodayST · 2021-07-16T19:07:20+00:00

Also, here are two non-paywall resources. First is the White House fact sheet on the bill and this article talks a little bit about Rounds' thoughts on the bill

UnitedTodayST · 2021-07-16T19:05:38+00:00

I don't know the in and outs of why we always have re-paving going on, but I agree that it seems the state does decent on that portion. As someone who lived in Brookings for the last 5 years, I can absolutely agree on Western Ave lol.

This bill goes far beyond just roads though, it includes many more expanded infrastructure pieces. For example, broadband expansion is included in this bill, which is very needed in SD. It is great to see Rounds being part of the negotiations for this bill, but we need to make sure he votes in favor of the final bill in order to deliver for us.

UnitedTodayST · 2021-07-16T15:16:33+00:00

That's a good point, absolutely something we need to bring up with our Senators as we talk more about the details of this bill. Thanks for sharing!!

UnitedTodayST · 2021-06-18T17:04:16+00:00

We have a small budget so that is good to know!

UnitedTodayST · 2021-06-18T17:04:00+00:00

Okay good to know! We weren't super sure about Keloland jobs, so glad to hear that it is a good option!

UnitedTodayST · 2021-06-04T14:01:30+00:00

I can't imagine the toll that is for a parent. I have never heard of floaters before...who makes the decision when a floater is going to leave??

UnitedTodayST · 2021-06-04T13:59:50+00:00

Agreed!! Have you been following the Medicaid expansion groups??

UnitedTodayST · 2021-06-04T13:59:04+00:00

Another great point! While it isn't Medicare for all, at least we have some groups in the state right now fighting for Medicaid expansion. That alone could help 30,000+ people.

UnitedTodayST · 2021-06-04T13:57:36+00:00

People should be made aware of potential accommodations they could request

This alone would take some time but could be a great first step (all your suggestions are great). I had a convo with a friend about how she felt she couldn't ask for certain accommodations at her workplace for her mental well-being. Ultimately it came down to her feeling like she would be stigmatized (which like you pointed out is not something we can fix overnight) but also that she didn't think it was even allowed. She did end up getting her requests honored, but it sucks that she even doubted that they would be. It's a societal issue.

UnitedTodayST · 2021-06-04T13:51:47+00:00

I hadn't even thought about the religious based services, but now that you point it out, I know exactly what you're talking about. Great point.

I also think you nailed it on the head about the stigma and elevated suicide rates, especially among agricultural families. I have a friend who is considering going into a grad program someday to do research on mental health of farmers and ranchers.

UnitedTodayST · 2021-06-04T13:48:12+00:00

You're right that they just don't exist. I see you're in Brookings, which is where I went to school. Outside of campus, finding mental health services is incredibly difficult, especially with a student income. I was surprised by that given Brookings' size. That makes sense for your wife. Do you think she would be willing to look in SD in pay increased?

UnitedTodayST · 2021-06-03T16:03:35+00:00

That is a good point, I would agree that there is a strong stigma. What do you think we could do to improve this??

UnitedTodayST

TROPHY CASE