299P0490 HOUSE BILL NO. 1124
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED, An Act to enhance education in the state and to make an appropriation therefor.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA:
Section 1. There is hereby appropriated from the general fund the sum of one dollar ($ 1 ), or so much thereof as may be necessary, to the Department of Education to enhance education in the public elementary and secondary schools in this state.
Section 2. The secretary of education shall approve vouchers and the state auditor shall draw warrants to pay expenditures authorized by this Act.
Section 3. Any amounts appropriated in this Act not lawfully expended or obligated by June 30, 2009 , shall revert in accordance with § 4-8-21.
Looks like hoghouse bait to me; let's see what monkey business ensues in the House State Affairs Committee on Monday. Maybe Rep. Brunner, primary sponsor of HB 1261 (the "armed and studious" bill), will add an amendment to enhance education by allowing kindergartners to bring firearms for show and tell. (That is the ultimate NRA agenda, after all.)
But just in case our Republican legislators need a reminder: Vouchers are just that distracting, faux-conservative boilerplate that big-city Republicans like to trot out to sound like they're doing something about education and maybe promote another profit-making realm for their plutocrat friends. If vouchers make any sense at all, they make sense only in a competitive education market with lots of choices. Show of hands: how many of my South Dakota readers live in a competitive education market? For that matter, how many of you have any choices in the neighborhood?
Get back to business, Rhoden, Brunner, Dykstra, et al. Vouchers are not a South Dakota issue. Competitive teacher salaries and fair, sustainable taxation are.
Really? Or are you just joking?
ReplyDeleteI mean, you must be joking, right? Um... you have to know that the language doesn't refer to vouchers.
I mean, you can't be that stupid.
Help me out, Anon -- did I miss something? The bill says "vouchers." I'll grant, the bill is shockingly vague about vouchers for what -- that's why it looks like hoghouse material to me.
ReplyDeleteBut what little language is there... well, you tell me: what is the language referring to?
I e-mailed Rep. Rhoden, and here's how he responded (quickly--thanks, Rep. Rhoden)to me:
ReplyDelete"HB1124 is commonly referred to as a place holder. Since we don't have the final plans regarding education funding prior to our bill introduction deadline, often a bill like this is put in the system. When a proposal is brought forward, it is amended into the place holder.
Hope this helps."
See, Anon, that wasn't too difficult, was it? Next time, how about dispensing with the useless snarkiness and just share the information you know that might help educate the rest of us about our state's democratic process?