Nearly 20 percent of South Dakotans age 45 and over are currently providing unpaid care to an adult relative or friend. Many of them are juggling those caregiving duties with full- or part-time jobs.
Week seven is a busy and important week each year in the SD legislature. It is the final week for a bill to pass out of the committee in it's chamber of origin. This means a bill has to have been given a favorable recommendation in the first committee so it can be heard on the chamber floor before crossover day. "Crossover Day" is Monday, and marks the last opportunity for a bill originating in the House to move to the Senate, and vice versa. If a bill has not crossed over to the other chamber by the end of the day on Monday, it is considered dead.
Despite the cold, South Dakota advocates flocked to the Capitol this week to meet with their elected officials and make the priorities of South Dakota's 50+ known. Clad in their signature red vest, advocates from communities across our state had lunch with many of our State Senators and Representations, as well as Governor Noem, Lt Governor Rhoden and Attorney General Ravnsborg. Photos from the event are attached below.
Many of your state legislators return home after each week in Pierre to reconnect with their communities and to hear from members of their constituency. AARP SD is one of the many groups who help to facilitate these conversations by sponsoring legislative coffees in cities across the state. We encourage you to take an opportunity to get to know your elected officials and to let your lawmakers know you are watching what happens in Pierre!
The bitter cold hit much of SD, but Pierre is heating up! Despite it being a holiday week, AARP SD was busy taking steps to help expand access to human, health and disaster resources across our state.