AARP Eye Center
The month of March is upon us which means we are nearing the end of South Dakota's 2020 legislative session!
AARP South Dakota’s signature bill of the 2020 legislative session has passed through both the House of Representatives and Senate! With AARP South Dakota’s support, Senate Bill (SB) 148, the Uniform Power of Attorney Act (UPOAA), passed in the House Judiciary committee on Monday and passed on the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Since SB 148 was amended in the House of Representatives, it will go back to the Senate for concurrence and then on to the Governor’s desk. For more information on this legislation, visit our week three update.
This week, AARP South Dakota testified in favor of Senate Bill (SB) 2 in front of both the House Health and Human Services committee and the House Appropriations committee. SB 2 expands the 2-1-1 telephone referral system to a statewide resource. This bill comes at the request of the 2019 Leverage Telehealth and Telemedicine Task Force. SB 2, which has already passed in the Senate, is a spending bill that moves from the House Appropriations committee to the House of Representatives for consideration and likely won’t be resolved until the end of the legislative session. Learn more about this legislation in our week six update.
On Monday, AARP South Dakota testified in favor of House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 6008, which would have authorized a legislative study analyzing the continuum of care for the elderly and disabled in South Dakota. See more here. The bill, which had already passed through the House of Representatives, passed in the Senate Health and Human Services committee but unfortunately was defeated on the Senate floor.
On Monday, House Bill (HB) 1050 which provided an online voter registration through the Office of the Secretary of State, was defeated in the Senate State Affairs committee. AARP South Dakota had previously testified in favor of the bill and it had passed through the House of Representatives. Learn more about why this was a priority for AARP in our week four update.
On Thursday, AARP South Dakota testified in favor of House Bill (HB) 1088 which creates a penalty for the violation of a vulnerable adult protection order and strengthens South Dakota’s response to elder abuse. HB 1088, which has passed through the House of Representatives, passed in the Senate Judiciary committee and moves to the Senate floor for consideration. Learn more about this legislation in our week four update.
Next week is the last week of the 2020 legislative session and lawmakers will finalize the budget. AARP South Dakota will continue to urge our elected officials to prioritize funding for programs that impact seniors in South Dakota. Remember, you can stay up to date on state and federal issues that affect the 50+ all throughout the year by joining our advocates newsletter. Email sdaarp@aarp.org for more information.