Dear District 13 voters,

Thank you for giving me the great opportunity to represent you in the South Dakota Senate. The Eighty-Sixth Session of the S.D. Legislature begins on January 11. This link connects you to the official website of the S.D. Legislature where you will find all the work of the session, both live and archived.

Your Message Continues to be Clear

After knocking on thousands of doors during the campaign, I know that today's economic and political environment continues to cause many of you great concerns. I won't forget Your words from the campaign. I share those concerns and the campaign commitments I made to you remain the same.

1. Limit Government intrusion in our lives
2. Limit Government Spending… no new taxes taken from you and the private economy to expand government spending.
3. Manage the State Budget… stop spending money we don’t have; demand value from the dollars we are spending
4. Encourage job growth… government doesn’t create jobs; but we must sustain the favorable tax policy and business-friendly regulations that encourage job creators.
5. Focus on the educational success of our kids… 50% of our budget is spent on education, making it our first priority. Our kids and our taxpayers need those dollars to be spent as “efficiently” as possible
6. Effectively manage growth in Medicaid spending… with state Medicaid spending increasing by over $40 million next year and ObamaCare threatening to balloon that number even more dramatically, sustaining Medicaid may be our greatest challenge.
7. Never forget that all of our human rights and liberties originate with our right to life.

For the 8th year in a row, Sioux Falls ranked #1 in Forbes “Best small metro area for business and careers.” Even with the challenges from the national economy and the federal government, there still continues to be a spirit of optimism with some historic and unique opportunities in Sioux Falls and across South Dakota. While South Dakota’s 4.5% unemployment is a great hardship for many, the national unemployment rate of 9.4% is truly alarming. Along with SD’s great work ethic, our low-tax and business-friendly laws (passed over decades) continue to enhance the competitiveness and livability of our state.

Thank you for your continued trust!