Seminar 3
Pierre, SD
January 16-18, 2007
Class IV gathered in Pierre for
seminar 3 on January 16-18 to study the political process for our great state.
We were skillfully led by general seminar managers Kevin Jaspers and Lola Roseth.
Dan Gee welcomed us all and
gave an overview of our upcoming days. Our first presenter was Mary Duvall,
class II member, who walked us through the legislature’s web site and gave us a
wonderful look into the legislative process.
After lunch we gathered at the
Mathew training center to listen to Secretary of Agriculture, Larry Gabriel.
Secretary Gabriel presented a wonderful summary of all the responsibilities of
his department followed by a very informative question and answer period.
Doug Hanson, Director of Wildlife Division for
the Game Fish and Parks then spoke on their mission of protecting the vast
natural resources of our state. He stated that 260 full time employees carry
out this mission. Sam Holland, State Veterinarian, followed with a wonderful
explanation of his duties in monitoring animal health. He stated that we live
in the information age which also could be labeled as the misinformation age.
Former representative Mike Jaspers gave a very
insightful look into the political process and what it takes to run a successful
campaign. We concluded our evening with a dinner at the Cattlemen’s Club
sponsored by the SD Beef Industry Council.
Bright and early on Wednesday morning we
gathered at the Cultural Heritage Center and listened to our first speaker,
Dusty Johnson, PUC Commissioner. He spoke of their mission of protecting the
consumer while attempting to improve our infrastructure for economic
development. A healthy question and answer session included comments on cell
phone coverage and wind and nuclear power.
Steve Pirner, SD Secretary of the DENR, then
talked about their role in maintaining the quality of our environment informing
us that water quality is our biggest challenge.
Rick Valley, Ag Unity Vice President, then
walked us through the process of drafting a legislative bill. He stated that
there are 50 to 75 lobbyist representing 500 to 700 different industries in
Pierre.
Our morning session concluded with Secretary of
State Chris Nelson. He shared how his office oversees the election process and
is the official record keeper for the state. He also shared interesting
information on the many lawsuits that his office has been involved.
After dinner we were able to observe our
legislature in session. Later that afternoon we were honored to meet with
Governor Michael Rounds. Governor Rounds spoke about property tax fairness and
value added issues stating that we will become an energy exporting state, thanks
to the ethanol industry.
The evening concluded with dinner with Alumni
and friends at Cheyenne Ridge Lodge. Representative Joe Dykstra, and Senator
Scott Heidepriem spoke after dinner to our group which was followed by a very
spirited debate on the state of education.
After another early evening and good nights sleep we were able to sit in on committee hearing at the capital at 7:30 AM. After traveling back to the Cultural Heritage Center the rumor that Dan Gee had forgotten about the scheduled book reports was soon dismissed. Excellent book reports were given on Jim Collins book Good to Great with Curtis Samson expressing his strong support for women in agriculture. Time was also spent preparing for our Washington, DC trip in February. We were also able to spend some time sharing and evaluating our SDARL experiences. As we look forward to spending more time together as class IV, we will continue to grow closer together and be challenged to become strong ambassadors for our great state of South Dakota. We concluded our seminar with lunch on the Capital Rotunda, compliments of the Kingsbury Cattleman’s Association.
Curtis Samson
Reporter