• South Dakota recently implemented a new effort to help those collecting unemployment benefits get back to work more quickly, and the effort is working.
• Government must always be cautious about creating or encouraging dependency.  After years of work at Children's Home Society, I know there are those in South Dakota who need help.  But we should always encourage those who are able to help themselves.  As Theodore Roosevelt once said:
• "If a man stumbles, it is a good thing to help him to his feet. Every one of us needs a helping hand now and then. But if a man lies down, it is a waste of time to try and carry him; and it is a very bad thing for everyone, if we make men feel that the same reward will come to those who shirk their work and those who do it."
• More than six weeks ago, I directed the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation to implement Re-employment Intensive Services (RIS).  This program gives a "helping hand" to those who are out of work, but demands that those receiving benefits do not expect to be "carried."
•  RIS requires full, one-on-one assistance with dedicated labor specialists to all unemployment claimants who have received payments for more than 10 weeks. The program helps participants evaluate their skills, identify in-demand career areas, and find training options. And the program directs participants to appropriate job

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