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branches of government that is totally nonpartisan," said Senate Republican Leader Russell Olson of Wentworth.
• House Democratic Leader Bernie Hunhoff of Yankton said he supports the criminal justice measure, but the Legislature will have to make sure communities get the money and staff required to supervise more people on parole or probation.
• "That's probably 25 years overdue, but better late than never," Hunhoff said. "We're just not improving people's lives the way we're doing it now."
• However, Hunhoff said he's disappointed that the governor did not mention any effort to find extra money to help school districts recover from budget cuts made two years ago.
• Daugaard also told lawmakers he will propose legislation to create a new state park at the Blood Run National Historic Landmark near Sioux Falls. Blood Run, located on the Big Sioux River, is one of the oldest places of long-term human habitation in America. It was used by thousands of Oneota Indians into the early 1700s and includes a large oak forest, rolling hills, flood plains and riverside bluffs.
• The governor also said he will propose a measure aimed at helping working spouses of military personnel who are transferred to South Dakota. Those spouses who have professional licenses or certifications could more easily be approved to work in South Dakota.
• However, Daugaard devoted much of his speech to the proposals to change the criminal justice system.
• He said South Dakota's inmate population grew from fewer than 550 inmates in 1977 to more than 3,600 last year, outpacing the national prison growth rate. The study panel's report said South Dakota has 416 inmates for every 100,000 in population, far higher than the average incarceration rate of 307 per 100,000 in the six neighboring states.
• Daugaard said throwing more people in prison hasn't improved public safety. He said 17 other states that lowered their imprisonment rates in the past decade also saw their crime rates fall twice as fast as South Dakota's crime rate.
• South Dakota now has 3,600 adult inmates. Unless changes are made, the state will gain another 900 adult inmates in the next decade, the governor said.
• "Prison is an expensive place to change offender behavior, and studies have shown that prison is not the most effective place to treat those with drug, alcohol and mental health issues. Sanctioning those offenders in other ways will be less expensive and more effective than doing so in prison," he said.
• Daugaard also noted that South Dakota currently has no incentive plan to attract large industrial projects to the state. A program that refunded construction taxes to

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