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lems. A formal hearing on the bill itself will be held sometime later in the Senate State Affairs Committee, but the Appropriations Committee has to deal with the plan's budget implications.
• Gov. Dennis Daugaard and Supreme Court Chief Justice David Gilbertson have urged lawmakers to approve the proposals that include expansion of programs that keep drug and alcohol offenders out of prison by placing them in intensive treatment programs.
• Other recommendations include changing sentencing laws and putting more nonviolent offenders on probation.
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• THE PACE WILL PICK UP
• The Legislature's first week featured the governor's State of State speech and the chief justice's State of Judiciary speech, but it otherwise was pretty slow. Most bills introduced so far have come from state agencies, but individual lawmakers will begin to file more of their proposals as the second week progresses. That means committees will start holding formal hearings on bills, killing some and sending some to the House and Senate floors for further debates. A few committees held hearings on bills during the first week, and the full House and Senate might each vote on bills as early as Tuesday.
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• BUDGET-WRITING COMMITTEE CHANGES
• The Joint Appropriations Committee has changed from last year, when Rep. Dean Wink, R-Howes, was chairman of the House panel and Sen. Corey Brown, R-Gettysburg, was chairman of the Senate panel. Wink has been elected speaker pro-tem, which means he is next in line to be House speaker. Brown has been elected Senate president pro tem, which means he handles some administrative work and presides over the Senate when the lieutenant governor is absent. Both jobs require a lot of time, so Wink and Brown are no longer on the Joint Appropriations Committee, which spends far more time meeting than any other legislative committee. The new chairs are Sen. Deb Peters, R-Hartford, and Rep. Fred Romkema, R-Spearfish.
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• TOURISM INDUSTRY HITS TOWN
• The annual Governor's Tourism Conference will be in Pierre on Wednesday and Thursday. The conference features discussions on how to attract more visitors to South Dakota. Gov. Dennis Daugaard will speak at Thursday night's dinner to wrap up the event.
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