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• On Feb. 6, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced that his state will expand. Snyder, a Republican, joins fellow Republican Governor John Kasich of Ohio, who made his Medicaid expansion announcement on Feb. 4^th. The Republican governors of Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and North Dakota had previously said they would expand the program. While it is a difficult decision, let's remember that failure to act will only leave more South Dakotans without medical coverage and continue to drive them to emergency care. The federal dollars we turn down will only be distributed to other states, not "saved" or applied to federal spending more to our liking.
• Changes in Referral and Initiative Law
• Those of us promoting the democratic process in South Dakota take exception to the Senate Joint Resolution 2 which passed both Senate Taxation and will soon be heard on the Senate floor. SJR2 proposes an Amendment to the State Constitution which would make it harder for certain Initiatives to pass by requiring a 2/3 vote instead of a simple majority.  Any initiated measure which affects taxation would require the 2/3 vote. A bit of history might help us understand why the process is so important to SD voters.
• South Dakota has the distinction of being the first state in the Union to provide for popular initiative and referendum for enacting and rejecting legislation. This was ac

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