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ken arm or leg away from bankruptcy.
• Legislators who deny the need for Medicaid Expansion should talk to waitresses, convenience store clerks, roofers and mechanics and ask if they're insured. These workers probably don't have employer-sponsored health coverage.
• The expansion of Medicaid would bring positive economic impact to SD.  It is estimated that the impact over seven years will be over one billion dollars.  Opponents say we can't count on the Federal Government so we should not accept the Medicaid expansion. Yet currently SD depends on the Federal Government for over 50% of our budget.  So with that reasoning should we say no to all the other Federal money that we are utilizing such as the road money?  I doubt that we are ready to do that. 
• As the session winds down and a lot of last minute decision are made in appropriations we are going to be watching very closely.  Last year on the very last day the Republican leadership put $500,000 into the budget for legislative travel.  We strongly protested this and asked that the additional money be used to give further aid to education.  We were denied and the budget was approved but we will continue to fight for what is right such as more money for education, the Medicaid expansion, and an end to the shifting of the tax liability onto the local governments. 
• Thank you.
• Sincerely,
• Chuck Welke
• District 2 State Senate
• Brown, Clark, Hamlin, and Spink Counties
• Sen.welke@state.sd.us
• 605-216-1467