Hometown Power

CHRIS HILL | SDML DIRECTOR OF MUNICIPAL ELECTRIC SERVICES

The 2023 Legislative  Session is in full swing  now, but that fi rst week  is always an exciting  time. It was especially  so this year, as we had  several new faces in  the Capitol following the  elections.

The fi rst week features  the State addresses -  the State of the State  Address on Tuesday,  the State of Judiciary  on Wednesday, and the State of the Tribes on Thursday. A  vote on Tuesday secured Representative Hugh Bartels from  Watertown as the new Speaker of the House for the next two  years. We also heard updates from State offi  ces in committee  meetings before hearing bills on Thursday and Friday. With  over 100 bills fi led even prior to session, there is no doubt that  this will be a busy session. Luckily, by the time you read this,  we will be nearing the end of individual bills and committee  bills being introduced.

The 2023 Legislative Session will conclude on March 9 this  year and although that is a date that everyone already has  circled on our calendar, that isn’t the end for the League  staff as we will begin traveling for our district meetings and  visiting with all of our members. The district meetings are  always a wonderful time to visit with everyone and give  updates on Legislative Session. If you haven’t had a chance  to attend a district meeting, I highly recommend doing so. A  list of locations and dates can be found on page 11 of this  publication.

I am also going to take this opportunity to mention the SDMEA  Conference and Technology Expo. Last year saw record  attendance at the conference, and it was great to see everyone.  We had 22 of our 35 member municipalities represented and  we’re working towards having a representative from every  municipal electric community in attendance each year. The  conference committee has begun planning our agenda and  registration will open soon. Please encourage someone from  your city to attend the conference; we will have something  that applies to every member municipality.

If you have any questions about Legislative Session, SDML  District Meetings, or the upcoming SDMEA conference, please  feel free to reach out to me! The more we work together, the  more we can make our HOMETOWNS great! ■

Registration opens soon!