Committee tables Feeding South Dakota stabilization bill after mixed testimony
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Summary
House Bill 11 47 — a one-time funding proposal to replace lost local food purchase assistance and shore up Feeding South Dakota — was amended to reduce the one-time amount and ultimately tabled after proponents outlined need and opponents warned about precedent for funding nonprofits with general funds.
House Bill 11 47, introduced to provide one-time stabilization funding for Feeding South Dakota and to restore a local food purchase assistance component, was the subject of a lengthy hearing that included nonprofit leaders, farmers, food-pantry operators and a school association representing opponents.
Laurie Dykstra, CEO of Feeding South Dakota, said the statewide food bank network has seen donated product decrease while food insecurity has risen to a record high; she described a structural shortfall in the organization’s reimbursement for USDA commodity-moving contracts and said the bill would allow local purchases from South Dakota farmers and stabilize operations.
Representative Eric Muckey moved an amendment (11-47a) that reduced the bill’s one-time purchase-assistance component to $1,500,000 from a larger figure and explained he planned a motion sheet to address longer-term TFAP reimbursement issues in the Department of Education budget process. Proponents including producers and local pantry operators described the program as a ‘‘win-win’’ that provides markets for farmers and fresh food for neighbors.
Mitch Richter, representing the South Dakota United School Association, opposed the bill on budget-principle grounds, arguing the state should not convert federal program cuts into general-fund support for a private nonprofit and warning about precedent. He cited Feeding South Dakota’s 2024 revenue and expense figures and asked lawmakers to examine reserves, internal controls and alternatives before appropriating state dollars.
After sponsor rebuttal acknowledging the opposition’s concerns, Representative Jorgensen moved to table; the table motion passed on roll call. The transcript records the committee’s roll-call disposition and notes the motion carried.
Next steps: HB 11 47 as amended was tabled by the committee; the sponsor indicated intent to pursue related motion-sheet work on TFAP reimbursements in the budget-setting process.