PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The Latest on Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s last budget address (all times local):
3:25 p.m.
Outgoing Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s official portrait has been unveiled alongside the 31 portraits of the South Dakota governors that came before him.
The portrait was unveiled Tuesday after Daugaard gave his final budget address and farewell speech. Gov.-elect Kristi Noem in January will succeed Daugaard, who has served since 2011.
He previously served as lieutenant governor and in the Legislature. Connecticut artist Susan Booke Durkee painted the portrait after being chosen through a national selection process.
She came to Pierre in the spring to meet Daugaard and start work, finishing the portrait at her studio. It shows Daugaard in front of the cornerstone of the Capitol building.
Daugaard says it’s emblematic of attempting to take care of the state’s buildings and finances and keep South Dakota strong. Donations from current and past staff and cabinet members funded the portrait.
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3:10 p.m.
Outgoing Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s final budget proposal is getting a mixed review from South Dakota Democrats.
Democratic Party Executive Director Sam Parkinson said in a Tuesday statement that Democrats can support funding hikes for public schools, state employees and community support providers.
But Parkinson says the budget plan is “most notable for what’s not there,” including a lack of new funding for early childhood education and needs-based scholarships. Parkinson called it a “politics-as-usual approach.”
Daugaard on Tuesday gave his last budget address to the Legislature. The budget lays the groundwork for GOP Gov.-elect Kristi Noem, who will propose her own budget to be debated in the upcoming legislative session.
Incoming Senate Majority Leader Kris Langer, a Republican, says it will be interesting to compare and contrast the new governor’s wishes with Daugaard’s proposal. Langer says Daugaard has done a “great job as our governor.”
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1:50 p.m.
Retiring Gov. Dennis Daugaard is proposing spending increases for education, state employees and Medicaid providers in his final budget proposal as governor.
Daugaard on Tuesday gave his last budget address to the Legislature. The Republican proposed a nearly $1.7 billion general fund budget for the 2020 budget year that starts July 1.
The budget lays the groundwork for GOP Gov.-elect Kristi Noem, who will formulate her own plan to be debated in the upcoming session. Noem says she’ll be working on it over the rest of December.
Daugaard’s plan for the upcoming year envisions roughly $53 million in spending hikes, including 2.3 percent increases for education, Medicaid providers and state workers.
Noem will be sworn in Jan. 5. The Legislature will reshape the current budget and approve the next one during the session that begins in January.
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8 a.m.
South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard is set to outline the last budget proposal of his tenure to the state Legislature.
The retiring Republican on Tuesday will present the budget plan and give a farewell address at the state Capitol. The budget proposal lays the groundwork for GOP Gov.-elect Kristi Noem, who will formulate her own budget to be debated during the upcoming 2019 legislative session.
Noem in January will take over for Daugaard, who has served since 2011.
Daugaard has said that state revenue projections for the next budget year starting July 1 will be relatively strong. Lawmakers will revise the current year’s budget and shape the next one during the session that begins in January.
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