BROOKINGS – Democratic Sen. Reynold Nesiba will give a legislative update starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 15, at the Brookings Public Library, Cooper Room B.
Nesiba, minority whip of the South Dakota Senate, will outline priorities and discuss issues facing legislators during the 2022 session, which begins Tuesday in Pierre. He is advocating for an 8% raise for state workers, extending the time injured employees can file for worker’s compensation claims, and making Juneteenth a permanent state holiday.
“Over the last two years, our educators, state employees, and community service providers have been on the front lines of this pandemic,” Nesiba said. “They deserve our thanks. They also deserve a ‘real’ raise. According to the BLS, consumer prices increased 6.8% last year. The governor has proposed a 6% cost-of-living adjustment. Her proposal leaves these critical workers about one percentage point behind where they were a year ago in terms of purchasing power.”
Nesiba’s other bills include SB 30, which would make Juneteenth an official state holiday bringing South Dakota in line with federal law; another that would give workers 30 days to file a worker’s compensation claim; and one to fix the overtime and holiday pay problem for workers who regularly work shifts longer than eight hours.
Nesiba is a member of the Appropriations Committee, Government Operations and Audit Committee, Retirement Law Committee, and Joint Legislative Procedures Committee. He also serves as an ex-officio member on the Revolving Economic Development and Initiative Board used by the state for financing economic development projects.
Nesiba is running for his fourth term representing District 15 in the Legislature. He has been an economics professor at Augustana University for the past 27 years.
The update, sponsored by the Brookings County Democrats, is free and open to the public, and wearing masks is strongly recommended. Petitions to legalize recreational marijuana and expand Medicaid will be available to sign.
