Ambitious lawmakers have presented their legislative leaders at the South Dakota Capitol with a supply-and-demand challenge.

The Executive Board (E-Board) of the state Legislature will sift through more than two dozen requests from senators and representatives on Monday to spend the summer studying policy topics such as geoengineering, weather abnormalities, state investments in cryptocurrency, and meat production regulations.

But because the 30 requests submitted to the E-Board—made up of the Legislature’s highest-ranking members—do not include two major task forces on property tax relief and a new prison already established by state lawmakers and Gov. Larry Rhoden, respectively, few will make the cut.

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Yes, the legislative session is over—except for Veto Day on Monday, March 31. We are grateful that Gov. Rhoden has signed almost all of the bills we worked on, except for HB1169, which he recently vetoed. As a result, we urge you to contact your two representatives and your senator and ask them to support HB1169 by overriding the governor’s veto.

HB1169 is a bill that would require signatures on an initiated petition for a constitutional amendment to be a representation of each of the 35 legislative districts. It should be difficult to make changes to our Constitution. The Constitution outlines the structure of government and is not intended to reflect the whims of current ideas. Once an article of the Constitution is amended, it isn’t easy to revert to the original article. Take, for example, the institution of video lottery in 1989. This was introduced through a change to the South Dakota Constitution in November 1988. Since then, we have attempted unsuccessfully several times to repeal video lottery.

In our recent 2024 election, attempts were made to amend our Constitution to make unfettered abortion legal in our state. Amendment H would have also installed “open primaries” into our Constitution. Thankfully, these measures were defeated.

HB1169 will prevent those seeking signatures on petitions from getting them only in and around Sioux Falls or Rapid City. Petition drivers will be required to obtain signatures from the less populated areas as well to gain a full representation of our state.

HB1169 passed with a veto-proof majority in the House 63-6; we are hopeful that these representatives will retain their Yes vote. However, the Senate vote of 19-15 is not veto-proof. We need 24 senators to submit a Yes vote.

You have until March 30 to make your voice heard.

ACTION: Contact your state senator and urge them to vote Yes to override the Governor’s veto on HB1169. Click here if you don’t know who your state senator is. Inform them that changing our Constitution should be a difficult process. Please also contact your two representatives and thank them if they voted Yes and/or urge them to vote Yes again on HB1169. Please let your representatives know that you are being kept informed by Concerned Women for America of South Dakota.

PRAYER: Father, Thank You that You are able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think. We are grateful for the many bills that were passed and signed by Gov. Rhoden. We thank you for our South Dakota Constitution and the freedoms we enjoy and ask that this final bill be passed and put into law. We are humbly grateful for the freedom we have in Christ who blesses us with His grace and salvation. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Thank you for your consistent prayers and actions on behalf of the bills we have been updating you about, as well as the many kind words that have been expressed as we lobbied, attended meetings, and testified before committees at the state capitol every week. We are grateful!

Note: The print edition of this story incorrectly lists these four as going into the South Dakota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame this Friday. They are going into the South Dakota High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in July.

MITCHELL — Four coaching greats will be inducted into the South Dakota High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in July.

Bill Weber of Watertown, Kim Nelson of Sioux Falls, Jerome Garry of Madison and Jeff VanLeur of Emery are slated to be inducted during the 54^th annual SDHSCA Awards Ceremony scheduled for Sunday, July 20 at 1 p.m. In the Mitchell MCTEA Performing Arts Center.

Bill Weber

Weber spent 35 years as a teacher and football/track and field coach in Rosholt, Mitchell and Watertown.

He was a nine-man football head coach for Veblen-Rosholt and the state’s first three-school co-op (Tri-School with Rosholt, Veblen and New Effington) from 1986-2004 before serving as an assistant in the sport for Mitchell (2004-2006) and Watertown (2006-2021). He compiled a 97-67 record as a head coach with eight Eastern Coteau Conference titles, three Region 1 titles and a runner-up finish in Class 9A. Weber also was an assistant on Watertown’s state Class 11AA runner-up team in 2013.

In track, he coached five individual and two state relay champions along with two Veblen-Rosholt teams that placed fourth in the state meet.

Weber served as president of the South Dakota Football Coaches Association from 2000-02 and was inducted into the SDFBCA Hall of Fame in 2018. He also received the SDFBCA Keeper of the Game Award in 2015. He was twice nominated for the South Dakota High School Football Coach of the Year award and twice earned Region 1 Coach of the Year honors.

His lengthy list of honors includes being named the NHSACA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2022 and South Dakota Assistant Coach of the Year in 2021 and receiving a Max Hawk Distinguished Service Award from the South Dakota High School Activities Association in 2014. He also served as president of the South Dakota High School Coaches Association in 2010-11.

Kim Nelson

Nelson’s 45-year football coaching career included stops at Milbank, Rapid City Central, Sioux Falls Washington and Roosevelt as well as Edina, Minn.

With career record of 314-154, Nelson is the winningest coach in South Dakota high school football history. He led his teams to numerous Northeast, Sioux Interstate and Greater Dakota Conference titles along with a state Class 11AA championship with Roosevelt in 2011 and state runner-up finishes in Class 11A at Milbank (1983), Class 11AA at Washington (2002) and Class 11AAA at Roosevelt (2013, 2014 and 2017).

His list of honors includes numerous conference and region Coach of the Year awards, the South Dakota Football Coach of the Year Award in 2011 and the Dakota State University Alumni Coach of the Year in 2001.

Nelson has been a member of the South Dakota Football Coaches Association since its inception, served as the group’s president in 2012-13 and executive secretary from 2019-2023 and was inducted into the SDFBCA Hall of Fame in 2017.

In addition, he received the American Youth Character Builder Award from Character Counts and an Award of Gratitude from the Communication Services for the Deaf in 2000, was a national finalist for the Power of Influence Award in 2004 and a national finalist for the High School Football Coach of the Year in both 2015 and 2024.

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Jerome Garry

The 1975 Garretson High School graduate played football, basketball, wrestling and track and field before continuing his football career as a tight end for South Dakota State University.

His 40-year teaching and coaching career began in 1979 at O’Gorman High School, where he spent eight years. He later spent 20 years at Madison High School (1987-2007) before closing his career at Lourdes High School (2007-2019) in Rochester, Minn.

Garry enjoyed success as a coach in football, serving as an assistant on three state Class 11AA championship teams at O’Gorman before compiling a 74-66 record in 14 seasons as the head coach at Madison. He also served as an assistant at Lourdes where the teams went a combined 102-18 with three state Class AAA championships in 10 seasons.

He also coached Madison to a state powerlifting championship but really made his mark as a head boys and girls track and field coach. At Madison, he led the Bulldogs to five Class A boys and seven combined state titles. He also coached state champion athletes in the sport at both O’Gorman and Lourdes.

Garry spent three years as the Executive Director of the National High School Athletic Coaches Association and has received many honors, including the NFHS Track and Field Coach of the Year in 2001 and the South Dakota High School Activities Association Track and Field Coach of the Year in both 1993 and 1994. He was a finalist for the NHSACA Track and Field Coach of the Year in 2005. He also received the Ralph Ginn Award for Coaching Excellence from South Dakota State in 2010 and the Max Hawk Award (SDHSAA Distinguished Service) in 2021.

Jeff VanLeur

VanLeur has compiled an impressive 45-year coaching career in South Dakota that has included 45 years as head coach in football and boys and girls track and field, 25 years as an assistant boys basketball and four years as a head coach and 17 as an assistant in girls basketball.

At the completion of the 2024 season, VanLeur had a 300-137 career record in football that has included six state Class 9AA championships (2001, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2013) and a state Class 11B championship in 2019. His teams also produced state Class 9AA runner-up finishes in 1993 and 2009 and Class 11B runner-up finishes in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021.

The run of success also has featured 12 Cornbelt Conference titles between 1989-2009 and Big East Conference titles in 2018-2020.

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Other coaching highlights include being an assistant on four state-tournament teams (1987, 1990, 1994 and 1995) and top finishes as a head coach in girls track (third in 2006) and boys track (fourth in 1994).

VanLeur served as a board member for South Dakota Football Coaches Association from 2000-2002 and the South Dakota Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association from 2007-2022. His various honors include being named the South Dakota High School Football Coach of the Year in 2007-08 and Region 6 Football Coach of the Year six times as well as a nominee for the American Football Coaches Foundation Power of Influence Award in 2015. He was inducted into the SDFBCA Hall of Fame in 2014.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com