SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) -- One of House Speaker Mark Mickelson's priorities for the 2018 State Legislature is to say 'no' when necessary.
"We have to kinda remember that we do need to say 'No' to people, because every time we grow government, we are taking a little bit of freedom away from people," the Sioux Falls Republican tells KELO Radio's It's Your Business Show.
But he also wants lawmakers to say 'yes' when necessary. Mickelson supports restricting out-of-state money in South Dakota ballot initiative campaigns. He also takes a swipe at a ballot initiative this November that basically is a repeat of IM-22, the ethics reform package repealed by the 2017 Legislature.
"We are going to have a proposed 35 section amendment to our State Constitution? Can you imagine amending the U.S. Constitution by a simple popular vote."
Another Mickelson priority is a hike in the tobacco tax to lower tuition at South Dakota's technical schools.
"We charge high tuition. The third highest in the country. Double that of Nebraska's." says Mickelson as he takes a double track on the tax hike. He'll ask fellow lawmakers to support it, even as he hopes to have certified a ballot initiative for this November that would raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes by $1.
The 2018 State Legislature opens in Pierre January 9 with Governor Dennis Daugaard's State of the State Address.