Legislative recap and upcoming events

[admin]

Legislative recap and upcoming events
Dear friends--

I hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather! Now that session is over, I wanted to take this time to send you a quick recap of how young people fared this session, and what's coming up in the near future for SDYD.

First, session: The budget was obviously the most talked-about piece of session, especially given Gov. Daugaard's proposed 10% education and Medicaid cuts. This wasn't just about cutting some excess fat from budgets -- thanks to the outcry from thousands of South Dakotans from across the state, our elected officials knew that these cuts would mean lost jobs for teachers and other education staff, larger class sizes and fewer resources for students, and fewer options for physicians and patients on Medicaid. Given that over half of Medicaid recipients are children, this is a major concern for young people.

After the outpouring of concern over the cuts, Republicans caved slightly, and education ended up with a 6% cut, and Medicaid ended up with an average of about that (some facilities, like hospitals, had higher cuts, while others had lower). Ultimately, though, this is still going to have a significant, damaging impact on people across South Dakota. Yet, what did Governor Daugaard have to say after all that was said and done? "Mission Accomplished." ( http://www.facebook.com/l/e9dcab3-SlK4G ... h%2011.pdf).

People are mad right now, and it's up to US to make sure they stay mad through November 6, 2012. To that end, I'm happy to announce opportunities to get involved NOW, so we're ready for election day next year:

--Joint SDYD and YDA Midwest Region Convention, May 21-22, Sioux Falls: We're thrilled to be hosting young Democrats from all over the Midwest in conjunction with our state convention in Sioux Falls. The Convention will include speakers and trainings from top-notch professionals, in addition to officer elections for SDYD. Register for the convention here: http://www.facebook.com/l/e9dcappdLAkDv ... /sdmeeting

--National YDA Convention, July 27-30, Louisville, KY: For the second time ever, South Dakota will send a delegation to YDA's national convention. This is your chance to meet young people from across the country, attend trainings, issue and interest caucuses, and vote for YDA's leadership team. Registration will open in May, but this is another don't-miss event to make sure is on your calendar.

Thanks for all you do!

--Kristin and Angie