Week 4 of the South Dakota State Legislature in Pierre is now in the books. Birth certificates, mask mandates and Governor security costs all made the news this week. Here’s a look at a few of the lesser quotable lines found in our reporter notebook this week:

It’s Dan-er: State government loves acronyms. So when Governor Noem announced plans to merge the Department of Ag with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources it brought up the obvious question of what acronym would the new department be known by. Would it be Den-er, or maybe Dag-er? The answer came early Monday morning in a committee meeting when a ‘high ranking state official’ told this reporter it was DANR, pronounced ‘dan-er.’

Can you hear me now?: It’s likely the most asked question of the 2021 Legislative session and it has nothing to do with cellular phone service. Virtually every committee meeting this year has struggled to adapt to the new virtual environment by which some LRC staff and the public participate remotely. ‘Can you hear me now’ has become the unofficial call to order in most committee meetings. Other frequently heard questions this session include ‘Is this thing on?’ and ‘What just happened?’

Donuts or jerky: Few things irk lawmakers more than the sound of a cell phone ringing during a committee meeting. Allow your phone to be heard and you’ll face quick sentencing from your peers – bring donuts to the next committee meeting. Senator Gary Cammack of Union Center prefers beef jerky, but make no mistake, you’re buying. First up in ’21 – Democrat Senator Troy Heinert of Mission.

No pets allowed: A visitor to the State Capitol was overheard Thursday to say it was ‘nice’ that employees at the State Capitol were allowed to bring pets to work. The SDHP canine is actually not considered a pet and was working with her handler at the time, but it’s commonly agreed that it’s nice to have them around.

Sounds about right: By all appearances, Friday was just like any other legislative day to Lt. Governor Larry Rhoden. Perhaps that was why he sounded a bit surprised when asked if it was his birthday. “I think so? Sounds about right,” quipped Rhoden. While the State Senate does not sing ‘Happy Birthday’ like their counterparts in the House, members did rise in applause to wish the Presiding Officer of the Senate a happy birthday.

SDBA