Members of the House State Affairs committee combined two bills that encourage economic development in South Dakota Wednesday evening. House Bills 1161 and 1196 were two separate bill—1161 provides incentives for businesses that create jobs and promote economic activity while 1196 establishes rural economic development partnerships. Members hoghoused the bills that now continue to the full House as 1161. Representative Scott Munsterman says the relationship between the two bills is like a marriage.
“You know, the saying I’ve always used is ‘You’re only as strong as your smallest community in our state.’ As long as we can build a strategic partnership that not only allows for that investment to happen, but then to have that local infrastructure and resources to organize and plan and strategize, then those two components are very important together. They don’t duplicate each other, they complement each other into more of a strategic partnership,” Munsterman says.
Supporters of the bills say small communities have a tough time developing their economies because of fewer resources. Munsterman says the local impact that the programs will have are worth the time and effort.