Greetings from Pierre. As we move further into the session things are picking up. More and more bills are being processed and the votes on the floor are increasing. As of Thursday 270 bills have been dropped. As I shared we are working on balancing the state’s budget year. Here are the principles we use in the budgeting process:{1} We don’t spend money we don’t have {2} We structurally balance our budget, every year {3} We use one-time revenues only for one-time expenses, and we fund ongoing expenses only with ongoing revenues {4} We maintain budget reserves of at least ten percent, and we use those reserves for emergencies, not to perpetuate overspending {5} We conservatively project revenue and expenses {6} We don’t use accounting gimmicks. We don’t balance by pushing expenses into next year, or by accelerating income into the current year {7} We use One-time windfalls to eliminate a liability, build or improve an asset, or endow an ongoing cost. In my opinion the biggest issue we will deal with this year is rural health transformation. It is a new, one-time federal incentive program. The program provides $50 billion nationwide over five years to support statedesigned and state-led efforts to strengthen rural health care. All of S.D. is considered rural except for Sioux Falls and Rapid City. S.D.’s share for the first year is $189.40 with grant for the five year period potentially reaching in the neighborhood of $900 million. There are four main areas of focus in the goals {1} Connecting technology and data {2} Advancing the rural workforce (3} Keeping healthcare local and strong {4} Transforming systems for sustainability There are concerns from many about what this expenditure does to the Federal deficit. If these dollars are not accepted they will be given to other states. Our challenge therefore is to invest these funds to the greatest long term benefit of our state. Much of legislating is about balance. SB 36 strikes a great balance in the situation involving wildfires. It incentivizes wildfire planning which is so important to stopping fires before they start and putting them out when they do start. It involves publishing wildfire plans so that people are informed and can give input into the planning process. It sets out reasonable boundaries for damage litigation so that people can be made whole, not wealthy, from the effects of a fire. In closing I would like to share a quote from Confucius. “He who wishes to secure the good of others has already secured his own.”