First off, I offer my apologies for my absence from the web. It’s been a crazy week and a half, between Gov. Janklow’s death and memorial services followed by my acquisition of a bad case of bronchitis. I’m back in my routine now and ready to dig into the already hopping legislative session.
More than 400 bills have already been filed this session, with topics ranging from education funding to muskrat hunting, from consequences of speeding to horse slaughter. One that caught my eye, and will no doubt catch the public’s interest, is HB 1235–a proposal to change the South Dakota state flag.
This is what our state’s flag currently looks like:
It’s fairly basic–a dark blue background, featuring the state seal in the middle. But, the 80 legislators who are sponsoring HB 1235 think the state’s symbol should look more like this design by Spearfish artist Dick Termes.
Courtesy: South Dakota Magazine
It’s described in the bill’s text as “a red medicine wheel surrounded by yellow geometric rays of sunshine over concentric blue and dark blue circles on a sky blue background. ” The bill’s main sponsor, House Minority Leader Bernie Hunhoff (D-Yankton) wrote in South Dakota Magazine the state needs a new design because what we have now isn’t a flag, it’s a state seal doubling as a flag.
I don’t know about other local political junkies, and maybe I’m making myself a target for admitting this, but a bill to change the state flag caught me by surprise. I had heard enough rumblings to keep an eye out for a proposed ban on texting while driving, a bill to eliminate the statute of limitations in some rape cases, and an attempt to crack down on DUI offenders (all proposed legislation we *will* get into later), but I never anticipated this. But I guess that’s the beauty of the SD Legislature–there’s always something to catch you off guard.
What do you think of the proposed design? Do you think South Dakota needs a new flag? Should the Legislature be the deciding vote on this, or should it be put on the ballot?
sdlegislativelog 
I’m all for updating the flag but find something that is a little more remnicent of what south dakota is. even incorporate the native american symbol just add pine trees and a phesant or something this design looks like something drawn by an elementary student!!!!!!
Legislators—-Fill your time with more important issues! The proposed flag design is terrible–it does not even mention South Dakota on it!