Latest news with #Terwilliger
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Never mind ‘extra' paycheck that state employees got
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — There's an old saying that you shouldn't spend unexpected money in one place. For thousands of South Dakota state government employees, they better not spend it all. That's because a test run by a vendor for the bank that electronically transfers paychecks to South Dakota state government employees went haywire last week. The result: Erroneous payments showed up in thousands of their personal accounts. First PREMIER Bank, which currently has the contract for state government's account, planned to recall the unplanned payments on Monday afternoon, according to Jim Terwilliger. He is commissioner for the state Bureau of Finance and Management. First PREMIER Bank performs the payment service, known as an ACH or Automated Clearing House transaction, for the South Dakota Office of Treasurer. The federal Consumer Protection Benefit Bureau on its website describes an ACH transaction as an electronic money transfer made between banks and credit unions for all kinds of purposes, including direct deposit of paychecks. State Treasurer Josh Haeder explained to KELOLAND News why state government employees wound up being mistakenly paid twice for the same pay period. 'A vendor who processes ACH transactions for First PREMIER Bank performed a backup and recovery test, which resulted in a duplicate file posting. This impacted many banks across the country. First PREMIER is working with the vendor, who expects the transaction errors to be reversed later today,' Haeder said Monday morning. Terwilliger outlined the payroll process that state government uses. He said employees enter timesheets, then the supervisors approve them. From there the timesheets go to the state Bureau of Human Resources and Administration or the agency's human resources staff be be processed. After those time records are authorized, they're submitted to the State Auditor's office, where the payroll is run. State Auditor Rich Sattgast explained the next steps. 'Once we run payroll, which includes verifying and correcting all payroll data sent to OSA (Office of State Auditor) by BHRA, we send the bank file to First PREMIER, who then sends it to their vendor for payment,' he said. According to Sattgast, the vendor that services the payment process through the state bank performed a test on Thursday, May 15, to ensure that their backup system was working properly. He said the test caused a glitch that resulted in the erroneous duplicate payment. 'It affected 9,238 employees, which affected 12,136 deposits as many employees have their pay going to more than one bank account,' Sattgast said. He gave the example of two married state government employees having their pay going to one joint account, as well as to a separate account for personal use. Sattgast said that neither he nor his staff could recall such an event in the past stretching back at least 39 years — that's how long the most senior-member of his payroll staff has been with the office. Terwilliger said that First PREMIER had notified the Office of the State Treasurer and the expectation was that the duplicate transactions would be reversed late Monday afternoon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers grill South Dakota officials about Noem's credit card use
Gov. Kristi Noem presents her annual budget address to lawmakers in the South Dakota State Capitol on Dec. 3, 2024. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) Revelations about Republican former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's credit card use prompted a legislative oversight committee to question state officials Thursday in Pierre about how the state approves credit card spending for travel and other expenses. The Dakota Scout obtained and published records earlier this year showing about $750,000 billed to the Noem office's state-issued credit cards during her six years in office, including travel expenses related to her book tour and a Canadian hunting trip, plus expensive stays at hotels such as The Venetian in Las Vegas. Noem resigned the governorship in January after she was appointed U.S. secretary of Homeland Security. 'Out of control': Kristi Noem on defense over Homeland Security spending overrun The governor's credit card is intended to pay for travel-related expenses. Allowable expenses, said Bureau of Finance and Management Commissioner Jim Terwilliger, include flights, hotel rooms and meals. Sen. Taffy Howard, R-Rapid City, who chairs the legislative Government Operations and Audit Committee, said she doesn't view 'several $500 charges for Sirius XM radio' as 'allowable expenses.' 'The taxpayers have an issue with that. I have an issue with that,' Howard said. Since the information was published, Terwilliger said the state canceled the satellite radio subscriptions and made internal policy changes for credit card expenses. Many of the expenses related to the Governor's Office credit cards come from security details ensuring the governor's safety during travel, Terwilliger said. The state has since separated accounts between security and the governor's other expenses to better track what costs are directly related to the governor's spending. Noem traveled to other states and Canada during her time as governor, sometimes appearing at campaign events supporting out-of-state Republicans or for President Donald Trump. Lawmakers questioned if taxpayer-funded security detail should only be for state-related expenses, rather than campaign-related travel; how governor travel expenses are determined as a benefit to the state; and how many people in the Governor's Office have a credit card, among other questions. While Terwilliger said he doesn't believe any of the credit card charges were campaign related, security for the governor is a '24/7, 365-day mission.' Security is provided by the state Highway Patrol. Terwilliger said he could not say how many people have access to one of the credit cards, saying it would provide information for 'potential bad guys that want to do harm.' Howard was not satisfied with the responses. 'It's our job as legislators to set up parameters,' Howard said. '…Your answer cannot always, when legislators ask for an explanation, the answer cannot just be hiding behind security all the time. We have to figure out a way we can ask questions and get them answered without someone just saying, 'Well, that's security. You can't know.'' The State Auditor's Office reviews the credit card charges once an invoice is submitted by the Governor's Office. Auditor Rich Sattgast told lawmakers he has never denied a charge from the governor. He said the Legislature could set stricter parameters on elected officials' spending to improve oversight or limit spending. 'For the vast majority of elected officials, there has not been what would be seen by the public as an overstepping of their jurisdiction of spending money,' Sattgast said. 'So I think having the public be aware of it and being accountable to the public is probably the primary aspect of it.' Jenna Latham, with the Auditor's Office, said the governor and some other elected officials can stay in expensive hotels because 'they answer to the taxpayer.' The office will occasionally question if an expense is allowable and ask for justification. Sometimes the expense will get scratched and covered by the individual, 'but if they come back, you essentially have to approve it,' she said. 'There's not much that can stop us,' Latham said, adding, 'we have to follow the rules.' Howard told lawmakers that they can propose legislation recommendations at the end of the year 'if there's different legislation that we think should be brought.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
USA Today
02-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan State footballs offers elite, 4-star South Dakota TE in 2027 class
Michigan State footballs offers elite, 4-star South Dakota TE in 2027 class Spartans have extended an offer to an elite tight end prospect from South Dakota in the 2027 class Michigan State football has extended an offer to a big-time tight end prospect from South Dakota. The Spartans have extended an offer to tight end Cooper Terwilliger of Pierre, S.D. in the 2027 class. Terwilliger announced his offer from the Spartans via a post on social media platform X. Terwilliger is listed as a four-star prospect with a rating of 94.22 on 247Sports' composite rating system. He ranks as the No. 10 tight end and No. 1 player from South Dakota in the 2027 class. He is also listed as the No. 136 overall player in the country. Michigan State is one of nearly 20 schools to offer Terwilliger, according to 247Sports. He also holds offers from Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCF and Wisconsin. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Tobacco bill advancing through legislature
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — If it becomes law, Senate Bill 54 would decrease the amount of money that goes into South Dakota's Tobacco Prevention and Reduction Trust Fund. Those who support the change call it a necessary step because of the state's tight budget. Opponents worry it could impact smoking and vaping rates. Under the current South Dakota law, the first $30 million of tax revenue from cigarettes and other tobacco products goes to the state general fund. The next $5 million goes into the Tobacco Prevention and Reduction Trust Fund. Senate Bill 54 would reduce the amount going toward the Tobacco and Prevention Trust Fund to $2 million, allowing an extra $3 million to go into the general fund. Jim Terwilliger, commissioner of the Bureau of Finance and Management, is a proponent of the bill. 'This is one of the areas where we felt we could still do a really good job of offering tobacco prevention services but also be smarter with how we spend the money and then allocate some of those funds to the general fund, which will help cover some of our increased health care costs that we're seeing on the general fund side,' Terwilliger said. Carla Graciano with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network opposes the $3 million cut. 'The tobacco companies are spending about $24.9 million per year on marketing for their products in South Dakota,' Graciano said. 'We're only spending $5 million to fund our tobacco prevention and control program, and a $3 million cut is going to be detrimental to reduce smoking rates.' Terwilliger points to a recent decrease in smoking rates in South Dakota. Graciano says Senate Bill 54 could turn those numbers around. 'That problem has gotten gotten smaller over time. The public's attitude towards tobacco has changed, so we thought it was an opportunity to reinvest those dollars into other areas,' Terwilliger said. 'If we don't have the resources to keep programs like the Quit Line, we know that the smoking rates are going to increase, and the smoking deaths are going to also increase,' Graciano said. SB 54 passed the Senate by a vote of 21-14. Next, it heads to the House. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Budget committee approves $3 million cut to SD's tobacco-use prevention fund
The South Dakota Senate convenes on Feb. 5, 2024. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) A South Dakota legislative budget committee advanced a bill on Tuesday at the Capitol in Pierre to reduce state funding for tobacco and vaping prevention efforts. The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to decrease annual funding for the state's Tobacco Prevention and Reduction Trust Fund from $5 million to $2 million, going against the wishes of a previous committee that voted to set the funding at $3 million. South Dakota could still access an additional $1 million in potential federal tobacco prevention grants, said Bureau of Finance and Management Commissioner Jim Terwilliger. The fund sustains the South Dakota Tobacco Control Program, aimed at preventing South Dakotans from using tobacco products and helping residents quit through the South Dakota QuitLine. Terwilliger said the state needs to 'be smarter with tobacco prevention dollars' and make budget cuts to help cover a $62 million increase in Medicaid costs. He said the cut is justified by a decline in tobacco use in the last decade. South Dakota spends the highest amount per smoker on prevention efforts, Terwilliger said, at $20.19 while the national average is $10.53. He did not cite a source for that information. Tobacco tax revenues, which support the trust fund and the general fund, have declined because of less tobacco use in the state, dipping to a projected $41.1 million this fiscal year. But $75.5 million in Medicaid costs 'as a result of smoking' demonstrate the need for continued prevention, said Jennifer Stalley, a lobbyist for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Stalley told lawmakers that the better solution to addressing the state's budget concerns while still prioritizing prevention would be to increase the tax rate on tobacco products and expand taxable tobacco products to include e-cigarettes and other nicotine products 'that did not exist' when the trust fund was created. Prevention groups fear consequences from Noem's proposal to reduce funding for anti-tobacco efforts 'We've not changed the rate of tobacco tax in nearly two decades,' Stalley said. 'Tobacco taxes are and still remain the most effective way to reduce tobacco use, but they're a declining source of revenue by design.' Another bill, introduced by Mitchell Republican Sen. Paul Miskimins, would implement both of Stalley's recommendations while retaining the annual $5 million for the trust fund. It would also create a $10 million annual health care workforce development fund if more than $60 million is collected in tobacco tax revenue. Miskimins' bill is scheduled to be heard Wednesday in the Senate Taxation Committee. The bill reducing funding for the tobacco trust fund will head to the Senate.
