Ron Boyd, Department Adjutant - Public Relations Officer

ENCLOSED FOR ALL RECIPIENTS is the Official Call for 2001 Spring District Conventions. The convention schedule will start Friday, March 30. All recipients are encouraged to provide the widest possible dissemination of this information to the members of their Posts.

FOR POST COMMANDERS is a copy of the brochure from National entitled April Is Children & Youth Month. The American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary have been actively involved in children's issues since the early 1900's. In 1938, April was formally designated as Child Welfare Month and has continued on an annual basis. During this special time, we urge each of you to show your community that The American Legion family is committed to Children…Our Most Precious Natural Resource!

The Spring District Conventions have been planned in accordance with the following schedule:

• District 1 – April 6, Hudson
• District 2 – April 16, White
• District 3 – April 18, Castlewood
• District 4 – April 19, Waubay
• District 5 – April 26, Redfield
• District 6 – April 25, Wessington Springs
• District 7 – April 5, Irene
• District 8 – April 4, Colome
• District 9 – April 2, Martin
• District 10 – April 24, Pierre
• District 11 – April 28, Lemmon
• District 12 – April 1, Box Elder
• District 13 – March 30, Hot Springs
• District 14 – April 27, Eureka

Nine South Dakota Legionnaires will attend the annual Washington Conference for American Legion leaders from around the nation. The event will be Sunday, March 11 through Wednesday, March 14.

Attending from South Dakota will be State Commander Ron Tolrud of White, State Adjutant Ron Boyd of Watertown, NECman D.R. "Don" Mason of Platte, Donald Clarke of Wessington, Vice Chairman of the National Security Commission; Alternate NECman Paul Evenson of Renner, Vice Chairman of the Public Relations Commission; Robert Gabrielson of Hoven, Chairman of the Aerospace Committee; Gerald Goetzinger of Martin, member of the Membership and Post Activities Committee; Darrel Haskell of Conde, VA&R Region 6 Vice Chairman; and Larry Price of Redfield, Vice Chairman of the Americanism Commission.

In addition to attending various meetings of the committees and commissions to which assigned, the attendees will participate in Hill Day on Tuesday, March 13. They will attend a national Legion Rally at 9:00 a.m., and then along with other Legionnaires from across the nation, depart for Capitol Hill to visit with our Congressional delegation. Tuesday evening they will participate in the National Commander's Reception Honoring Members of Congress.

Over the years, 100 million Americans have taken the Boy Scout Pledge to heart. That is the number of individuals who have been members of the Boy Scouts of America since 1910. President Gerald Ford is perhaps one of the best known Eagle Scouts. But he is not alone.

There are astronaut Neil Armstrong; former director of the CIA and presidential advisor Bob Gates; John Kennedy, our first president to have been a Scout; and don’t forget Scoutmaster and President Jimmy Carter; Boy Scout and baseball superstar Hank Aaron; and adult volunteer, astronaut and Senator John Glenn.

At the 82^nd National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, delegates passed Resolution 334 titled "Support of Boy Scouts of America." It stated the Legion's position of support for the Boy Scouts of America in its efforts to maintain and practice traditional family values with regard to their membership and their leadership standards.

Thirty-five Posts in South Dakota currently sponsor Scout Packs or Troops and involve in excess of 1,100 Scouts and 300 Scout leaders.

Special Point of Interest: Department Eagle Scout of the year winner's applications are due to National Headquarters no later than April 1^st.

Legislative action remains slow as the 76^th Session of the South Dakota Legislature moves into its final week.

HB 1017 - this bill would make an appropriation to reimburse certain family physicians and certain physician assistants who have complied with the requirements of the SD physician tuition reimbursement program or the SD midlevel tuition reimbursement program - passed the House of Representatives 68-0 and passed the Senate 34-0.

HB 1107 - this bill would create the SD senior citizen pharmaceutical assistance program to provide an appropriation therefor - this bill and its companion bill HB 1175 (low income pharmaceutical assistance program) were both killed in the House Health and Human Services Committee when they were deferred until the 41^st Legislative Day.

HB 1115 and HB 1155 - these two bills would prohibit or restrict smoking of tobacco products in public places - HB 1115 was tabled by the House State Affairs Committee by a vote of 13-0. HB 1155 narrowly made it out of the same committee by a vote of 7-6 and was subsequently defeated on the floor of the House by a vote of 30-39. An attempt to have the bill reconsidered failed by a vote of 27-40.

HB 1233 - The annual budgets for the Division of Veterans Affairs and the Michael Fitzmaurice South Dakota State Veterans Home at Hot Springs are both included in this bill which was introduced by the Committee on Appropriations. This bill appropriates the money for the ordinary expenses of the legislative, judicial, and executive departments of the state, the expenses of state institutions, interest on the public debt and for common schools. The bill is commonly referred to as the General Appropriations Bill. This particular bill normally does not see final action until the last hours of the legislative session.

SB 223 - this bill, introduced at the request of the Governor, requests an appropriation of $1,000,000 to fund tax refunds for the elderly and disabled persons. This bill is introduced annually and funds real property tax relief for the elderly and disabled. The American Legion was instrumental in placing this law on the books 28 years ago. This bill has received a Do Pass recommendation from the Appropriations Committee.

SB 224 - this bill requests an appropriation of $130,000 to help fund the memorials for persons awarded the Medal of Honor and for the fiftieth anniversary ceremony for the Korean War. This bill has been passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives and is awaiting the Governor's signature.

Nomination forms for each Post Legionnaire of the Year in competition for District Legionnaire of the year are to be submitted to the respective District Commander at least 15 days prior to the District's Spring Convention meeting.

Posts are reminded to select their Post Legionnaire at the regular March meeting if they have not yet been selected. With conventions beginning on March 30, nominations should be on their way very soon.

Nomination forms can be found in the 2000-2001 Post Adjutant's Administrative and Awards Manual, between pages 6 and 7. (Three sheets of white paper contain the instructions, report form and a suggested worksheet/form to use for scoring candidates during the selection process).

The next membership Target Date is March 17, The American Legion's Birthday. To qualify for awards listed in the 2000-2001 Post Adjutant's Administrative and Awards Manual, membership cards and certifications must be in State Headquarters on or before March 17. Awards available on this target date include:

A $250 cash award to the District in each of two goal-size categories that has enclosed the highest percentage over that District's goal.

District delegations at the State Convention will be assigned seating areas in the convention hall in order of based on percentage of membership attained by this target date.

March 17 is the deadline for qualifying for the Post Go-Getter Medallion. Posts must have reached or exceeded 95% by this date to qualify.

Parade banners and determination of parade positions will be based on membership attained by this membership date.

2001 membership totals 25,083, or 90.77 percent of the Department's 2001 membership goal.