$500,000: un-cut

Awesome news for us public broadcasting junkies: Terry Woster reports that the $500,000 cut in SDPB’s budget has been given back.

Legislature decides to restore $500,000 to South Dakota Public Broadcasting

The South Dakota Legislature voted Tuesday to restore $500,000 in general funds taken three weeks from public broadcasting in a budget-cutting move.

The Senate voted 29-4 to approve a new bill that returned general funds to South Dakota Public Broadcasting. The bill also restored $21,600 taken from a program to enhance salaries of state banking examiners.

The House followed with a 63-3 vote on the new bill, perhaps the most significant development on the Legislature’s final day for the year. Lawmakers adjourned about 5:10 p.m.

…

Before the House voted to restore the general-fund money, Klaudt said the Government Operations and Audit Committee he chairs will do an in-depth look at public broadcasting this summer, going through the agencys’s budget, audits and spending.

“We need to know what we’re spending that money on,” Klaudt said.

Andersen said she welcomed the opportunity to discuss her agency with legislators.

She said the concern over the $500,000 in the past three weeks perhaps “opened some people’s eyes to the programs we provide,” and “The investigation is a huge opportunity to show what we do.”

How does the budget cut pass, yet weeks later get reversed by such a huge margin? I’ll never understand politics.

Check out the entire article here: “Legislature decides to restore $500,000 to South Dakota Public Broadcasting.” (Argus Leader)