Why The Lt. Governor Is Full Time

Air Date:01/13/2011

By Kealey Bultena

South Dakota’s new Lieutenant Governor is now a full time position, a change from when current Governor Dennis Daugaard served as second-in-command. Lieutenant Governor Matt Michels says one of his primary duties is to work with lawmakers outside of the three-month legislative session.

"I remember as a legislator, and so does Governor Daugaard, that there are many, many issues that come up when you’re not in session, and our citizens legislators need that support. It could be something like an issue I worked on extensively like child protection or adoption, economic development and there could be problems in opportunity. So we want to team up and year-round handle those," Michels says.

Michels is a U.S. Navy veteran. He says his full time position also gives him an opportunity to focus on taking care of South Dakota’s veterans.

Member stations download audio file here.

Get the Flash Player to see this video.