Lee Schoenbeck

Lee Schoenbeck
President pro tempore of the South Dakota Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office January 8, 2021
Preceded by	Brock Greenfield
Member of the South Dakota Senate from the 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 8, 2019
In office January 2003 – January 2007
In office January 1995 – January 1997
Member of the South Dakota House of Representatives from the 5th district
In office January 2015 – January 2017
Personal details
Born	Lee Anton Schoenbeck (1958-05-14) May 14, 1958 (age 66) Webster, South Dakota, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Donna
Children	4
Education	Augustana University (BA) University of South Dakota (JD)

Lee Anton Schoenbeck (born May 14, 1958) is an American politician and attorney serving as a member of the South Dakota Senate from the 5th district. He is the President Pro Tempore of the South Dakota Senate. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and education

Schoenbeck was born in Webster, South Dakota in 1958. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Augustana University and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Dakota School of Law.^[1]

Career

Schoenbeck is the owner of Schoenbeck Law, P.C., where he specializes in civil litigation.^[2]

Political career

Schoenbeck served as a member of the Senate from 1995 to 1997 and again from 2003 to 2007. From 2015 to 2017, he represented the 5th district in the South Dakota House of Representatives.^[3][4]

In 2021, Schoenbeck opposed a proposal, pushed by Governor Kristi Noem and Senate Leader Gary Cammack (both fellow Republicans) to limit the activities of South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks conservation officers. The same year, Schoenbeck also opposed a proposal to ban transgender girls from girls' sports; the bill was initially supported by Noem and opposed by Democrats, LGBT rights groups, and the South Dakota High School Activities Association. Ultimately, Noem vetoed the bill.^[5][6]

In 2021, Schoenbeck proposed an amendment to the South Dakota Constitution which would increase the threshold required to pass voter referendums from a majority to 60%. Schoenbeck said that he proposed the increase to block Medicaid expansion. The increase would limit a traditional instrument of grassroots direct democracy in the state.^[7]

Controversy

In 2016, Schoenbeck was embroiled in an intra-party disagreement over a half-penny sales tax to boost the salaries of South Dakota public schoolteachers; Schoenbeck supported the sales tax,^[8] The teacher salary boost proposal passed, but some fellow Republicans opposed it and barred Schoenbeck from a Republican Party caucus meeting, prompting Schoenbeck to consider resigning.^[8]

Personal life

Schoenbeck and his wife, Donna, have four children. He lives in Watertown, South Dakota.

References

1. Lee Anton Schoenbeck's Biography
2. "About Us". Schoenbeck Law. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
3. "Lee Schoenbeck". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
4. Strubinger, Lee. "How One Current, One Former Lawmaker Are Reshaping The State Legislature". listen.sdpb.org. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
5. Stephen Groves, Senators dismiss ban on transgender girls from girls' sports, Associated Press (March 3, 2021).
6. Morgan Matzen, Senate committee kills bill that would have barred trans girls from girls sports, Sioux Falls Argus Leader (March 3, 2021).
7. Epstein, Reid J.; Corasaniti, Nick (2021-05-22). "Republicans Move to Limit a Grass-Roots Tradition of Direct Democracy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
8. Charles Michael Ray, Schoenbeck Considers Resignation, South Dakota Public Radio (February 23, 2016).

South Dakota Senate
Preceded by Brock Greenfield	President pro tempore of the South Dakota Senate 2021–present	Incumbent