A bill dealing with South Dakota labor law is heading to the Governor’s desk. House Bill 1108 passed the Senate Wednesday. The measure is part of the Governor’s red tape review. It gets rid of a law that gives employers and unions the ability to let local employment offices know a strike or lockout is happening. Proponents say federal law does the same thing, but better, and the state law is no longer needed. But unlike most red tape reduction measures, House Bill 1108 has some opponents. Senator Angie Buhl O’Donnell says that’s a good reason to keep the law on the books.
“And I think it is significant that we had some conversation and some debate in committee over the conflicting relationship between federal law and state law in this case,” Buhl O’Donnell says. “In my mind, the red tape review is supposed to be there for statutes and state law that are really weighing things down that no one would ever possibly conceive of using. I’m not sure that meets that in this instance.”
But Senators decided the old law isn’t needed. They voted to pass House Bill 1108 by a vote of 27 to seven.