The Senate Commerce and Energy Committee has deferred a maternity leave bill to the 41st day. Senate Bill 150 provides up to four weeks of paid maternity leave. Mothers earn one week of paid leave for every year of full time work.
South Dakota’s House of Representatives supports a change in the state’s penalty for abortion. House Bill 1101 makes it a felony to perform or attempt to perform an abortion when the fetus can feel pain. Right now that’s a misdemeanor. State law says a fetus feels pain at 20 weeks. The measure includes an exception for medical emergencies.
The South Dakota House passes a bill that limits gifts public officials can accept from lobbyists. Currently, no rule prevents lobbyists from giving lawmakers money and gifts, though lawmakers insist that’s not happening. Representative Larry Rhoden says House Bill 1073 addresses the major part of Initiated Measure 22.
Legalization of a marijuana product that does not have psychoactive effects…heads to the South Dakota Senate floor. The Senate Judiciary committee voted unanimously to reclassify cannabidiol, or C-B-D, and to legalize the fiber for medical use pending FDA approval.
South Dakota lawmakers will have much less to spend this legislative session. The Joint Committee on Appropriations approved revenue projections that are over $25 million less than what the governor had originally projected. The state is seeing lower than expected growth in sales taxes due primarily to a downturn in the agriculture economy and lower tourism revenue over the last year.