Lawmakers are entering the third week of legislative session. By the end of this week, lawmakers say they’ll have a better sense of what kind of session is ahead.
Thursday marks the last day for unlimited bill introductions. They’ve already considered several bill aimed at the initiative and referendum process.
Lawmakers have voted on a handful of bills already aimed at clarifying and streamlining the ballot measure process, from petitions to voting.
Some laws deal with petition size and font, others the time of circulation and filing deadlines with the Secretary of State. Some anticipated bills may change the threshold of votes needed to amend the constitution.
State Senator Billie Sutton says there’s been an overreaction in the last few years to the measures that have made the ballot because some legislators don’t like what’s being voted on.
“I struggle with the view that South Dakotans don’t know what they’re doing at the ballot. We trust them when they send us up here as legislators, but there seems to be a constant attack on them voting on issues on the ballot. And I really have a frustration with that.”
Sutton says south Dakota voters, for the most part, have gotten it right.
Representative Kent Peterson says on a summer committee that took a closer look at the process. He’s sponsoring several bills that came from the task force.
“My constituents asked me, ‘How can we make this more clear,’” Peterson says. “I’m trying to keep them in mind as we’re making any possible changes to this, so they have the best information they can have to make an informed decision when they step into the ballot box.”
One of the bills he’s sponsoring flips the vote on referred laws, when constituents can place a law passed by the legislature on pause, and vote on it in the next election.
Legislative leaders also say there are a number of constitutional amendments working their way through the legislature. They say expect a busy ballot in November.