In a rare move, the House of Representatives unanimously rejected a bill initiated with its own chamber.
Even the bill’s prime sponsor voted against it.
HB 1038 would have eliminated a program paying for headstone markings of veterans to be buried at a personal burial site.
The measure was proposed by former Gov. Kristi Noem in her budget address.
Rep. Terri Jorgenson is the bill’s prime sponsor and a member of the Appropriations Committee. She said in a tight budget year, the committee must look for cuts everywhere, even if they themselves don’t like it.
“I drew the short straw on this. I’m just gonna be honest here on the floor. Coming from Appropriations, you bring forward these bills. And as a veteran myself, and as the daughter of a veteran, and my husband’s a veteran, and my children are veterans, I get everything that’s being said on this floor. I’m thinking about voting no. I don’t know how [to defend this].” Jorgenson said in floor discussion Tuesday.
The House struck it down 70-0, with some lawmakers noting it only saves the state about $50,000 a year.
