Protesters in South Dakota face new penalties if lawmakers can agree on a final version of Senate Bill 176. The protest bill started out with specific safety zones and an emergency clause. Lawmakers amended the bill as it moved through the capitol.
South Dakota lawmakers want the governor to approve a bill that offers limited immunity to people in drug overdose emergencies. House Bill 1082 protects a person from drug prosecution when they call authorities to help someone in serious danger of overdosing.
Governor Dennis Daugaard gets to decide whether lawmakers are allowed to carry concealed weapons in the Statehouse. The full South Dakota Senate approved House Bill 1156. Supporters say the measure ensures carriers have enhanced permits and register with security inside the Capitol. They say the bill provides lawmakers safety in a building that does not require metal detectors. Opponents say guns don’t belong in the Statehouse.
Both chambers of South Dakota’s legislature endorse a bill that makes it a felony for a doctor to perform an abortion past 20 weeks.