David Owen, president of the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry is in favor of Referred Law 14. State Representative and House Minority Leader Bernie Hunhoff is opposed to the measure. If passed, Referred Law 14 would direct 22 per cent of contractor’s excise tax revenue to an economic development fund. A board could give grants to incentivize new or expanded business with a cost exceeding five million dollars. The law would replace an expiring program that automatically refunded portions of the contractor’s excise tax to large projects.
Owen says RL 14 will help offset short-term costs for businesses who are expanding or relocating and will improve the expiring law . Hunhoff criticizes the measure as "corporate welfare."