A bill changing the speed limit restrictions for golf carts in South Dakota died on the House floor.
HB 1009 would allow someone driving a golf cart to do so on state and county highways up to 35 miles per hour. Currently, state statute caps golf cart users at 25.
Rep. William Shorma is the bill’s prime sponsor.
“Nothing in this section relieves golf cart operators of any statutory requirements. If they are breaking the law, they are not relieved of any statutory requirements,” Shorma said. “This essentially, primarily applies to communities that cannot, that do not have local control since there is a law that says you cannot take a golf cart on something that is marked 25. We’ve taken away local control.”
Shorma specifically mentioned the community of Yankton, saying golf carts are banned on multiple roads along the Riverboat Days route, claiming the same issue exists in multiple communities.
“It is a local control issue except for areas in the county where the roads are not within the city limits and the golf course is outside the city limits, or in an area where you’ve got a community like Yankton where there’s a lot of 30- and 35-mile per hour speed limits posted,” Shorma said.
However, some took issue with the bill. That included Rep. Brandei Schaefbauer.
She told the House floor Tuesday her main concern was safety, but that she didn’t believe the body should be taking on the issue at all.
“This is not a state issue. This is a local issue that if you are a town or a city you can have an ordinance or permit given to golf carts to weave through your town and not on major highways,” Schaefbauer said. “In Aberdeen, the city I represent, our highway is US Highway 12, and the speed limit is 30. Can you imagine golf courts weaving and bobbing with semis and dump trucks and cement trucks and all these other vehicles?”
Others worried the bill would allow underage drivers to drive golf carts on some state highways.
The majority of lawmakers opposed the bill, even after a friendly amendment attempted to strengthen it.
HB 1009 dies on the House floor 48-21.
