Legislative Preview (Audio)

Air Date:02/01/2010

By Jenifer Jones

Lawmakers are in Pierre for the fourth week of the legislative session. House and Senate committees continue to debate bills on a variety of issues.

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee discusses a bill that repeals the prohibition of stem cell treatments and research and establishes ethical guidelines to regulate stem cell research. The Senate Transportation Committee is expected to vote on a bill that increases the gas tax, excise tax, and license fees, and the Senate Commerce Committee looks at three bills dealing with alcoholic beverage laws.

On the House side, the Commerce Committee takes up a bill that allows townships to provide certain health, life, and disability income insurance benefits. It will also look at a bill that revises certain provisions regarding fees for health services provided to injured South Dakota workers who are treated out-of-state. The House Education Committee discusses a bill that revises the definition of general fund base percentage in the calculation of state aid to education.

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