Why Legislators Introduce Vehicle Bills
Air Date:02/25/2011
By Kealey Bultena
South Dakota lawmakers are explaining how they keep options open for final proposals on education and Medicaid. That's why vehicle bills are circulating in the Capitol.
Some pieces of legislation moving between the House and Senate have little content; legislators introduce them so they can be overhauled later in the session. Republican Representative Jacqueline Sly says the non-specific bills allow lawmakers to develop solutions all session long.
"Those bills enable us to do those things to allow those things to happen that we don’t have the information when that bill is going through," Sly says. "With cross-over day, you have to keep some of those bills in motion and moving, and that’s why those are happening."
Senate Minority Leader, Democrat Jason Frerichs, agrees vehicle bills are important, but he does have some reservations.
"It is kind of disservice to constituents that if you’re not in Pierre or if you’re not finding out in conversations what happens, that’s an example of how these vehicle bills turn into and can be frustrating," Frerichs says. "However, I think that at this point and this stage of the game, that’s a little bit of hope that we can give people back home is that there are folks entertaining ideas at least to address some of the problems."
The vehicle bills can be hoghoused in committees or on the chamber floors to create brand new legislation up for debate.
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