Lawmakers Return Hoghoused Bill To Original Form
Air Date:03/08/2011
By Kealey Bultena
A bill South Dakota lawmakers overhauled last week is now back to its original form.
Senate Bill 1141 was hoghoused to allow voters to put an initiative on the November ballot. Republican Senator Bob Gray says making voters wait until the 2012 election gives them no say in some some issues.
"Virtually everything we do up here, any policy decision that we make and we’ve seen it in the past with abortion and with the smoking ban, the people have a relief valve for all of those things. They’re able to refer policy decisions we make, however they’re not able to refer any budget decisions that we make," Gray says.
Opponents say the special initiative opens the process to ballot measures that are extreme or unnecessary. Senators voted to remove all of those changes to House Bill 1141. The bill once again establishes a specific date for absentee voting to being, and that passed the Senate by a vote of 27 to 6.
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