South Dakota Republicans Plan to Gut Independent Ethics Commission

He points to efforts by South Dakota lawmakers to repeal a ballot initiative, passed by voters in November.

Since, it has had a bumpy road.

Nearly immediately after it was approved, some state lawmakers raised concerns about whether the measure is constitutional.

The committee took the unusual step of implementing emergency rules, which would overturn the measure immediately and block a possible referendum that would allow voters to overturn the legislature's actions.

House Bill 1069 would fully repeal Initiated Measure 22.

In 2016, South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard said "Local school districts can, and have, made necessary restroom and locker room accommodations that serve the best interests of all students, regardless of biological sex or gender identity".

He voiced his support for repeal at his State of the State address.

Voters in South Dakota, however, don't have a leader to step in and stop Republicans from dismantling ethics reform in their state. He said that lawmakers were "railroading" through the bill to repeal it by an emergency measure.

"What they are is they're threatened".

IM 22 supporters say voters will remember the slight against them.

He said he sees the repeal as a way of circumventing the voters to create a replacement that is less strict. The opposition was heavily funded by the South Dakota chapter of Americans for Prosperity, the largest advocacy arm of the conservative political machine run by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch. "EB-5, Gear Up, and no-bid contracts", said Solberg. The judge said a final decision on the law's constitutionality would rest with the South Dakota Supreme Court.

"It's in plain language". "And when I get emails from people that have fallen into that trap, parroting the same information, I know it to be false". In 2014, voters passed a ballot measure increasing the minimum wage, but GOP lawmakers again claimed voters didn't realize what they had done and ultimately passed legislation barring anyone under 18 from benefiting.

"If we come home at the end of session and we haven't provided decent solutions to answering the issues that IM 22 brought up and voters meant to have taken care of then you can hold me accountable and hold all of us accountable", said Jamison.

Members of that chamber on a 23-12 vote advanced the bill despite guidance from the State Department of Education, state school boards, school administrators, teachers and scientists, who all said the change was unnecessary and could lead to the instruction of unauthorized theories.

It will now move to a debate on the Senate floor, where it will be debated on Thursday.

Senate Bill 115 requiring schools to assign students to locker rooms based upon their biological gender at birth; specifically what is on their birth certificate.

http://jlltsubo.com/2017/01/26/south-dakota-republicans-plan-to-gut-independent-ethics/

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