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State News ::
"Gay" Bills Killed by SD Legislature
Saturday, 10 March 2012 08:00
Gay Bills Killed by SD Legislature
The 2012 South Dakota legislative session has ended. Three “gay” bills (one good and the other two bad) were killed and an anti-bullying bill was passed.
The only pro-gay piece of legislation that was introduced was SB 119 which would have allowed municipalities and counties to include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination ordinations. This bill did not receive much attention since it was killed in its first hearing. See HYPERLINK "http://www.eqsd.org/news/30-state/617-sb-119.html" http://www.eqsd.org/news/30-state/617-sb-119.html for a story on this.
The bill that became labeled as the “gay” bill and created controversy did not start out with that intent. SB 141 would have revised the legal definition of domestic abuse to include “partners in an intimate relationship.” The bill sailed through the Senate by 34-0 but ran into the conservative element of the House. Rep. Mark Venner (R-Pierre) amended the bill to restrict domestic abuse as occurring between partners “in an intimate relationship with a person of the opposite sex such as marriage or cohabitation”.” This amended version passed the House 46-22. SB 141 was sent to a conference committee consisting of 5 women and 1 man. The conference committee struck the opposite sex phase and replaced it with “an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, or cohabitation.” The House refused to accept the wording change and voted to kill the bill by 39-25.
Rep. Shawn Tornow (R-Sioux Falls) stated “I’m not afraid to say. They want to include gay and lesbian relationships” in explaining his vote to kill SB 141. HYPERLINK "http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/article/id/62944/group/homepage/" http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/article/id/62944/group/homepage/
The anti-bullying bill that finally passed was SB 130. The bill requires all school districts that already have not done so to adopt an anti-bullying policy. Currently there are 12 school districts that still do not have a policy. The bill also stimulates what should be in the policy – cyber bullying is one of the provisions. The bill does not require identifying any protected classes of students.
Another anti-gay bill was the surrogacy bill, HB 1255 which was promoted by Rep Roger Hunt (R-Brandon) – the darling of the SD Family Policy Council. This bill consisted of only 2 sentences: “A surrogacy agreement is void and unenforceable as against public policy. No surrogacy agreement is enforceable.” HB 1244 barely passed the House by 36-34 but was killed in Senate committee by 7-0.
To see how your legislator voted on these bills, go to HYPERLINK "http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2012/QuickFind.aspx" http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2012/QuickFind.aspx and enter the bill number, then click on the voting links. You also can click to read the bills.
State News ::
SB 119 Killed by Senate Committee
Thursday, 09 February 2012 19:38
SB 119 Killed by Senate Committee - Lawrence Novotny
Senate bill 119, which would have permitted municipalities and counties to investigate discrimination based upon sexual orientation (SO), was killed in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee by a straight party line vote on Feb 6.
Several committee members offered their reasons for killing it:
• This bill would create a negative economic impact (example cited: Whenever a GLBT person is not hired or promoted, that person would automatically file a lawsuit claiming discrimination based upon SO).
• Believes South Dakota already accepts everyone based upon the current existing statute which lists sex, race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, disability, familial status, or national origin. (reasoning: It does not matter what a person’s SO is, that person already is covered by one of the other categories.)
• Has not seen any evidence of discrimination (A counterpoint that was offered to this was that since the state does not provide any protection, individuals cannot file a discrimination complaint.)
Senator Adelstein (R-Rapid City), the bill’s prime sponsor, stated that this bill uses permissive language, provides for local control, and provides protections.
State News ::
Hate Crimes Prevention Act - Topic of recent Sioux Falls Meeting
Monday, 03 October 2011 20:11
Prosecutors laud update to federal hate crimes act
Argus Leader - Beth Wischmeyer - Sept. 28, 2011
Federal prosecutors say hate crimes inflict great harm against society, and a recently passed act helps further ensure the safety and civil rights of Americans.
U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Koliner held an information session Wednesday in Sioux Falls about the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was signed into law by President Obama in late 2009.
"It's a very important piece of federal legislation that, in my view, was kind of passed with a whisper in late 2009," Koliner said. "This was really an act that took 20 years of hard work of various, very brave legislators to get this passed."
Read more Here...
State News ::
(Date change for Sioux Falls) Justice Dept Invitation to Participate in Town Hall Meetings
Monday, 05 September 2011 19:56
September 9, 2011
Dear Members of Equality South Dakota,
I am excited for the upcoming public town hall meetings where I can discuss the Mattthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act with people in the Rapid City and Sioux Falls communities. I appreciate you supporting my effort to protect the safety and civil rights of every South Dakotan, and I look forward to starting a dialogue with friends and members of the GLBT community about fostering safe communities.
Due to a scheduling conflict, I have had to change the date of the Sioux Falls meeting. It will now be held on Wednesday, September 28 from 7:00 - 8:00 pm at the Sioux Falls Main Library (Downtown), 200 N. Dakota Avenue. I am hopefi that this date change does not cause confusion or frustration on anyone's part, and I hope that you are able to help me spread the word about the change.
The Rapid City meeting will be on Wednesday, September 14, from 7-8 pm at the Rapid City Public Library (downtown), 610 Quincy Street.
The Sioux Falls meeting will be on Wednesday, September 28, 2011, from 7-8 pm at the Sioux Falls Main Library (Downtown), 200 N. Dakota Avenue.
Thank you and best regards.
Brendan V. Johnson - United States Attorney, South Dakota