PIERRE, S.D. (KELO.com) — It might be considered “inside baseball” to their constituents but S.D. House members had an impassioned–and lengthy–debate Monday on changing the laws that lets them set their internal rules.
Some legislators say it’s about restoring the legislature’s power compared to the Governor’s.
House Bill 1001 would remove a number of statutes passed in 1939–50 years after statehood–that put into state law the operation and organization of the legislature. In short, HB1001 would remove those laws and depend upon the state constitution and House and Senate rules to set things like hiring legislative staff and pay, how they organize their bodies, and other procedural issues.
For proponents of the change like House Speaker Steve Haugaard (R-Sioux Falls), the matter goes to the independence of the legislative branch from the executive. If the House and Senate rules are in statute, then they then have to be signed–or vetoed–by the governor.
“We want to get things to the point where we run our own affairs,” Haugaard, one of the bill’s sponsors, said in the hour and a half debate.
However, Rep. Tim Rounds (R-Pierre)–brother of former Governor Mike Rounds–supported an amendment that would have struck most of the proposed changes.
“People don’t want to be left out of changing rules,” Rounds said. “We shouldn’t make it easy to pass a rule.”
Rep. Isaac Latteral (R-Sioux Falls) said, “Do we need to go to the second floor (the governor’s office) to see how we should vote? It’s about separation of powers.”
Rounds took offense.
“I object to the idea that we have to go to the Governor’s Office to get permission from the Governor.” He added that Latteral’s statement was a poor attempt at humor.
Later in the debate, Latteral said he didn’t mean any offense.
The amendment failed on a 23 to 45 vote. The bill then passed 42 to 26. The measure now goes to a Senate committee.
