PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem was quick to respond to state lawmakers defeat of her style and form veto of HB1217, the transgender women in sports bill, Monday.
In a release sent by her spokesman Ian Fury, the governor wrote:
“Only girls should play girls’ sports. Given the legislature’s failure to accept my proposed revisions to HB 1217, I am immediately signing two executive orders to address this issue: one to protect fairness in K-12 athletics, and another to do so in college athletics.
“Additionally, I will be working with legislative leaders to schedule a special legislative session in late May or early June. The special session will address this important issue, as well as others. The implementation of medicinal marijuana will require consideration of additional legislation. And the latest congressional spending bill may require legislative action once we fully understand its impact on our state budget.”
The governor also sent a letter on to the legislature explaining her executive orders, as well as the need for further legislative action on this subject.
The governor’s first order calls for the state Department of Education to issue a policy stating that only females based on their biological sex at birth “shall participate” in girls’ sports sanctioned by a school, school district or association.
The second order says the state Board of Regents, whose members she appoints and who opposed the legislation, should take “any and all steps necessary” to see that only females based on their biological sex at birth “should participate” in any girls’ or women’s athletic event that regents sanction.
The House of Representatives voted 45-24 to override the governor’s veto but came two ayes short of the 2/3 majority needed to send HB 1217 to the Senate to consider.
Representatives earlier in the day voted 67-2 against accepting the style-and-form changes that the governor wanted.
Senate Democrat leader Troy Heinert had this response as he was leaving the Capitol Monday evening: “I thought Republicans didn’t like executive orders.”
House speaker Spencer Gosch tweeted “Today didn’t go as we would have wished. Although the legislature handily agreed that Governor Noem’s Style or Form Veto was unconstitutional, too many changed their vote after the governor’s veto of HB1217.”
