SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — South Dakota lawmakers approved several emergency measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic in a session that dragged into early Tuesday morning.
But legislators refused Republican Gov. Kristi Noem’s request that her secretary of health be granted the power to order businesses closed during a health emergency.
Many conservative lawmakers remained wary of granting broad powers to the government during the crisis.
It was a historic day in the Capitol as legislators convened and voted on bills remotely through conference calls in order to follow social distancing guidelines.
South Dakota has more than 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and one person has died.
