PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Senate has passed a bill backed by Gov. Kristi Noem that would prevent conservation officers from entering private property without permission.
The bill suffered an early setback in the Senate after a committee unanimously rejected it. But at Noem’s urging, Republicans revived the bill on the Senate floor and passed it Monday.
While the governor cast the bill as a way to respect private property rights and foster a working relationship between conservation officers and property owners, opponents say it will make it more difficult to catch people who are illegally hunting or fishing.
