Senate revives anti-trans sports bill

The Senate revived a bill that would prevent transgender girls and women from playing on sports teams that match their gender identity through a “smoke out” on a 18-16 vote.

House Bill 1217 needed one-third of the Senate to support Sen. Maggie Sutton’s motion to effectively smoke the bill out.

“This is a good bill,” Sutton said on the Senate floor. “Proponent testimony needs to be heard. I believe there is positive support from the Senate floor to hear conclusive testimony. Reasons for sending this to the 41st day was barely based on opinion.”

Sixteen senators had supported Sutton’s motion:

• Jim Bolin (R-Canton)
• Gary Cammack (R-Union Center)
• Jessica Castleberry (R-Rapid City)
• Blake Curd (R-Sioux Falls)
• Julie Frye-Mueller (R-Rapid City)
• Brock Greenfield (R-Clark)
• David Johnson (R-Rapid City)
• Joshua Klumb (R-Mitchell)
• Jack Kolbeck (R-Sioux Falls)
• Ryan Maher (R-Isabel)
• Al Novstrup (R-Aberdeen)
• Maggie Sutton (R-Sioux Falls)
• Marsha Symens (R-Dell Rapids)
• Erin Tobin (R-Winner)
• John Wiik (R-Big Stone City)
• Larry Zikmund (R-Sioux Falls)

HB 1217 had been moved to the 41st Legislative Day on Wednesday in the Senate State Affairs Committee. Moving a bill to the 41st day is a way of killing the bill, as South Dakota has 40 legislative days.

More:Senate committee kills bill that would have barred trans girls from girls sports

Yet, Sutton’s motion evoked Joint Rule 7-7. This rule states that the bill must be delivered back to the Senate by the chair of the committee of origin, in this case the Senate State Affairs, without recommendation no later than the next legislative day.