South Dakota lawmakers fail to override Noem’s 3 vetoes

The South Dakota Legislature failed to override three vetoes from Gov. Kristi Noem on Monday, killing multiple proposals.

The three bills on Monday all failed to garner the two-thirds majority necessary to override a veto, sending defeats to legislation that would have given lawmakers more control over spending federal aid, allowed pregnant minors to consent to medical care without their parents’ permission and removed old marijuana charges from South Dakotans’ criminal background checks.

The success of the Republican governor’s vetoes on the final day of the legislative session came amid a power struggle between Noem and the GOP-controlled Legislature. Each of the bills lost support from lawmakers after Noem vetoed them last week, showing her sway in the Statehouse.

Noem’s veto of the bill on simple marijuana charges comes ahead of a campaign to legalize recreational marijuana for adults on the November ballot. The bill would have automatically removed simple marijuana charges and convictions from public background records if the violation was more than five years old. The person also would have had to fulfill sentencing and probation requirements and have no subsequent arrests. [Read More @AP News]