According to today’s postcard, Rep. Rounds and Rep. Duvall are “selling out to the radical homosexual lobby” because we did not support a smokeout attempt on HB1251.  Please note that a “smokeout” is not a vote on a bill, but rather a referendum on whether the committee did its work.

This bill died in House State Affairs committee on a 12-0 vote.  It is quite telling that there was NO supporting testimony on behalf of this bill from any of the well-respected pro-family groups lobbying the South Dakota legislature (Concerned Women of America, Family Heritage Alliance, South Dakota Family Policy Council, or the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls).

As a point of interest, it only takes 1/3 of the House of Representatives to support a smokeout.  The fact that the smokeout attempt failed means that more than 2/3 of the members of the House of Representatives agreed that the State Affairs Committee gave this bill a fair hearing.