- South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem is faltering in support of new legislation due to pressure from groups in South Dakota, the Daily Caller News Foundation learns.
- Noem recently said on March 8 that she was “excited” to sign HB 1217, a bill that forbids biological men from participating in women’s sports.
- The bill was sent to Noem’s desk a few days ago, but the governor suggested that she could not sign it.
After expressing her enthusiasm for signing a bill that bans biological men from women’s sports, South Dakota Republican governor Kristi Noem is faltering in her support for legislation due to pressure from groups in South Dakota, she learned. Daily Caller News Foundation.
Noem said recently, on March 8, she was “excited” to sign HB 1217, a project that not only prohibits biological men from participating in women’s sports, but also establishes that there are only two biological sexes (male and female) and that there are “inherent” Differences between men and women.
The bill was sent to Noem’s table on March 10, but the governor suggested that she could not sign it. (RELATED: Mississippi Becomes First State to Ban Transgender Female Sports Students)
Noem’s office did not directly address why she is wavering in support of the bill, but confirmed that the governor has not yet decided whether she will sign it.
“Governor Noem is still evaluating 106 pieces of legislation to be taken next Friday, and this is one of them,” Noem’s communications director, Ian Fury, told DCNF on Friday morning.
Screenshot, Twitter.
“We are still looking into this and I will probably have a decision in the next two or three days,” Noem said in an interview on Thursday with Argus Leader. “It is a complicated bill, not least because there are parts of it that are not well written.”
The bill is one of many that aim to protect women and children presented in 2021 so far. A review conducted by Axios found that Republican Party lawmakers introduced 61 pieces of legislation in at least 25 states that criminalize gender transition surgeries for children or prevent biological men from participating in women’s sports.
The latest POLITICO / Morning Consult poll found that 53% of registered voters do not support organic male competition in women’s sports. (RELATED: 53% of Americans support banning trans women athletes from sports, polls)
If Noem decides to veto the bill, two-thirds of the House and Senate will be forced to vote for an annulment – and groups like the Greater Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Sports Authority argue that the law could be negative. effect on the South Dakota economy.
When the North Carolina legislature passed a bill in 2016 banning local governments from requiring companies to allow trans people to use their favorite bathrooms, dozens of events were canceled in protest, like a Bruce Springsteen show over the weekend. .
“Some things are more important than a rock concert and this fight against prejudice and bigotry – which is happening as I write – is one of them,” said Springsteen at the time. “It is the strongest way I have to raise my voice as opposed to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forward.”
The American Principles Project encouraged Noem publicly and privately to sign the bill and engage in dialogue with legislators in South Dakota regarding HB 1217. (RELATED: Psychiatric Journal Corrects Transgender Study, Now Says ‘There Are No Advantages of Surgery’ to Mental Health)
Jon Schweppe, APP’s Director of Policy and Government Affairs, told DCNF that he began hearing from lawmakers and political organizations that Noem was facing pressure not to sign the South Dakota group bill after he tweeted his support on 8 March.
The governor faces pressure from the NCAA, the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and an Amazon factory in Sioux Falls, which “silently threatens” to abandon the project, the APP leader told DCNF.
Schweppe referred to Noem’s comments to Leader Argus, stating that “she is already kind of stepping back and setting the stage for a veto”.
“I hope she doesn’t do that because it will destroy her political career,” Schweppe told DCNF. “She is trying to become president or to have a national profile.”
South Dakota Republican State Representative Rhonda Milstead, one of the sponsors of HB 1217, told DCNF on Friday morning that opposition and pressure against the bill was “inevitable” but could have been avoided if Noem had it signed as soon as it arrived at your table.
“I think the reality is that if you stand for the right thing, and that is the right thing, the good will come out of it,” she said. “This scare tactic will not work if you stick to it. And that is what they are, scare tactics. “
Milstead speculated that Noem is working on some language changes that she will require before signing the project – and Milstead argued that this is not Noem’s competence.
“She is the executive, the legislature is the one who approves the laws,” said Milstead. “So, if she wants to change the language, it has nothing to do with style and form. It’s all about content, context. “
“This is not appropriate,” she added. “It is really coming out of the branch’s powers. That is not what the Executive Branch is for. “
The project is strongly supported by Republican and religious groups in South Dakota, such as the South Dakota Catholic Conference and the Family Heritage Alliance Action.
“We have been encouraging you to stay strong and move forward with your subscription,” Norman Woods, executive director of the Family Heritage Alliance Action, told DCNF.
“We have asked her to stand firm and protect women’s sports here in South Dakota,” he added.
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