(SDBA – Pierre, SD) The South Dakota House of Representatives was unsuccessful Monday in pushing to reconsider House Bill 1025, which would help fund the incarceration construction fund and move a billion-dollar prison project forward.
Once again, the State House tied 35-35 in its vote to reconsider the bill, forcing it to fail. On Friday, the measure went down by a 34-35 vote, but Rep. Tim Reisch — a former Department of Corrections secretary and proponent of the project as currently slated for construction himself — returned to the chamber Monday.
Though Reisch was a yes, and Rep. Brian Mulder of Sioux Falls flipped to a yes for reconsideration, Rep. Roger DeGroot of Brookings voted against the measure, forcing the tie vote. DeGroot told South Dakota Broadcasters Association after the bill’s failure that he voted “nay” on accident.
“I voted wrong by mistake,” DeGroot said moments after. “I have supported this thing all the way.”
HB 1025 in its original form gave clearance to the remaining funds to be transferred into the incarceration construction fund and begin construction in earnest in Lincoln County. The bill was amended after proponents realized they did not have the two-thirds votes required to push it through.
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the measure’s failure. More action on the prison project could be coming before the end of the work day Monday.
