PIERRE, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) Two medical debt bills received different answers on Tuesday from state lawmakers. The House Health and Human Services Committee passed one bill and killed another. House Bill 1058A stops hospitals from putting medical bills on credit reports. It passed 9-4. House Bill 1210 would have limited when hospitals could send bills to collection agencies. It failed 10-3. Several people testified about large medical debts and dealing with collection agencies after their illnesses. Hospitals and collection agencies fought the bills. The bill that passed now goes to the full House. The committee sent the companion bill to the 41st legislative day, effectively killing it.
House lawmakers voted to reject Senate Bill 51 on Monday, halting a measure that would have required South Dakota public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. The bill managed to pass the state Senate with a 1 vote margin. Supporters, including sponsor Heather Baxter, argued the Ten Commandments should be shown alongside other historical documents like the U.S. Constitution. But opponents criticized the bill as government-endorsed religion and an overstep of local control. The bill failed by a vote of 37-31.