What died, what survived in the South Dakota Legislature

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - South Dakota lawmakers headed home on Friday after pushing the budget and a few proposals over the finish line this week.

Legislators are scheduled to meet one more time at the end of the month to respond to any vetoes from Gov. Kristi Noem, but they have finished the bulk of their work for the year. As the session finishes, here’s a look at what died and what survived:

DIED:

- TRANSGENDER TREATMENT BAN:

In the first week of the session, Rep. Fred Deutsch, a Florence Republican, dropped a bill to ban doctors from giving puberty-blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries to children under 16 who wanted to change their gender. The proposal drew national attention and protests as it passed in the House, but was stopped in the Senate Health and Human Services committee where moderate Republicans killed the bill.

- COMMERCIAL SURROGACY BAN:

Conservative House Republicans again failed to get a proposal past the Senate Health and Human Services Committee when it defeated a bill that aimed to stop commercial surrogacy in the state. Republicans on the committee were split on the issue, but in the end enough decided that criminalizing agents who facilitate commercial surrogacy contracts was a step too far.

- ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION:

Secretary of State Steve Barnett proposed making it possible to register to vote online. The House passed the bill, but it was killed by influential Republicans in the Senate State Affairs committee.

SURVIVED:

- HEMP

It took until one of the last votes of the session, but lawmakers ironed out a hemp proposal with Noem’s approval. Lawmakers’ decision to meet the governor’s demand to allot $3.5 million to startup and run the program ensured their year-long dispute over hemp drew to a close. Noem said she intends to sign the bill and it will take effect immediately. But it may take up to 60 days for the Department of Agriculture to approve the state’s hemp plans.

- RIOT BOOSTING

The governor told lawmakers months before the session began that she would revive the state’s criminal and civil penalties for rioting and inciting a riot this year. A federal judge found parts of the state’s riot laws unconstitutional last year, in part because they were targeted at opponents to the Keystone XL pipeline. The proposal drew demonstrations from Native American and environmental groups, but did not face any major opposition from Republican legislators. Noem has yet to sign the bill.

- BAN ON FACULTY UNIONS

The governor has already signed a law that will ban faculty unions at state universities starting in July. The law will stop university faculty from collective bargaining in their contracts with the Board of Regents. There are about 1,400 faculty spread across six universities in the state.

- COUNTY PERMIT STREAMLINING

Noem spent a considerable amount of time pushing a proposal to streamline the permitting process for feedlots and other projects. She cast the overhaul as a part of her focus on economic development, arguing it would allow people to start profitable projects in rural communities. The proposal makes wide-ranging changes to how counties decide on permits.

- RESTRUCTURING PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES

Lawmakers have been looking for more control over the state’s public universities and passed a bill to examine the universities’ operations. The bill would require the Board of Regents to assemble a task force with at least eleven members, including four legislators. It paves the way for a potential shake up in public universities. They will present their findings in November.