SD lawmakers strike deal, pass $5.8B budget

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Legislature has passed a proposal to give state lawmakers more control over how federal funds are spent, defying Gov. Kristi Noem and clearing the way for the House and Senate to find agreement on a $5.8 billion state budget. The bipartisan proposal passed on the penultimate day of the legislative session with over two-thirds support in each chamber. It passed despite the Republican governor’s ardent objections. During budget negotiations, a bipartisan proposal emerged to require a legislative budgeting committee to approve state government spending of federal funds if it requires a policy change.