PIERRE (AP) - South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley's legislative wish list for 2015 - which includes adding human traffickers to the state sex offender registry and allowing trained first responders to carry an antidote for opiate overdoses - likely won't face much resistance when lawmakers arrive in Pierre in January.
Incoming Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Craig Tieszen said Tuesday that Jackley's proposed 2015 legislation appears "reasonable," but says he has to review the specifics of the measures. Jackley outlined eight proposals this week that would allow the spouses of military personnel living in the state to get concealed weapons permits, authorize citizens to use police scanners if they're not committing a felony and update South Dakota's "lemon" car sale laws, to name a few.
"I'll need to study the specifics of the proposals, but they all seem reasonable on the surface at least," said Tieszen, whose traditionally would introduce the attorney general's proposed bills for the session because of his committee chairmanship.
Allowing trained first responders and police officers to carry an opiate overdose antidote would help fight drug fatalities, Jackley said. The state had 32 accidental overdose deaths in 2013. Another measure would target charitable raffle, lottery and bingo scams, which Jackley said his office has been hearing about from South Dakotans.
Jackley said the measures are mostly smaller, "common-sense" changes to state law. He said much of the proposed legislation is intended to fix problems his office encountered throughout the year, such as the case of a law enforcement enthusiast who had a police scanner confiscated because it is currently against South Dakota law to have one in most cases.
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"The law was not allowing us to do what I see as the right thing," Jackley said.
As the proposals move through the legislative process, it's not uncommon to see a few friendly changes to the bills, he said. Many of the proposals would tweak the law to make it more permissive, which could cut down current enforcement costs.
In addition to reviewing Jackley's measures, Tieszen said he wants to look at people who register to vote in South Dakota using a post office box as an address, which he said raises concerns.
