A small change could make a big difference when it comes to when the voters assist with making laws or changing the South Dakota Constitution.

When Initiated Measures or Constitutional Amendments are approved by South Dakota voters, the requirements take effect a little over a week after the election. Senator Blake Curd suggests a different timeline would help prepare for the changes.

“It makes some operational sense Marsy’s Law being a great example. No one wants to gin up the requirements of Marsy’s Law if they know they are not going to have to do it. It might make some sense for the effective date to be the same as the laws that the Legislature passes through its regular course of business which would be July 1 or the fiscal year.”

Curd says there are multiple advantages for taking this cautious approach.

“It gives the folks that have to abide by the law time to adjust and understand what it means. It also affords the Legislature the ability to potentially adjust it before they actually carry the weight and force of law. That’s in case we find areas that are just not compliant with our State Constitution or are in conflict with other laws.”

Feeling that South Dakota’s founders gave its citizens a great gift through the Initiated Measure process, Curd exercises caution against the notion of raising the standard for getting items on the ballot.

Even though he is one of the Legislators who joined the lawsuit to stop IM 22, Curd indicates some philosophical alignment with a few issues raised by the effort.


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