South Dakota AV Bill Dies as Legislative Session Closes

PIERRE, S.D.—An age verification proposal targeting adult websites introduced in the South Dakota state legislature has died. The bill is House Bill 1257, which was introduced by state Rep. Bethany Soye. The bill made it through the House of Representatives but was deferred by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Documentation shows that the committee deferred the bill to the 41st day of the legislative session. But there are only 40 legislative days. Such an order is a procedural tool to delay indefinitely or until the next legislative session bills that are against the agenda of chamber leadership or the governor. Soye is a far-right Republican who similarly introduced a bill in 2023 to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth throughout the state. This bill was adopted by the conservative Gov. Kristi Noem. A columnist for the conservative Washington Examiner was the first to report the "killing" of House Bill 1257. If it did pass, the bill would have implemented "reasonable age verification" requirements similar to other copycat bills throughout the United States.