“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Alcohol on SD College Campuses
SB102, An Act to allow certain alcoholic beverage licenses and special event alcoholic beverage licenses to be issued on certain lands and facilities located on state educational institution campuses, passed in the House Commerce Committee, Monday, February 29 with a vote of 9-3. Click here to check the votes.
SB102 would allow beer and wine sales at the state’s public universities for special events. This bill passed in the Senate, House committee. Now we must defeat it in the House. We believe allowing the sale of alcohol beverages at college events would be irresponsible. Rather, efforts should be made to reduce the availability of alcohol on our college campuses.
ACTION: E-mail your two representatives here and urge them to “vote NO on SB102.” Please provide a brief reason for your position. In addition, phone the House lobby and leave a message for your representatives at (605) 773-3851.
Informed Consent Bill – Chemical Abortion
HB1157, An Act to require that a doctor provide a woman additional information as a part of informed consent prior to performing an abortion.
HB1157, an informed consent bill, involves the two-drug abortion regimen commonly referred to as RU-486. The bill requires that the abortion-minded woman be told that if she should change her mind after taking the first drug, Mifepristone, it is still possible to save her baby’s life by not taking the second drug, Misoprostol.
RU-486, a chemical abortion, is different than a surgical abortion in that the mother is self-aborting which may cause some anguish and cause her to change her mind about continuing with the chemical abortion. Informed consent provides the mother with better decision-making options.
HB1157 passed in the Senate Health Committee this morning with a vote of 4-2. Check the votes here. It should be voted on in the Senate on Tuesday or Wednesday.
ACTION: E-mail your Senator and urge him to support HB1157, the informed consent bill. In addition, phone the Senate lobby and leave a message for your Senator at (605) 773-3821.
Scholarship/Non-Public Schools
SB159, An Act to provide a tax credit to insurance companies that contribute to an organization providing educational scholarships to certain students, passed in the Senate with a vote of 24-11. Check the votes here. We wanted a YES vote. Click here to learn more about this concept.
SB159 now heads to the House.
ACTION: E-mail your two Representatives and ask them to support SB159, the tax credit/scholarship bill. In addition, phone the House lobby and leave a message for your Representatives at (605) 773-3851.
Government Non-Discrimination Act
HB1107, An Act to ensure government nondiscrimination in matters of religious beliefs and moral convictions, was tabled by the sponsor, Rep. Scott Craig (R-Dist. 33). Rep. Craig stated before the Senate Judiciary Committee, “In discussing House Bill 1107 with various individuals and interested parties, we’ve heard various concerns expressed, and before we move forward, we want to address those concerns and ensure that everyone understands the intent of this legislation and what we’re trying to accomplish. We look forward to ongoing dialogue about this legislation in the coming months. It is respectfully requested that this committee table HB1107.”
God bless you for your faithfulness in prayer and action.