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South Dakota lawmakers finished up their session this week, but not without some disagreement. The House failed to override Gov. Larry Rhoden’s vetoes on a lab-grown meat ban and a home care bill. They needed a two-thirds vote and did not get it, so both vetoes stayed. That basically ended those bills for the year.

The lab-grown meat issue is the one that matters most, especially around here. The bill would have banned lab-grown meat by calling it unsafe to sell. Lawmakers like Julie Auch said livestock is a way of life, and I agree. Real meat raised on farms and ranches is something people have worked hard to build. It should not be replaced by something made in a lab.

Governor Rhoden said the state should not ban something just because people do not like it. He also brought up possible legal problems. Instead, he supported a five-year pause on lab-grown meat. I still think banning it would have been the better choice. The vote ended in a tie, so the ban did not pass.

The second issue was about home care workers. The bill would have required things like licenses, background checks, and insurance to help protect people getting care. Mellissa Heermann supported it and said it was common sense. Rhoden said the rules were too broad and hard to enforce, so he vetoed it.

In the end, both votes failed and the session came to a close. It shows how split things can get. For me, the biggest takeaway is the lab-grown meat issue. Agriculture is important, and protecting real livestock production should stay a priority.

South Dakota Lawmakers Fail to Override Vetoes of Lab-Grown Meat Ban and In-Home Care Regulations