The South Dakota Senate Judiciary Committee debated and defeated a bill that would have allowed businesses to refuse services to people based on their sexual orientation.

SB128 would have protected those businesses from discrimination law suits.

A supporter of the bill was Mark Chase, President of the South Dakota Family Policy Council, who said it was a matter of free speech and religion…

 

Tom Barnett with the South Dakota Bar Association said the bill would not survive a court challenge…

 

The motion to move the bill to the forty first legislative day was made by Senator Jean Hunhoff of Yankton…

 

The bill died on a 5 to 2 vote.