The South Dakota House State Affairs Committee approved a bill that would provide a funding mechanism for a new Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Lab at SDSU in Brookings.
A new lab is needed, which could cost over sixty-eight million dollars.
The bill would allow the use of money from the property tax relief fund set up in last year’s half cent sales tax increase. It would divert under twenty cents per acre under this plan.
Representative Issac Latterell of Tea says he supports the concept of the lab…..

Representative Spencer Hawley of Brookings says using the property tax fund spreads out the cost to a wider base…..

The bill got a do pass recommendation on a twelve – zero vote.
The bill will have to be blended with SB172, which was tabled in the Joint Appropriations committee earlier this week.