Blaze pink speech, blocking UBIs, poll watching, addressing antisemitism

Snapshots from last week's legislative session

Sen. Ryan Maher, R-Isabel, was forced to wear a blaze pink vest in the Senate on Feb. 23 at the request of Sen. Arch Beal, R-Sioux Falls. (compliments of Sen. Tim Reed)

It’s not often that Sen. Arch Beal speaks in the Legislature. When he does, you know it: His voice is the opposite of meek, and it fills the legislative chamber.

Friday, near the start of the session, Beal stood and demanded to know why Sen. Ryan Maher had pulled his bill to legalize fluorescent pink hunting garments from that day’s consent calendar. On his birthday, no less.

By way of background, Beal has viewed his legislative career, now in its 10^th year, as one of defense. He is in Pierre to guard against what he thinks would make bad law. The last time he was a prime sponsor on a piece of legislation was in 2020.

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But he signed on as a prime sponsor of the fluorescent pink legislation because his daughter, Rep. Jessica Bahmuller, is the prime sponsor in the House.

South Dakota would join several other states that allow blaze pink to meet safety requirements when big-game hunting. It was not considered controversial, which is why it was placed on the consent calendar. Bills that aren’t contested in committee often get placed on the consent calendar, which allows lawmakers to pass a group of them without debate and in one vote.

But any senator can request that a bill be pulled off the consent calendar, meaning it gets placed on the next day’s regular agenda. That requires sponsors to introduce the bill to the body, answer questions about it, and defend it.

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