Delay doesn't stop $200 million workforce housing program

House Republicans hold lively debate on the role of government

Rep. Roger Chase, left, and Sen. Lee Schoenbeck, right, talk after the House passed Senate Bill 41 on Jan. 23, 2022. Chase, a Huron Republican, was the bill’s prime sponsor in the House. (Jonathan Ellis/The Dakota Scout)

PIERRE – A group of fiscal conservatives in the state House pulled out all the stops they could muster Monday to derail a $200 million spending plan that funds a workforce infrastructure program.

They even went so far as to try to get the prime sponsor in the House, Rep. Roger Chase, disqualified for having a conflict of interest, an accusation overruled by House Speaker Hugh Bartels.

Ultimately, they fell short, and the legislation passed 54-16 — enough of a majority to become law immediately after it gets signed by Gov. Kristi Noem.

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