Holy cross markings spur policy forbidding Capitol property alterations

Action comes after South Dakota lawmakers 'blessed' committee chairs with oil

PIERRE, S.D. — The South Dakota Legislature’s Executive Board adopted a new policy Tuesday that outlines how legislative property can and can’t be used by lawmakers and non-lawmakers.

The new policy comes after two lawmakers entered a Capitol conference room on the afternoon before the Nov. 19 House leadership election and marked dozens of chairs with holy crosses. Reed Holwegner, the director of the Legislative Research Council, said he received a complaint about the markings following the leadership meeting.

Many of the crosses, made with an oily substance, had already rubbed off on chairs where people had been sitting.

NEWS: Holy cross markings left on Capitol chairs prompt complaint

Capitol security reviewed video taken the day before the meeting, which revealed that the two lawmakers had methodically gone row by row marking the chairs.