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SD bill lets clergy refuse to perform gay marriage
• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- South Dakota lawmakers are considering a measure that would allow clergy and religious organizations to refuse to take part in gay marriage services.
• The South Dakota Constitution and state laws already ban gay marriage. But sponsors say they proposed the measure because courts might overturn the ban, just as they have in other states.
• The measure would prevent clergy from being forced to perform same-sex marriages. It also says they could not be sued or charged with crimes if they refuse to take part in gay marriages.
• The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on the bill Thursday.
• No hearing date has been set for a companion measure that would give the same protection to businesses that refuse to provide services for same-sex weddings.
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SD House votes 'no' on Common Core rewind
NORA HERTEL, Associated Press
• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- A slim majority of the South Dakota House rejected a resolution Wednesday to halt expansion of the Common Core State Standards on Wednesday.
• The measure failed 35 to 31. A few dozen constituents attended the session, including many supporters of the resolution wearing red shirts.
• In 2009 the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers developed the Common Core benchmarks for K-12 students in math and English. Forty-five states adopted the standards soon after their creation. South Dakota schools began implementing the standards this academic year.
• Republican Rep. Jim Bolin, of Canton, is a prime sponsor of the bill and called the standards an "educational monstrosity." He delivered impassioned testimony twice during an hour-long debate. Bolin described the standards as a step toward federalization. The bill urges the South Dakota Board of Education to stop further expansion of the standards and to establish a plan to end the state's involvement with the standards by June 30, 2017.
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