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• Sen. Tim Bagalka, R-Clear Lake, said he voted for the bill because it protects free speech and prevents lawsuits.
• "This bill does not promote discrimination," Begalka said.
• Tom Barnett, executive director of the South Dakota State Bar, said the measure is unnecessary because people already have the constitutional freedom to speak about sexual orientation and South Dakota businesses have the right to refuse to hire someone or provide services due to sexual orientation.
• South Dakota law protects people from discrimination based on race, color, creed, religion, gender and other factors. However, it does not protect people based on sexual orientation, so businesses could refuse service based on their objection to someone's sexual orientation, Barnett said.
• He said he finds two parts of the bill to be unconstitutional: one directing a judge to dismiss such lawsuits and another that declares any federal recognition of sexual orientation as a protected class would not apply in South Dakota.
• Federal law takes precedence over state law, Barnett said.
• He added that the bill would have sent a bad message. "Words mean something. Words hurt," Barnett said.
• Lawrence Novotny, chairman of Equality South Dakota, a group supporting gay rights, pushed for the bill to be killed. He said the state must be more accepting of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
• "We are your family members, your co-workers, your neighbors," Novotny said.
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• OELRICHS, S.D. (AP) -- The sheriff in Fall River County says authorities are investigating the death of an elderly couple found dead in their rural Oelrichs home.
• Sheriff Rich Mraz (mur-'AZ) says deputies were called to the home southwest of Oelrichs Monday morning after relatives found the couple, ages 73 and 74.
• Mraz says investigators are awaiting autopsy results.
• The sheriff's office is working with the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation on the case. The victims' names have not been released.
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