PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota’s Republican-controlled House is signaling it wants more power to look into settlement agreements.
A bipartisan proposal easily cleared the House on a 64 to six vote and will next head to the Senate. The move comes after parts of a legislative probe last year were hampered by a nondisparagement clause in a settlement agreement. Lawmakers were examining Gov. Kristi Noem’s alleged interference in a state agency that was evaluating her daughter’s application for a real estate appraiser license.
The Legislature’s heightened scrutiny of settlement agreements comes after the longtime director of the state’s Appraiser Certification Program received a $200,000 settlement agreement to leave her job.
