By: John Hult ,
SD Searchlight
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden has signed bills into law to let county sheriffs charge a fee for serving legal papers, open the records of former governors five years faster, and require lab-grown meat to be labeled as such.
Also among the 14 bills Rhoden signed Monday: A repeal of the right of parties in some court cases to demand a court reporter if a judge feels a transcribable audio recording will do.
Under the lab-grown meat labeling law, which will take effect July 1, packages must “clearly state in a prominent and conspicuous manner” that there’s cell-cultured or lab-grown meat inside.
The meat is produced from sample cells that are fed sugars, water, proteins and vitamins. The state Senate is poised to ponder a more severe approach to the product, which some ranchers see as a threat to their livelihood.
That bill, sponsored by Dupree-area rancher and Republican Rep. Jana Hunt, would bar altogether the manufacture or sale of the products in South Dakota. It passed the state House of Representatives 42-26 on Thursday.
The stenography bill sailed through both chambers with unanimous support. The state court system brought the bill in response to a court reporter shortage, noting that its courtroom recording systems capture audio that can be transcribed as needed.
The process service bill lets sheriffs charge a range of fees – including mileage – to recoup costs associated with things like serving warrants or serving a summons to appear; the records bill opens previously sealed records of a former South Dakota governor five years after they leave office. Current law seals those records for 10 years.
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