Breaking: South Dakota House rejects Gov. Noem's 'style and form' revisions to transgender sports bill

The South Dakota House of Representatives on Monday overwhelmingly rejected Gov. Kristi Noem's "style and form" revisions to the Women's Fairness in Sports bill.

State house lawmakers voted 67-2 against certifying Noem's recommended changes to a bill that would prohibit any student at a state school from joining a sports team that does not match his or her biological sex. The bill, H.B. 1217, was designed to prevent gender-dysphoric males who identify as females from competing in sports against women.

Two weeks ago, Gov. Noem sent H.B. 1217 back to the legislature with a "style and form" veto, a power she has under the state constitution to suggest changes to a bill related to the style or form of the legislative text. Noem said that the protections for women's sports teams were "unrealistic in the context of collegiate athletics" and asked lawmakers to remove provisions that would apply to collegiate athletics, in addition to other changes conservative supporters of the legislation claimed would gut the bill. The governor used her style and form veto power to dramatically revise the legislation, striking some sections entirely in a move several state lawmakers characterized as an unconstitutional abuse of her executive authority.