Noem signs hemp and other bills, but says budget in doubt

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – Gov. Kristi Noem has signed 15 bills that allocate millions of dollars to South Dakota programs, including industrial hemp.

But the governor offered no guarantee on whether the funding for the programs would remain after the state reworks its budget in light of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Noem says the allocations will likely depend on how much money the state gets from the federal government in a stimulus bill.

The bills she signed give millions of dollars to an industrial hemp program, a veteran’s cemetery, a School of Health Sciences building at the University of South Dakota and expanding broadband to rural communities.