A bill that restricts the use of fireworks that frighten livestock or leaves debris on private property failed to gain support in a Senate committee.
Senate Bill 74 allows county governments to restrict the use of fireworks on any public road or right-of-way, when those fireworks could cause debris to fall onto private property or create noise that frightens livestock. Don Hoffman is a cattle producer from Harrisburg South Dakota. He shared several instances where he’s had to deal with debris on his property after the fourth of July. He says frightened cattle hurt his business.
“We have contracts to meet,” Hoffman says. “It’s not that we can feed them another week or two to get the weight back on them. They’re scheduled to go on a certain date. They need to be a certain weight and that’s the way it is. So we don’t have a chance to get this weight back. I’ve got feed sheets that show you every week after the fourth of July, our consumption goes down on the intake of these cattle.”
Hoffman says last year stressed cattle led to a roughly $32,000 loss.
But opponents say fireworks are already heavily regulated in South Dakota, and more legislation harms the state’s fireworks industry. Justin Smith is a lobbyist representing a fireworks retailer in the Minnehaha and Lincoln County area. He says South Dakota also already has laws to protect livestock producers.
“Harassment of livestock is illegal,” Smith says. “I would site SDCL 40-1-21, mistreatment of animals belonging to another person gives ground to call law enforcement and the sheriff is empowered to enforce that. In addition, our law, and our civil court system allow a civil remedy if there is damage to livestock from violation of that statute. Littering is also illegal in South Dakota.”
Members of the Senate Local Government Committee voted to send Senate Bill 74 to the 41st legislative day, effectively killing the measure.