State House Republicans nominate new speaker pro tempore
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota House Republicans have nominated a Sioux Falls state representative to serve as speaker pro tempore.
The Legislative Research Council said this week that GOP lawmakers met in caucus to nominate Rep. Steven Haugaard for the position. Republicans control both chambers of South Dakota's Legislature.
The full House will vote on Haugaard's nomination in January. He was first elected to the House in 2014.
The post is vacant because former House Speaker Pro Tempore Don Haggar resigned to lead the state's chapter of Americans for Prosperity, the conservative advocacy group.
The speaker pro tempore presides over the chamber in the absence of the House speaker.