SB144 appropriates $10,000,000 from the general fund to the Aeronautics Commission for grants aimed at enhancing airport terminal infrastructure projects, including expansion and meeting future capacity needs at public airports.
The South Dakota State Senate passed SB144 on March 6, 2024 by a vote of 27 to 6. We have assigned pluses to the nays because funding for airport terminal infrastructure projects should not be the government’s responsibility. Government-issued grants often give the government or bureaucracy the authority to choose winners and losers, leading to an expansion of government and increased interference in the private sector.