South Dakota Bill Would Make Insurer Tax-Credit Program More Transparent

A group of South Dakota lawmakers has introduced a bill that would require certain information from the state-subsidized insurance company tax credit program for scholarships be made public.

The tax credit scholarship program passed through the Legislature last year and has so far received $325,000 from insurance companies for students attending private schools. Those companies in turn get substantial tax credits.

Nothing in the original bill forces program leaders to share which companies are receiving tax credits, or how much money schools are getting.

Some of the information has been shared on the program’s website, and several insurance companies announced their involvement, but the proposed bill would require that information.

The bill’s primary sponsor, Republican Rep. Herman Otten of Lennox, says the program should be more open because it uses taxpayer funds.

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