News Archive

South Dakota governor repeals state's pilot registration

Feb. 12, 2004 — South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds, a pilot and AOPA member, this week made good on a promise to eliminate the state's pilot registration requirement. AOPA Central Regional Representative Bill Hamilton worked closely with Rounds and the state legislature to pass the repeal.

"Governor Rounds' leadership in seeing through the introduction and passage of this legislation will ease the burden on South Dakota pilots," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "And his efforts also reduce unnecessary costs associated with flying."

Pilots in South Dakota had been required to pay $20 for a biennial registration. In 2002, Rounds' predecessor pushed through a change requiring a photograph on the state's pilot registration certificates as a security measure — a requirement AOPA argued was unnecessary.

After the FAA adopted AOPA's proposal to require pilots to carry a government-issued photo ID, Rounds said the state's photo ID registration was a duplication of effort and that he would work to eliminate it entirely. House Bill 1063, repealing the registration requirement, quickly cleared both the House and Senate with unanimous consent.

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