PIERRE, S.D.(DRGNews)- Legislators from Huron and Yankton say they will be introducing a bill that provides for all pregnancy expenses to be covered by both parents.

The prime sponsors of SB 75 will be Senator David Wheeler of Huron and Representative Mike Stevens of Yankton.

This bill proposes to define the scope of the current law, which broadly requires both parents to pay expenses for “pregnancy and confinement.” The bill does so by clarifying eligible expenses to be those reasonable expenses that the mother incurs for:

• Pregnancy or prenatal care of the child;
• Labor and delivery of the child; and,
• Postpartum recovery and any medical complications arising from pregnancy with the child.

The bill also clarifies the legal process that is available to a pregnant mother if she wishes to seek reimbursement for her pregnancy expenses.

Wheeler says, “This legislation continues to promote life in South Dakota. We have the opportunity to ease the burden on expectant mothers by requiring pregnancy expenses to be paid equally from the beginning of a child’s life.”