Gov. Dennis Daugaard has signed into law a measure that allows South Dakota counties to choose cremation when indigent people die.
Counties pay funeral and burial expenses when a destitute resident dies and no one else is available to pay the costs.
The measure passed by the Legislature says a destitute person's next of kin could decide whether that person is buried or cremated.
When a destitute Native American dies, that person's tribe could make that decision.
If no next of kin or tribe is available, county commissioners could decide whether someone is buried or cremated.
