Senate Bill 47 revises the allowed reasons South Dakota public bodies can hold private executive sessions or closed meetings, expanding the list to include new protections for security vulnerabilities, emergency management plans, cybersecurity information, and building blueprints that could endanger public safety if disclosed. The bill also clarifies existing exceptions for discussing employee performance, student discipline, legal matters, and contract negotiations. These changes give public agencies clearer guidance on when sensitive discussions can happen behind closed doors without public attendance.
The amendment reorganized and clarified the statutory language governing executive sessions by restructuring the list of permissible closed meeting purposes (reordering items like student discipline, legal consultation, and security information), tightening procedural requirements (such as requiring roll-call votes when there isn't unanimous agreement to close a meeting), and explicitly separating the rule that official action must occur in open meetings from the closure standards themselves—NARROWING the bill's scope by making the procedural requirements more stringent while clarifying which actions remain confidential versus which must be publicly voted on.
Signed by the Governor S.J. 266
Delivered to the Governor S.J. 219
Signed by the Speaker H.J. 251
Signed by the President S.J. 203
House of Representatives Do Pass Passed, YEAS 69, NAYS 0. H.J. 223
Local Government Certified uncontested, placed on consent H.J. 6
Local Government Do Pass Passed, YEAS 12, NAYS 0. H.J. 5
Local Government Scheduled for hearing
House of Representatives Referred to House Local Government H.J. 137
First Reading House H.J. 125
Senate Do Pass Passed, YEAS 34, NAYS 0. S.J. 83
State Affairs Certified uncontested, placed on consent S.J. 3
State Affairs Do Pass Passed, YEAS 7, NAYS 0. S.J. 3
State Affairs Scheduled for hearing S.J. 1
First read in Senate and referred to Senate State Affairs S.J. 15
Do Pass
Local Government — Do Pass
Do Pass
State Affairs — Do Pass