Jim Mehlhaff
Senator · SD-24RepublicanMajority Leader
Retired · 2nd Term
91%party loyalty
(1552/1702)
Issue Stances
Derived from voting record on issue-relevant bills
0
K-12 Education
Classroom content
66
expandrestrict
Teacher pay
53
lowerraise
School choice
49
restrictexpand
K-12 funding
33
decreaseincrease
Higher Education
Higher education funding
42
decreaseincrease
University governance
31
deregulateregulate
Student financial aid
16
restrictexpand
Healthcare & Medicaid
Gender-affirming care for minors
81
expandrestrict
Mental health services
58
restrictexpand
Healthcare providers
56
deregulateregulate
Substance abuse treatment
55
restrictexpand
Involuntary commitment
55
preservereform
Controlled substances
55
deregulateregulate
Abortion access
43
expandrestrict
Medicaid coverage
19
restrictexpand
Property Tax
Property rights protections
49
weakenstrengthen
Property tax exemptions
45
restrictexpand
Property assessments
44
preservereform
Property tax rates
29
increasereduce
Tax Policy
Sales tax base
70
narrowbroaden
Tax credits
52
restrictexpand
Tax administration
46
preservereform
Sales tax exemptions
39
restrictexpand
Gambling tax revenue
38
decreaseincrease
Sales tax rates
27
increasereduce
State Budget
Government spending
80
restrictexpand
Government spending
79
decreaseincrease
Infrastructure spending
67
decreaseincrease
State agency operations
47
preservereform
Government spending
3
increasereduce
Public Safety
Emergency preparedness
69
restrictexpand
Juvenile justice
65
preservereform
Law enforcement authority
59
restrictexpand
Victim rights
57
restrictexpand
Law enforcement funding
57
decreaseincrease
Police authority
50
restrictexpand
Public safety regulations
48
weakenstrengthen
Gun rights
46
restrictexpand
Criminal penalties
46
decreaseincrease
Sentencing alternatives
30
restrictexpand
Police accountability
12
weakenstrengthen
Firearms regulations
7
weakenstrengthen
Agriculture & Wildlife
Conservation programs
76
restrictexpand
Agricultural practices
40
deregulateregulate
Agricultural subsidies
39
restrictexpand
Water rights protections
34
weakenstrengthen
Livestock industry protections
22
restrictexpand
Water usage
11
deregulateregulate
Energy & Environment
Environmental regulations
60
increasereduce
Energy development
19
discourageincentivize
Business & Economy
Datacenter incentives
79
restrictexpand
Government regulations
69
increasereduce
Rural development
65
opposesupport
Workforce development
43
restrictexpand
Emerging industries
40
deregulateregulate
Occupational licensing
40
weakenstrengthen
Consumer protections
35
restrictexpand
Gambling access
34
restrictexpand
Business regulations
20
increasereduce
Economic development
13
discourageincentivize
Housing & Local Gov
Housing regulations
51
increasereduce
Local government authority
42
restrictexpand
Affordable housing
26
restrictexpand
Landlord-tenant protections
19
restrictexpand
Elections & Government
Campaign finance
48
preservereform
Ballot initiatives
47
expandrestrict
Government transparency
42
restrictexpand
Election security
27
weakenstrengthen
Voter access
20
restrictexpand
Courts & Legal
Court procedures
52
preservereform
Due process protections
43
weakenstrengthen
Judicial authority
33
restrictexpand
Score: 0 (neutral) to 100 (strong). Direction shown by bar position.
Effectiveness
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101st Session · 2026Full official profile →