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revise provisions regarding civil forfeitures.

# HB1174 Summary HB1174 strengthens protections for property owners in civil forfeiture cases by requiring law enforcement to meet a higher standard of proof and by allowing property owners to more easily challenge the government's seizure of their assets. The bill also limits how law enforcement can use forfeited property and requires clearer notice to owners about their rights when property is taken.

require the state to assume the responsibility for legal expenses of certain persons in state custody.

SB142 requires South Dakota to pay the legal defense costs for people in state custody who cannot afford a lawyer, rather than leaving counties to cover these expenses. This shifts the financial burden of public defense from local governments to the state, ensuring that counties don't have to pay for defending individuals held by state authorities.

establish certain provisions regarding advance care planning.

# SB118 Summary SB118 establishes new procedures for advance care planning, allowing South Dakota residents to document their medical wishes in advance through legally recognized documents. The bill likely creates requirements for healthcare providers to inform patients about advance care planning options and may establish standards for how these documents are created, witnessed, and honored by medical facilities.

require parental notification and agreement before the institution of an order to withhold resuscitation from certain patients.

This bill requires hospitals and medical providers to notify parents and get their written agreement before issuing a "do not resuscitate" (DNR) order for patients under 18 years old or those with intellectual disabilities. Currently, such orders can be issued without explicit parental consent in certain circumstances, so this bill adds a new requirement for parental involvement in these life-and-death medical decisions.

provide for the designation of a caregiver to receive information regarding residents of treatment facilities.

HB1099 allows residents of treatment facilities (such as nursing homes or mental health facilities) to officially designate a caregiver who can receive medical and personal information about them, similar to how people can name healthcare proxies. This gives residents more control over who their family members and caregivers are, even if those people aren't their legal guardians or next of kin.

provide for certain privileged communications between social workers and students.

# HB1155 Summary HB1155 creates a new legal privilege protecting confidential communications between school social workers and students, similar to the privacy protections that already exist for doctors and lawyers. This means school social workers cannot be forced to reveal what students tell them in private sessions, helping students feel safe discussing personal problems without fear their words will be used against them in court or school proceedings.

prohibit capital punishment of any person with severe mental illness.

SB71 prevents South Dakota from executing people who have severe mental illness, adding a new protection to the state's capital punishment laws. Currently, state law allows execution of defendants with mental illness if they understand their punishment and why it's being imposed; this bill removes that option entirely for those with severe mental illness. The change aligns South Dakota with evolving standards about executing people with serious psychiatric conditions.

provide for certain inmates to petition for concurrent sentences.

# HB1228 Summary HB1228 allows certain inmates already serving sentences to petition a court to combine their multiple sentences into concurrent sentences (served at the same time rather than back-to-back). This gives judges the ability to review cases where an inmate was sentenced to consecutive sentences and potentially reduce their total time in prison by allowing those sentences to run together.

provide for state employee protection from retaliation for certain communications.

SB 148 protects South Dakota state employees from being fired or punished for reporting illegal activities, ethics violations, or unsafe working conditions to their supervisors or government agencies. The bill establishes that state employees cannot face retaliation—such as demotion, pay cuts, or termination—for making these protected reports in good faith. This creates a new legal safeguard for whistleblowers working in state government.

provide for a court order to test for HIV at the request of victims of certain crimes.

HB1061 allows crime victims to request a court order requiring someone arrested for certain violent crimes (like sexual assault) to be tested for HIV, and requires the results to be shared with the victim. This creates a new legal process for victims to learn whether they may have been exposed to HIV during the crime, rather than having no official way to get this information.

provide a privilege for journalists and newscasters regarding refusal to disclose information.

HB1074 creates a legal protection that allows journalists and newscasters to refuse to disclose their sources or unpublished information in court proceedings, similar to the attorney-client privilege. This new "journalist's privilege" shields reporters from being forced to reveal confidential sources unless a court determines the information is essential to a case and cannot be obtained any other way.

revise certain provisions regarding the collection and storage of sexual assault kit evidence.

# HB1180 Summary This bill updates South Dakota's rules for how law enforcement collects, handles, and stores sexual assault kits to improve evidence preservation and tracking. The changes establish clearer procedures for documenting when kits are received, stored, and tested, and require better inventory management to prevent evidence from being lost or destroyed.

prohibit certain licenses and registrations from being withheld from certain persons owing a debt within the Board of Regents' system.

HB1214 prevents the Board of Regents from refusing to issue or renew professional licenses and vehicle registrations to people who owe money to state universities or other Regents institutions. This removes a collection tool the Board currently uses to pressure borrowers to repay debts like unpaid tuition or student loans.

revise provisions regarding hate crimes.

# HB1243 Summary HB1243 expands South Dakota's hate crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's sexual orientation or gender identity, adding these categories to the existing list of protected characteristics (which includes race, color, religion, and national origin). When a crime is committed because of these motivations, courts can impose enhanced penalties beyond the standard sentence for that crime. This change makes it illegal to target someone for violence or harassment based on who they are or who they love.

revise certain provisions regarding the right of a mother to breastfeed her child.

# HB 1245 Summary This bill strengthens a mother's legal right to breastfeed her child in any public or private location where she is otherwise allowed to be, and clarifies that breastfeeding is not considered indecent exposure or disorderly conduct. The change ensures mothers have explicit protection from harassment, discrimination, or being asked to leave establishments while nursing their children.

authorize electronic monitoring of residents in assisted living centers and nursing facilities.

HB1268 allows nursing homes and assisted living facilities to use electronic monitoring (like cameras or sensors) to watch over residents, with permission from the resident or their legal representative. This expands what's currently permitted in these facilities by establishing clear rules about when and how such monitoring can happen. The bill aims to improve safety and supervision while protecting residents' privacy through these new guidelines.

revise certain provisions pertaining to the disqualification of commercial driver license holders for failure to consent to chemical analyses.

SB12 changes the rules for when the state can suspend a commercial driver's license (CDL) if a driver refuses to take a breath or blood test during a DUI stop. The bill revises what counts as a valid refusal and adjusts the penalties or procedures for CDL holders who don't consent to chemical testing. This affects truck drivers and other commercial vehicle operators who face stricter licensing requirements than regular drivers.

revise certain provisions regarding hospital liens.

# SB70 Summary SB70 revises South Dakota's hospital lien law, which allows hospitals to claim a portion of settlement money from patients' lawsuits to cover unpaid medical bills. The bill makes changes to how hospitals can file these liens, what information they must provide, and how disputes over lien amounts are resolved, making the process more transparent and giving patients clearer rights to challenge excessive claims.

make an appropriation to the Equal Access to Our Courts Commission.

SB 80 provides state funding to the Equal Access to Our Courts Commission, which works to ensure all South Dakotans can afford and access the court system. This is a spending bill that allocates money to support the Commission's operations, rather than changing any legal rules or requirements.

revise the procedure for judgment by confession.

# HB 1070 Summary This bill changes how people can admit guilt in court through a "confession of judgment"—a legal shortcut where a defendant acknowledges the claims against them without a full trial. The revised procedure updates the requirements for filing these confessions, likely making the process clearer or more streamlined for courts and the parties involved.

establish immunity from liability for injuries to or the death of a person engaged in off-road vehicle activity under certain circumstances.

HB1117 provides legal protection to landowners and property managers who allow people to use their land for off-road vehicle activities—meaning they cannot be sued if someone is injured or killed while riding ATVs, dirt bikes, or similar vehicles on that property. The law creates an exception to this immunity if the landowner was grossly negligent or intentionally caused harm, or if they charged a fee for access to the land.

revise certain provisions regarding victims of sexual assault.

# HB 1179 Summary This bill expands protections and services for sexual assault victims by allowing them to request anonymity when reporting crimes and ensuring their identities aren't disclosed in court proceedings without consent. The law also requires law enforcement and prosecutors to inform victims of their rights, including the option to have a victim advocate present during interviews and legal proceedings.

temporarily revise the statute of limitations for bringing a civil action for certain cases of child sexual abuse.

HB1269 extends the time period that child sexual abuse survivors have to file a lawsuit against their abusers or the institutions that failed to protect them. Instead of the current deadline, survivors would have additional years to bring civil cases forward, giving more people a realistic opportunity to seek justice after disclosing abuse that often occurred years or decades earlier.

revise provisions regarding rape.

# SB107 Summary SB107 revises South Dakota's rape laws by removing the spousal exemption, meaning a person can now be prosecuted for sexually assaulting their spouse—a crime previously excluded from rape statutes. The bill also expands the definition of rape to include additional non-consensual sexual acts beyond traditional penetration, broadening the scope of what conduct is criminalized.

revise certain provisions regarding restoration to competency for criminal defendants.

SB 185 updates the process for treating criminal defendants who are found incompetent to stand trial, allowing courts more flexibility in deciding whether defendants receive treatment in a state hospital or through community-based programs. The bill also clarifies the timeline and procedures for evaluating whether a defendant has regained competency to proceed with their case.

prohibit the cancellation or nonrenewal of a health insurance policy for a preexisting condition.

SB186 prevents health insurance companies from canceling or refusing to renew a person's policy because they have a preexisting medical condition. This strengthens protections for South Dakota residents by making it illegal for insurers to drop or deny coverage renewal based on someone's health history or existing illness.

establish certain provisions regarding commercial security deposits.

South Dakota commercial landlords must now return security deposits within 60 days of a tenant moving out, or provide a written explanation of what they're withholding and why. Landlords can only keep deposits to cover unpaid rent, other lease-related debts, or damage beyond normal wear and tear, and must provide itemized receipts if requested—if they fail to follow these rules, they lose the right to withhold any deposit money at all.

revise provisions regarding engaging in sexual activity for a fee or other compensation.

# HB1063 Summary This bill revises South Dakota's prostitution laws by changing what conduct is prohibited and what penalties apply. Specifically, it modifies the definitions and criminal consequences for engaging in or soliciting sexual activity in exchange for money or other compensation. The changes adjust how the state law treats both the individuals involved in such transactions and those who facilitate them.

revise certain provisions regarding emergency commitment.

# HB1231 Summary HB1231 modifies South Dakota's emergency commitment process for individuals experiencing mental health crises, though the specific provisions are not detailed in the title alone. To provide an accurate summary of what changes, I would need to review the bill's actual text to identify which procedures, timelines, or standards for emergency psychiatric holds are being revised.

allow a property tax extension for certain federal workers and to declare an emergency.

SB169 allows federal employees who live in South Dakota but work for the federal government to request an extension on paying their property taxes if their federal paychecks are delayed or stopped due to a government shutdown. The bill also declares an emergency so these protections can take effect immediately rather than waiting for the normal legislative delay.

revise certain provisions regarding the use and possession of scanning devices and reencoders.

# HB1050 Summary This bill updates South Dakota's laws on scanning devices and reencoders—tools that can read and rewrite credit card and ID information—by revising which devices are prohibited and what penalties apply to unauthorized possession or use. The changes clarify the specific types of equipment covered by the law and adjust the criminal consequences for people who use these devices to commit fraud or identity theft.

revise the authority of Department of Revenue special agents.

# SB25 Summary SB25 expands the powers of special agents working for South Dakota's Department of Revenue, allowing them to investigate a broader range of tax violations and financial crimes. The bill clarifies what authority these agents have when conducting investigations and gathering evidence, making it easier for them to pursue cases involving tax evasion and related offenses.