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create a Commission on Indian Affairs.

# HB 1148 Summary This bill establishes a new Commission on Indian Affairs within South Dakota state government to serve as an advisory body on issues affecting Native American tribes and communities in the state. The commission will bring together representatives from tribes, state agencies, and the public to develop recommendations on policy matters related to Indian affairs. This is a new governmental entity—South Dakota did not previously have a dedicated commission focused specifically on Indian affairs.

revise provisions regarding training on missing and murdered indigenous persons.

# HB1238 Summary This bill updates South Dakota's requirements for training law enforcement officers on how to respond to and investigate cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous persons. The changes ensure officers have current, effective training to handle these sensitive cases appropriately.

provide for increase in participation of entrepreneurship and state economic development initiatives by the nine federally recognized tribes in South Dakota.

HB1246 increases funding and participation opportunities for South Dakota's nine federally recognized tribes to engage in state-sponsored entrepreneurship programs and economic development initiatives. The bill directs the state to work with tribal nations to expand their access to business development resources, grants, and support services that help tribal entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. This change recognizes tribes as key partners in the state's economic development strategy rather than treating them as outside participants.

establish procedures for the investigation of certain missing and murdered indigenous persons.

SB164 creates a new process in South Dakota for investigating cases of missing and murdered American Indian people, establishing clear procedures and coordination between law enforcement agencies, tribes, and the state. The bill sets up requirements for how these cases should be handled, ensures better communication between jurisdictions, and likely includes provisions for training and resources dedicated to these investigations. This creates a formal state-level framework for addressing cases that often fall between tribal and state authority.

repeal certain provisions regarding the Legislature.

This bill eliminates the South Dakota Tribal Economic Development Task Force, which was a group made up of tribal leaders, state legislators, and appointed members who worked on economic issues affecting South Dakota's nine Indian tribes. The task force, which was overseen and funded by the Legislative Research Council, will no longer exist once this bill becomes law.

provide an appropriation for the Native American achievement schools grant program.

This bill appropriates state funding for grants to support Native American achievement schools in South Dakota. The money will help these schools provide educational programs and services to Native American students.

establish a tribal flag display on the capitol grounds.

HB1147 requires South Dakota to display the flags of the state's tribal nations on the capitol grounds, creating a permanent visual representation of the nine federally recognized tribes in the state. This is a new requirement that adds to the existing flags currently displayed at the capitol building.

establish a nonbeneficiary student scholarship program for certain students attending tribally controlled colleges and to make an appropriation therefor.

This bill creates a new scholarship program for students attending tribally controlled colleges in South Dakota, regardless of whether they are tribal members or beneficiaries of tribal nations. The state will appropriate funding to support these scholarships, expanding educational access to students at institutions like Sitting Bull College, Oglala Lakota College, and Sisseton Wahpeton College.

establish the duty to collect data and share information on missing and murdered indigenous persons.

HB1237 requires law enforcement agencies in South Dakota to collect and report data on missing and murdered Indigenous persons to a centralized state database. This new requirement aims to improve tracking and coordination across agencies to help solve cases and identify patterns affecting Indigenous communities, addressing a long-standing gap in how these cases have been documented and investigated.

revise certain provisions regarding the common language of the state and to recognize the official indigenous language of the state.

SB 126 establishes English as South Dakota's official state language while simultaneously recognizing Lakota as the official indigenous language of the state. The bill revises existing language provisions in state law to formalize these designations. This change acknowledges both the practical language used in state government and the historical and cultural significance of the Native American languages native to South Dakota.

provide for the increase of higher education enrolled members of the nine federally recognized tribes in South Dakota at regental institutions.

SB 140 increases the enrollment capacity for Native American students from South Dakota's nine federally recognized tribes at the state's regental universities (the University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University). The bill provides additional support and resources to help these tribal members access higher education at these institutions. This expands educational opportunities for Indigenous students in South Dakota's public university system.

Urging the United States Congress to amend the Dakota Removal Act of 1863.

This resolution urges the U.S. Congress to amend or repeal the Dakota Removal Act of 1863, a federal law that forcibly removed Dakota people from Minnesota and South Dakota following the Dakota War. However, as a resolution, this bill does not change South Dakota state law itself—instead, it expresses the state legislature's position on a historical federal law and asks Congress to take action to address it.

Urging South Dakota's congressional representation to seek a federal disaster declaration and to provide federal aid for counties and tribes in South Dakota suffering from devastating effects created by Winter Storm Ulmer.

This resolution urges South Dakota's U.S. senators and representatives to request a federal disaster declaration from the president for counties and tribes affected by Winter Storm Ulmer and to help secure federal aid for recovery efforts. It doesn't change state law but instead expresses the legislature's position that the state needs federal assistance to address the storm's damage.

establish certain provisions regarding financial security for the decommissioning of wind turbines.

SB16 requires wind turbine owners to post financial security (like a bond or escrow account) to ensure they have money available to pay for removing and disposing of turbines when they reach the end of their useful life. This new requirement protects South Dakota from being left with abandoned turbines and ensures landowners aren't stuck paying decommissioning costs if a wind company goes out of business.