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
Parental authority in education
90
restrictexpand
Teacher pay
71
lowerraise
Classroom content
67
expandrestrict
Education regulations
60
increasereduce
K-12 funding
32
decreaseincrease
School choice
22
restrictexpand
Higher Education
Higher education funding
51
decreaseincrease
University governance
27
deregulateregulate
Student financial aid
18
restrictexpand
Healthcare & Medicaid
Gender-affirming care for minors
79
expandrestrict
Mental health funding
64
restrictexpand
Prescription drug costs
63
deregulateregulate
Healthcare providers
60
deregulateregulate
Mental health services
58
restrictexpand
Involuntary commitment
52
preservereform
Substance abuse treatment
51
restrictexpand
Controlled substances
42
deregulateregulate
Medicaid coverage
16
restrictexpand
Abortion access
14
expandrestrict
Property Tax
Property tax exemptions
47
restrictexpand
Property assessments
45
preservereform
Property tax rates
21
increasereduce
Property rights protections
3
weakenstrengthen
Tax Policy
Sales tax base
55
narrowbroaden
Tax administration
51
preservereform
Sales tax exemptions
39
restrictexpand
Sales tax rates
30
increasereduce
Tax credits
27
restrictexpand
Gambling tax revenue
6
decreaseincrease
State Budget
Government spending
78
restrictexpand
Infrastructure spending
68
decreaseincrease
Government spending
66
decreaseincrease
State agency operations
45
preservereform
Government spending
3
increasereduce
Public Safety
Law enforcement funding
70
decreaseincrease
Emergency preparedness
67
restrictexpand
Public safety regulations
59
weakenstrengthen
Police authority
56
restrictexpand
Victim rights
53
restrictexpand
Firearms regulations
53
weakenstrengthen
Gun rights
47
restrictexpand
Criminal penalties
46
decreaseincrease
Juvenile justice
30
preservereform
Sentencing alternatives
23
restrictexpand
Police accountability
20
weakenstrengthen
Agriculture & Wildlife
Conservation programs
66
restrictexpand
Agricultural practices
43
deregulateregulate
Water rights protections
37
weakenstrengthen
Agricultural subsidies
29
restrictexpand
Water usage
20
deregulateregulate
Livestock industry protections
15
restrictexpand
Energy & Environment
Environmental regulations
50
increasereduce
Energy development
11
discourageincentivize
Business & Economy
Datacenter incentives
74
restrictexpand
Rural development
70
opposesupport
Workforce development
52
restrictexpand
Government regulations
52
increasereduce
Gambling access
50
restrictexpand
Consumer protections
48
weakenstrengthen
Occupational licensing
41
weakenstrengthen
Emerging industries
40
deregulateregulate
Economic development
34
discourageincentivize
Business regulations
22
increasereduce
Housing & Local Gov
Housing regulations
44
increasereduce
Landlord-tenant protections
43
restrictexpand
Affordable housing
41
restrictexpand
Local government authority
30
restrictexpand
Elections & Government
Election procedures
61
preservereform
Ballot initiatives
53
expandrestrict
Campaign finance
44
preservereform
Government transparency
38
restrictexpand
Election security
31
weakenstrengthen
Voter access
13
restrictexpand
Courts & Legal
Court procedures
52
preservereform
Due process protections
38
weakenstrengthen
Judicial authority
35
restrictexpand
Score: 0 (neutral) to 100 (strong). Direction shown by bar position.
Effectiveness
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101st Session · 2026Full official profile →