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
45
restrictexpand
K-12 funding
26
decreaseincrease
Higher Education
Higher education funding
47
decreaseincrease
University governance
31
deregulateregulate
Student financial aid
20
restrictexpand
Healthcare & Medicaid
Gender-affirming care for minors
80
expandrestrict
Mental health services
58
restrictexpand
Involuntary commitment
57
preservereform
Healthcare providers
57
deregulateregulate
Substance abuse treatment
53
restrictexpand
Controlled substances
53
deregulateregulate
Abortion access
40
expandrestrict
Medicaid coverage
22
restrictexpand
Property Tax
Property rights protections
49
weakenstrengthen
Property assessments
45
preservereform
Property tax exemptions
41
restrictexpand
Property tax rates
31
increasereduce
Tax Policy
Sales tax base
70
narrowbroaden
Tax administration
54
preservereform
Tax credits
52
restrictexpand
Sales tax exemptions
42
restrictexpand
Gambling tax revenue
35
decreaseincrease
Sales tax rates
24
increasereduce
State Budget
Government spending
78
decreaseincrease
Government spending
71
restrictexpand
Infrastructure spending
67
decreaseincrease
State agency operations
46
preservereform
Government spending
4
increasereduce
Public Safety
Emergency preparedness
74
restrictexpand
Juvenile justice
63
preservereform
Law enforcement funding
61
decreaseincrease
Law enforcement authority
56
restrictexpand
Victim rights
55
restrictexpand
Public safety regulations
51
weakenstrengthen
Police authority
50
restrictexpand
Firearms regulations
50
weakenstrengthen
Criminal penalties
48
decreaseincrease
Gun rights
46
restrictexpand
Sentencing alternatives
31
restrictexpand
Police accountability
12
weakenstrengthen
Agriculture & Wildlife
Conservation programs
74
restrictexpand
Agricultural subsidies
41
restrictexpand
Water rights protections
36
weakenstrengthen
Agricultural practices
33
deregulateregulate
Livestock industry protections
28
restrictexpand
Water usage
12
deregulateregulate
Energy & Environment
Environmental regulations
71
increasereduce
Energy development
19
discourageincentivize
Business & Economy
Datacenter incentives
75
restrictexpand
Government regulations
69
increasereduce
Rural development
68
opposesupport
Workforce development
47
restrictexpand
Occupational licensing
40
weakenstrengthen
Emerging industries
33
deregulateregulate
Gambling access
24
restrictexpand
Business regulations
18
increasereduce
Economic development
16
discourageincentivize
Housing & Local Gov
Housing regulations
51
increasereduce
Local government authority
40
restrictexpand
Landlord-tenant protections
21
restrictexpand
Affordable housing
21
restrictexpand
Elections & Government
Campaign finance
47
preservereform
Ballot initiatives
47
expandrestrict
Government transparency
39
restrictexpand
Election security
27
weakenstrengthen
Voter access
23
restrictexpand
Courts & Legal
Court procedures
52
preservereform
Due process protections
37
weakenstrengthen
Judicial authority
32
restrictexpand
Score: 0 (neutral) to 100 (strong). Direction shown by bar position.
Effectiveness
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101st Session · 2026Full official profile →