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Supporting a United States Constitutional amendment to retain nine justices on the United States Supreme Court.

# SCR 602 Summary South Dakota's Senate is calling for a U.S. Constitutional amendment that would lock the Supreme Court at nine justices, preventing Congress from changing that number. This resolution doesn't change any South Dakota state law—it's a statement of support sent to the federal government urging passage of a constitutional amendment on the national level.

provide protections for the exercise of religious freedom.

This bill creates a new law protecting religious freedom by preventing state agencies, local governments, and their officials from substantially restricting how people practice their religion unless the government has a compelling reason and no less restrictive way to achieve it. The law also requires that religious practices be treated no more strictly than similar non-religious practices, and people who believe their religious freedom has been violated can sue in court and recover attorney's fees if they win. This gives South Dakota residents a legal tool to challenge government actions they believe unfairly burden their religious exercise.

revise certain provisions regarding the Unified Judicial System.

HB 1070 updates how South Dakota defines key terms used in its court system, including clarifying what counts as a "magistrate" under state law. The bill also confirms the powers of presiding judges appointed by the Chief Justice to oversee circuit courts and court staff across their judicial districts.

authorize the State-Tribal Relations Committee to issue subpoenas.

HB 1103 gives the State-Tribal Relations Committee the power to issue subpoenas, which are legal orders requiring people to provide documents or testify. This allows the committee to compel attendance and gather information during its investigations or hearings involving state and tribal matters.

rescind the statute of limitations for any civil cause of action arising out of childhood sexual abuse.

HB 1178 eliminates the time limit for filing civil lawsuits related to childhood sexual abuse, allowing survivors to sue at any point in their lives regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred. This removes existing deadline restrictions that previously prevented survivors from bringing legal cases after a certain number of years had passed.

modify certain provisions related to trusts.

SB 78 makes sweeping changes to South Dakota's trust laws by amending multiple sections governing how trusts are created, managed, and enforced, while eliminating several outdated trust-related statutes entirely. The bill substantially expands and modernizes rules for trust administration, beneficiary protections, and trust modifications, particularly through significant additions to the law governing trust duties and procedures. These changes update South Dakota's trust framework to reflect current legal practices and provide clearer guidance for trustees, beneficiaries, and courts handling trust matters.

increase the base salary for certain judges.

South Dakota judges get pay raises under this bill: all Supreme Court justices and circuit judges receive a 6% salary increase on July 1, 2021, followed by another 6% increase on July 1, 2022, with each year's raise calculated on top of the previous year's salary. These raises are separate from any other across-the-board pay adjustments judges may receive.