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repeal the registration requirement for medical assistants.

# HB 1004 Summary This bill eliminates the requirement for medical assistants to register with the state of South Dakota. Currently, medical assistants must complete a registration process; this bill removes that requirement, allowing people to work as medical assistants without state registration.

prohibit employment contracts restricting competitive health care practices.

South Dakota law currently allows employers to require employees not to compete in the same profession for up to two years after leaving their job, but this bill creates a new exception that makes such restrictions void and unenforceable for health care providers. Health care providers can no longer be legally bound by employment contracts that prevent them from practicing in any geographic area, treating current patients, or consulting with patients affiliated with their former employer after their employment ends. This change allows health care providers more freedom to continue practicing and serving patients without being restricted by non-compete clauses in their employment agreements.

repeal the requirement for a well pump installer license.

SB 50 eliminates the requirement that people installing well pumps in South Dakota must obtain a special license from the state. After this bill passes, anyone will be able to install a well pump without needing to meet licensing requirements or get state approval first.

repeal the emergency medical technician-student status license requirement.

HB1005 eliminates South Dakota's requirement for emergency medical technician students to obtain a special student status license while they are in training. Currently, people studying to become EMTs must get this temporary license, but this bill removes that requirement, streamlining the path to becoming an EMT.

extend the issuance period for commercial learner's permits.

South Dakota is extending how long a commercial learner's permit can be held from 180 days to one year. The bill also allows permit holders to renew their permit once for an additional 180 days without retaking the knowledge tests, though they must still retake the skills test if they renew.

recognize hair discrimination as an unfair or discriminatory practice.

This bill adds hair discrimination to South Dakota's existing unfair practice laws by explicitly protecting people from discrimination based on hair texture, hair type, and certain hairstyles like braids, locks, and twists when those characteristics are connected to race. The change clarifies that employers, landlords, and other covered entities cannot discriminate against someone because of how their hair naturally looks or how they style it in ways tied to their racial or ethnic identity.

revise certain provisions regarding cosmetology apprentice programs.

South Dakota is expanding its cosmetology apprentice program by increasing the maximum number of apprentices allowed in an apprentice salon from four to eight, while maintaining a limit of two apprentices per instructor at any given time. The bill also lowers the minimum age requirement for apprentices from eighteen to seventeen years old. These changes make it easier for salons to train more apprentices and allow younger students to enter the profession.

prohibit interference with the right to bodily integrity in contagious disease control.

This bill adds a new protection stating that South Dakota residents have a right to refuse any medical intervention, including vaccines, without facing discrimination in employment, housing, education, or public services. It does allow employers to screen workers for contagious diseases if the screening is directly related to job duties and business needs. The bill essentially prevents the state from requiring medical interventions and bars most entities from penalizing people who refuse them.

establish criteria governing the sale of homemade food items.

This bill prevents counties, townships, and municipalities from passing local rules that would restrict, prohibit, or require licenses or fees for selling homemade food items. The bill applies state-level protections for home food production across all local government levels, meaning people can sell items like jams, baked goods, or other homemade foods without facing different restrictions depending on where they live in South Dakota.

revise certain provisions regarding operator's licenses, instruction permits, and restricted minor's permits.

SB105 allows teenagers with instruction permits that have been continuously valid for at least 100 days to skip the written knowledge test when upgrading to a regular or restricted minor's operator's license, as long as their permit is still valid or expired for no more than 30 days. This streamlines the licensing process for young drivers who have already demonstrated their knowledge on the initial instruction permit exam. The bill also clarifies other provisions related to instruction permits and restricted minor's permits for drivers ages 14-17.

revise provisions regarding unfair or discriminatory practices.

Senate Bill 190 revises South Dakota's discrimination and unfair practices law by updating the definition of "disability" to clarify how it applies in employment, housing, and education contexts. The bill repeals an existing statute (§7-8-16) and modifies Chapter 20-13 to specify that disabilities only count as discriminatory factors if they're actually unrelated to a person's ability to perform their job, maintain property, or benefit from education. These changes aim to make the state's anti-discrimination protections clearer and more specific to different situations.