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make an appropriation for road improvements leading to the former entrance into the Palisades State Park and to declare an emergency.

HB 1166 appropriates state funds for road improvements that lead to the former entrance of Palisades State Park. The bill declares this spending an emergency measure, allowing it to take effect immediately rather than waiting for the standard delayed effective date.

make an appropriation to rural access infrastructure funds and to declare an emergency.

This bill authorizes the state to spend $1 in federal COVID-relief funds (from the American Rescue Plan Act) through the Department of Revenue to support county rural access infrastructure projects. The bill declares an emergency so the funds can be distributed immediately to counties rather than waiting for the normal legislative process, and any money not spent will be returned according to state budget procedures.

clarify certain provisions of the rural access infrastructure improvements grant program.

HB1070 clarifies how South Dakota counties receive and use grants from the rural access infrastructure improvements program, which provides funding to repair and replace small structures on township and county roads. The bill specifies that counties must establish dedicated funds for these grants and can only spend the money on engineering, planning, and construction work related to fixing these road structures. The amendments also replace the term "funds" with "moneys" throughout the statute for consistency.

make an appropriation for developing the Mickelson Trail and to declare an emergency.

# HB1175 Summary The state legislature approved funding to develop and improve the Mickelson Trail, a recreational pathway in South Dakota. The bill declares an emergency, meaning the funding takes effect immediately rather than waiting for the standard effective date, allowing trail development to begin right away.

expand the duty of public road repair and maintenance.

This bill makes local governments legally responsible for injuries or damage caused by dangerous or broken storm drain grates and road inlets that their bicyclists' tires can get caught in. Cities and counties must now remove or replace these hazards, or they can be sued for any resulting injuries or bike damage. The law applies retroactively, meaning it covers incidents that happened before the bill was signed into law.

revise the duty of governing boards regarding dangerous roadways.

HB1205 clarifies that when local governing bodies learn about dangerous conditions on roads, bridges, or culverts—whether from direct notice or other means—they must put up safety guards within 48 hours and either repair the damage or create an alternative route within a reasonable timeframe. The bill also requires the same safety guards be placed across abandoned public roads, bridges, and culverts. Officials who fail to follow these requirements can be charged with a petty offense.

make an appropriation for quiet zone railway crossings and to declare an emergency.

This bill allocates $5.4 million from the state's general fund to the Department of Transportation to grant to the City of Sioux Falls for installing quiet zones at railway crossings in and around the city. Quiet zones are areas where trains are not required to sound their horns at crossings, reducing noise for nearby residents. The bill declares an emergency so the funding takes effect immediately, and any unspent money must be returned to the state by June 30, 2026.

authorize highway maintenance vehicles to operate at less than the posted minimum speed on interstate highways.

Highway maintenance vehicles will be allowed to drive slower than the posted minimum speed limit on interstate highways while performing their work. This change lets maintenance crews operate at safer speeds when they need to repair or clear roads, without violating speed limit laws.

revise provisions regarding weed removal along highways.

South Dakota landowners who own property next to township roads must now cut weeds and brush in the road's right-of-way between September 1 and October 1 each year, or on dates set by local supervisors—changing the requirement from being discretionary to mandatory. If a landowner fails to do so, the township board can hire someone to remove the vegetation and bill the landowner for the cost. Violating this requirement is a petty offense.

reallocate federal payments from national forests.

This bill redirects federal payments that South Dakota receives from two national forests—the Black Hills National Forest and the Custer National Forest—away from county roads and schools and toward new state grant programs instead. Money from the Black Hills National Forest now goes to a Native American achievement schools grant program, while Custer National Forest payments go to a local infrastructure improvement fund reserved for tribal governments. Instead of directly benefiting the five counties surrounding Black Hills National Forest and Harding County, these federal forest revenues will now support statewide programs focused on Native American education and tribal infrastructure.

authorize counties to issue bonds for certain expenditures funded by a gross receipts tax.

Counties can now issue bonds to pay for specific building projects and infrastructure by using money from a local gross receipts tax they've already imposed. The bonds can only be used for courthouses, jails, public safety centers, drug treatment facilities, county maintenance buildings, or roads and bridges, and the county must promise to keep collecting the tax as long as the bonds are outstanding to pay them back.

partially reallocate federal payments from national forests.

This bill redirects 10% of the federal forest payments that South Dakota receives from the Black Hills and Custer National Forests away from local counties and toward two new programs: a Native American achievement schools grant program and a tribal government infrastructure improvement fund. Previously, all of these federal payments went to the five affected counties (Lawrence, Meade, Pennington, Custer, and Fall River for Black Hills; Harding County for Custer National Forest) for roads and schools, but now those counties will receive 90% while the remaining 10% supports Native American education and tribal infrastructure projects.

revise the appropriation for road improvements to the State Veterans Cemetery, to provide for ordinary operations of the cemetery, and to declare an emergency.

This bill increases funding for the State Veterans Cemetery by appropriating $1.5 million from the general fund and $500,000 from other sources to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The money will pay for road improvements to Slip Up Creek Road and 477th Avenue leading to the cemetery entrance in Minnehaha County, as well as for the cemetery's day-to-day operations. The bill declares an emergency so the funding takes effect immediately upon passage.

provide for the use and regulated sale of marijuana, and to impose a tax on the sale of marijuana, and to distribute that revenue to counties.

South Dakota would impose a 15% tax on all marijuana and marijuana product sales, replacing the existing marijuana tax rate. After the state deducts its administrative costs, any revenue exceeding $10 million annually would be split between counties (based on where sales occurred) and the state general fund, with counties required to use their share for courthouse, jail, and road projects or to reduce property taxes. Revenue under $10 million would go entirely to the state general fund.

revise the compensation for a township board member overseer.

This bill updates the hourly pay rate for the township board member assigned to oversee road work, raising it from $4 to $20 per hour. The change also uses gender-neutral language ("the member's" instead of "his") to refer to whoever holds this position. Township meetings can still vote to set a different rate by resolution if they choose.