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increase penalties for actions related to grain transactions.

This bill increases penalties for grain warehouse operators who violate state regulations. Specifically, it raises the daily civil fine for operating an unlicensed public grain warehouse from $1,000 to $5,000 per day (with a maximum of $50,000 instead of $20,000), and increases the maximum fine for refusing to let state inspectors examine warehouse records from $2,000 to $20,000.

To encourage the executive branch of this state to examine mitigation efforts to curtail the spread of aquatic invasive species.

SCR 602 is a legislative request asking the governor's administration to study and develop strategies to prevent aquatic invasive species from spreading in South Dakota waters. The bill amends state law related to aquatic invasive species management but does not create new enforcement rules or requirements—it simply encourages the executive branch to examine what mitigation efforts could be most effective.

revise the penalty for certain willful violations by grain buyers and grain warehouse operators.

This bill increases penalties for grain buyers and grain warehouse operators who willfully fail to report when they're not meeting financial requirements set by state rules. A willful violation that causes financial loss to grain suppliers becomes a Class 6 felony (theft), while violations without financial loss remain a Class 1 misdemeanor, and the state can now fine violators up to $1,000 per day out of compliance (capped at $20,000 total).

revise provisions regarding industrial hemp and to declare an emergency.

Senate Bill 201 updates South Dakota's industrial hemp regulations by revising key definitions and requirements in the state's hemp licensing system. The bill adds a new definition for "greenhouse" operations (structures of at least 2,880 square feet used for year-round cultivation) and reorganizes existing definitions for terms like hemp, key participants, and industrial hemp products. These changes are intended to clarify and improve how the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources oversees hemp growers and processors in the state.

prohibit a grain broker from engaging in certain transactions or activities and to provide a penalty therefor.

South Dakota grain brokers must now obtain a state license before buying grain, with violations treated as a Class 5 felony if the person claims to be a grain broker (or a Class 1 misdemeanor otherwise). The bill increases civil penalties for unlicensed grain purchases from $1,000 to $5,000 per transaction, with a maximum fine of $50,000 per licensing period instead of $20,000. Each grain purchase without a license counts as a separate offense that can be prosecuted or enjoined by the Public Utilities Commission.

revise provisions regarding livestock identification.

This bill clarifies that livestock owners can choose from multiple identification methods (including federal standards and others approved by the state) rather than being required to use electronic tags. It also prohibits South Dakota from spending money to enforce mandatory electronic identification for livestock, while still allowing identification programs for animal health and food safety purposes.

prohibit the use of cyanide for the purpose of mining for gold and silver.

# HB 1150 Summary South Dakota would ban the use of cyanide in gold and silver mining operations. This new restriction would prevent mining companies from using cyanide-based extraction methods, which are commonly used to separate gold and silver from ore but pose environmental and health risks.

prohibit frivolous or vexatious complaints against commercial pesticide applicators and to provide a penalty therefor.

This bill adds protections for commercial pesticide applicators by allowing the state to dismiss damage complaints it determines are frivolous or vexatious and to fine complainants up to $5,000 per false report. Previously, the law allowed anyone to report pesticide damage, but it did not address baseless or harassing complaints or provide penalties for making them.

revise provisions regarding self-propelled agriculture units.

SB 176 updates South Dakota's definitions for alternative fuels and fuel blends used in agriculture and vehicles, adding new terms like "aviation gasoline," "biobutanol," and "biodiesel" along with specific standards these fuels must meet. The bill establishes clearer rules for what qualifies as biodiesel blends and defines who counts as a biodiesel producer for regulatory purposes. These changes modernize the state's fuel regulations to better accommodate alternative fuel options and align with federal Environmental Protection Agency standards.

require the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources to assemble a task force to study the adoption of a watershed ecosystems management approach.

SB 181 requires the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources to create a task force that will study whether South Dakota should adopt a watershed ecosystems management approach for managing natural resources. The task force will examine how this approach could improve water quality and ecosystem health across the state's watersheds.

reduce the period for filing claims upon the revocation of a grain buyer license.

# SB 39 Summary When the state revokes a grain buyer's license, this bill shortens the deadline for people who lost money to file claims for compensation. The bill reduces the filing period, meaning affected parties will have less time to submit their claims after a license revocation occurs.

honoring Auburn Brenner of Sioux Falls, South Dakota Girls State Governor, and Joseph Gebel of Mitchell, South Dakota Boys State Governor, and commending the South Dakota American Legion and Auxiliary for their sponsorship and coordination of the Girls State and Boys State programs.

This is a ceremonial resolution that honors Auburn Brenner as South Dakota Girls State Governor and Joseph Gebel as South Dakota Boys State Governor for 2022. The resolution also commends the South Dakota American Legion and Auxiliary for sponsoring and running these youth leadership programs. This type of resolution does not change state law—it is simply a formal recognition by the legislature.

allow the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources to collect receipts from timber sales on federal lands and disburse those receipts according to federal law.

South Dakota's Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources can now collect money from the sale of timber on federal lands and deposit it into the state's forestry fund, following federal rules about how that money must be used. This adds a new responsibility to the state forester's existing job of helping manage forests and timber harvesting. The change allows the state to participate in federal timber sale programs and keep the resulting revenue for forestry purposes.

revise the classification of agricultural land according to soil type.

South Dakota's system for classifying agricultural land based on soil quality will now use federal soil classification standards developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to determine whether land is cropland or noncropland for property tax purposes. The bill allows the director of equalization to reclassify certain mid-quality soils (land capability class IV) as noncropland if data shows they're best used for non-crop purposes, but only if this reclassification doesn't exceed 120 percent of the previous year's noncropland acreage.

revise provisions regarding agritourism liability.

This bill expands South Dakota's agritourism liability protections by clarifying what counts as an "agritourism activity" and what risks farmers and ranchers are not liable for when visitors get hurt. The law now specifies that activities where participants are paid to participate don't qualify for these protections, and it broadens the definition of "inherent risks" to include visitor negligence—meaning farm owners aren't responsible if someone is injured due to their own careless behavior while engaging in agritourism activities.

provide for limited elk licenses to landowners.

SB 184 creates a new system allowing landowners to obtain limited elk hunting licenses in South Dakota. The bill modifies the state's elk licensing rules to give property owners special access to hunt elk on their own land, separate from the general public hunting license process. This change aims to help landowners manage elk populations on their properties while giving them hunting opportunities.

make an appropriation to the Department of Game, Fish and Parks to improve and repair infrastructure around Lake Alvin and Newell Lake and to declare an emergency.

SB 67 provides state funding to the Department of Game, Fish and Parks to improve and repair infrastructure at Lake Alvin and Newell Lake. The bill declares an emergency, allowing the money to be spent immediately rather than waiting for the normal budget process.

Acknowledging authority to spend federal funds as authorized in the general appropriations act for the current fiscal year.

SR701 is a ceremonial resolution that acknowledges the South Dakota Senate's approval for state agencies to spend federal funds that were already authorized in the general appropriations act for the current fiscal year. This resolution does not change existing state law—it simply confirms the legislature's consent for the executive branch to use federal money as previously budgeted.

make an appropriation for the purposes of aerial predator control and to declare an emergency.

# HB 1276 Summary This bill provides state funding specifically for aerial predator control programs in South Dakota. The bill declares an emergency, allowing the appropriation to take effect immediately rather than waiting for the standard effective date.