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establish the stronger families scholarship program for children in foster care, to make an appropriation therefor, and to declare an emergency.

South Dakota is creating a new "Stronger Families Scholarship Program" that gives $4,000 annual scholarships to children in foster care to help pay for education-related expenses, starting in the 2023-2024 school year. The state is appropriating $15 million from the general fund to establish and run this program through nonprofit scholarship organizations. This is a new program with no changes to existing law.

make an appropriation for design costs related to the health services center at Black Hills State University–Rapid City, and to declare an emergency.

SB 172 provides state funding to cover the design and planning costs for a new health services center at Black Hills State University's Rapid City campus. The bill declares this an emergency measure, allowing the funds to be spent immediately rather than waiting for the normal budget cycle.

identify child placement preferences.

This bill updates South Dakota's adoption law to establish a clear order of placement preferences for children in foster care and adoption cases. Courts and the Department of Social Services must now prioritize placing children with relatives first, then with adoptive families who can maintain the child's connection to their community (including religious or cultural communities), and for Native American children, must prioritize placement with members of their Indian tribe. These new preferences ensure that children's existing family ties and cultural identities are considered alongside other factors when deciding where they should be placed.

to classify 911 telecommunicators as Class B members of the South Dakota Retirement System.

HB 1119 moves 911 emergency telecommunicators into the Class B membership category of the South Dakota Retirement System, which typically provides different retirement benefits and contribution requirements than their current classification. This change affects how these emergency dispatchers contribute to and receive retirement benefits from the state pension system.