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allow for the appointment of county coroner by all counties.

Currently, only counties with 60,000 or more people can appoint their coroner instead of electing one; this bill allows **all counties** to choose appointment by county commissioners instead of holding an election. Counties that want to switch to an appointed coroner must pass a resolution by April 1st before the scheduled coroner election, and the change doesn't take effect until any currently elected coroner's term ends.

modify the occupation tax for business improvement districts.

This bill modifies how business improvement districts can charge an occupation tax by increasing the maximum tax on lodging establishments from $2 per occupied room per night to $4 per occupied room per night. The bill also clarifies that when a general occupation tax is used, it must be based primarily on square footage of businesses or on rooms rented by hotels, and requires that any revenue-raising method be fair and equitable.

revise certain provisions regarding on-sale alcoholic beverage licenses for use at municipality-owned facilities.

South Dakota municipalities can now obtain a single on-sale liquor license for any city-owned entertainment or event venue (such as arenas, theaters, or convention centers) by passing a resolution and getting voter approval through referendum, rather than needing separate licenses for different facilities. This change replaces the old law that only allowed licenses for municipal auditoriums and convention halls during specific events, and it allows cities to contract with food and beverage providers to use the license at these facilities.

Proposing and submitting to the voters at the next general election a new section to Article VI of the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, relating to the right of a person to reject certain medical procedures.

This joint resolution proposes a new constitutional amendment for South Dakota voters to decide on at the next general election, which would add protections allowing people to reject certain medical procedures. The amendment would be added to Article VI of the state constitution, establishing a constitutional right to refuse these medical treatments. This measure requires voter approval before it becomes part of South Dakota's constitution.

authorize the redistricting of water development district director areas by the district's board of directors.

Water development district boards can now redistrict their director areas on their own authority, rather than requiring the state Board of Water and Natural Resources to do it. The change allows districts to adjust their boundaries after each census or when district boundaries change, and gives them flexibility to adjust director areas when voting precincts are redrawn, as long as representation remains fair across all areas.

amend a provision allowing municipalities to jointly license and regulate intercity services.

This bill clarifies that neighboring municipalities can work together to regulate bus and taxi services that operate between their cities, rather than each city acting alone. The change allows municipalities to jointly set rates and charges for intercity transportation services through coordinated official action, instead of having each city independently regulate the same routes.

revise certain provisions regarding the county zoning and appeals process.

This bill clarifies how South Dakota counties handle zoning decisions by requiring that conditional use approvals be based on stated criteria and comprehensive plans, and that special permitted uses must be approved automatically if an applicant meets all specified requirements. The bill also extends the time period during which zoning approvals remain valid from two years to an unspecified longer period following completion of any appeals.

amend the eligibility for admission to the state veterans’ home and repeal the residency requirement.

HB 1037 removes the requirement that veterans must be South Dakota residents to be admitted to the state veterans' home. This change allows veterans from other states to access care at South Dakota's facility, expanding who is eligible to use this state-funded benefit.

authorize school boards to modify the length of terms for members to allow for holding joint elections.

School boards can now extend board member terms from three years to four years if they want to coordinate their elections with other government elections in the same district. Before making this change, a school board must hold a public hearing with at least two newspaper notices posted at least ten days in advance, and can either approve the change themselves or let voters decide. This gives school districts flexibility to reduce election costs and voter confusion by holding multiple elections on the same day.

create the Commission on Indian Affairs.

SB 164 creates a new Commission on Indian Affairs in South Dakota state government. The bill amends existing law (§24-11-13) to establish this commission, which will serve as a dedicated body to address issues and policies affecting Native American tribes and communities in the state.

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

South Dakota counties can now issue bonds backed by a gross receipts tax they collect locally, using the bond proceeds for specific projects like courthouse repairs, jails, and drug treatment facilities. The county governing body must pass a resolution agreeing to impose and collect the tax specifically to pay back the bonds as long as they're outstanding. This creates a new funding mechanism for counties to finance certain public infrastructure and services through bonded debt.

Urging the South Dakota Department of Transportation to reconsider the three-lane proposal for State Highway 46.

SR701 is a resolution urging the South Dakota Department of Transportation to reconsider its proposed three-lane design for State Highway 46. This is not a law change—it's a request from the South Dakota Senate asking the transportation department to review the project plan, but it doesn't require them to do anything or change any existing rules.

Honoring the families who hosted the 2023 Legislative pages in their homes during the legislative session.

This resolution honors the families who opened their homes to host the 2023 Legislative pages during the legislative session. The bill makes technical updates to state law sections related to legislative operations and page programs, though the primary purpose is to recognize the hospitality these host families provided to student pages working at the Capitol.

prohibit the enactment or implementation of an ordinance, resolution, or policy that prohibits the use of an energy utility service.

South Dakota counties and cities are prohibited from passing laws or policies that ban the use of electric, natural gas, propane, or other energy utility services. The ban applies to local ordinances, resolutions, and policies—though it doesn't restrict general zoning codes, building regulations, or fire codes as long as they aren't specifically targeting energy services. This prevents municipalities and counties from blocking residents or businesses from connecting to or using these utility services.

provide for the organization of townships or fractions of townships.

HB 1147 makes it mandatory for county commissioners to hold a public hearing whenever someone proposes to reorganize, divide, or merge townships—currently the law only says they "may" hold such a hearing. The bill also clarifies that voters, township boards, or county commissioners themselves can trigger this process, and requires at least 20 days' notice in local newspapers before any hearing takes place.

provide that a female who undergoes an unlawful abortion may not be held criminally liable.

HB 1220 protects women from criminal prosecution if they have an abortion that violates South Dakota law. Currently, South Dakota bans most abortions, but this bill ensures that the woman herself cannot be charged with a crime for obtaining one—only the provider could face legal consequences. This change makes clear that criminal liability falls on those performing unlawful abortions, not on the women who seek them.

prohibit a ban of fuel gas appliances used by consumers.

This bill prevents South Dakota state government, local cities and counties, and any other authorities from banning natural gas appliances or gas utility services within the state. It essentially blocks any future rules or laws that would prohibit people from using, buying, or installing gas stoves, furnaces, water heaters, or other fuel gas appliances, or that would stop gas companies from providing service.

Commending the South Dakota Air National Guard's 114th Fighter Wing for being awarded the Distinguished Flying Unit Plaque, the William W. Spruance Safety Award, the Winston P. Wilson Trophy, and the Major General John J. Pesch Flight Safety Trophy in training year 2022.

HC8005 is a ceremonial resolution that commends the South Dakota Air National Guard's 114th Fighter Wing for earning four major military awards in 2022: the Distinguished Flying Unit Plaque, the William W. Spruance Safety Award, the Winston P. Wilson Trophy, and the Major General John J. Pesch Flight Safety Trophy. This bill does not change any state law—it simply recognizes and honors the achievements of this military unit.

provide for the establishment of regional jail authorities.

# SB 74 Summary SB 74 allows South Dakota counties to work together to establish regional jail authorities that can operate jails serving multiple counties rather than requiring each county to maintain its own separate jail. This change to state law gives counties more flexibility in how they manage jail operations and potentially reduces costs by pooling resources.

establish the crime of grooming and provide a penalty therefor.

# SB 94 Summary South Dakota creates a new crime called "grooming" and establishes penalties for adults who engage in conduct intended to sexually exploit children. The law targets predatory behavior where adults build trust with minors through manipulation to facilitate abuse or exploitation.

provide oversight regarding the exercise of gubernatorial emergency powers.

This bill adds oversight requirements to the Governor's emergency powers by requiring the Legislature to review and potentially limit how long emergency declarations can last. The change ensures that while the Governor can still take swift action during disasters or emergencies, the Legislature has a mechanism to check that power rather than letting it continue indefinitely without legislative input.

Proposing and submitting to the voters at the next general election an amendment to the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, requiring an intervening general election occur before an initiated constitutional amendment that is substantially similar to an initiated amendment that was previously voted on and rejected may be submitted to a vote of the electors.

This proposed constitutional amendment would require that at least one general election occur between rejections of similar voter-initiated constitutional amendments. Currently, groups can resubmit essentially the same constitutional amendment proposal to voters in the next election cycle even if voters just rejected it; this change would force them to wait longer. South Dakota voters would decide whether to approve this amendment at the next general election.

make an appropriation for costs related to suppression of wildfires in the state and to declare an emergency.

HB1026 provides state funding to cover the costs of fighting wildfires in South Dakota and declares a state emergency to expedite the use of those funds. The bill allows the state to quickly mobilize resources and money to suppress active wildfires without going through normal budget approval processes.

establish funds for the support of county projects and residents and make an appropriation therefor.

HB1212 distributes $100 million to South Dakota counties—$50 million from the state general fund and $50 million in federal COVID-relief funds—with each county receiving a base allocation of $500,000 and the remainder divided based on population. Counties can use this money for capital projects like infrastructure, housing, facilities, and repairs as determined by their county commissioners. The bill creates two new special funds in the state treasury (one for each funding source) to hold and distribute these amounts to all 66 counties.

make an appropriation for design costs related to the new Lincoln Hall at Northern State University, and to declare an emergency.

SB 173 authorizes the state to spend money on design costs for a new Lincoln Hall building at Northern State University. The bill declares the funding an emergency measure, allowing it to take effect immediately rather than waiting for the standard implementation period.

repeal provisions regarding the creation of river basin natural resource districts.

This bill eliminates South Dakota's nine river basin natural resource districts, which were government subdivisions organized to manage water resources in different regions across the state. The law removes the legal framework that created and defined these districts and their boundaries, effectively dissolving this system of natural resource management.

provide for the recall of school board members.

South Dakota school board members can now be recalled by voters through a petition process established in this new law. A recall petition must describe specific grounds for removal (such as misconduct, incompetence, or corruption), be signed by at least 15 percent of registered voters in the school district, and be filed with the school district's business manager. The State Board of Elections will set rules for how recall petitions are formatted and processed.

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

South Dakota counties can now issue bonds to fund construction, repairs, or renovation of courthouses, jails, public safety centers, and addiction treatment facilities, with the bonds paid back through a county gross receipts tax. Previously, counties had restrictions on issuing bonds for these types of projects under existing state law. The county governing body must pledge to collect enough tax revenue to repay the bonds while they're outstanding.

require counties to hire veteran service officers in proportion to the number of veterans residing in the county.

South Dakota counties must now hire veterans service officers based on how many veterans live there: counties with 1,000 to 4,000 veterans must employ at least one full-time officer, while counties with 1,000 or fewer veterans must employ at least one part-time officer (though they can choose to hire full-time instead). This replaces the previous requirement that simply required each county to employ or partner with another county to have a veterans service officer without specifying staffing levels.

permit the display of campaign signage in municipalities prior to the beginning of absentee voting.

This bill allows campaign signs to be displayed on private property in South Dakota municipalities starting 45 days before absentee voting begins, with smaller signs (under 4 square feet) permitted in residential areas and larger signs (under 32 square feet) allowed in business and commercial areas. The signs must be placed with the property owner's permission, cannot block roadways or visibility, and can stay up through election day, with municipalities deciding when they must be removed afterward. This creates a new statewide rule for campaign sign timing that previously may have been handled differently or not addressed in state law.

repeal a provision providing for the manner in which legislation may be introduced and to make a conforming change.

HB1205 eliminates restrictions on which legislative committees can introduce bills by repealing a section that previously limited bill introductions to only certain standing committees and specific interim committees. The bill simplifies the rules so that any interim committee of the Legislative Research Council can now introduce bills and resolutions, removing the previous requirement for majority votes or special authorization from designated committees.

remove certain limitations on property tax levy increases.

# SB 131 Summary SB 131 removes limits on how much local governments and school districts can increase their property tax levies each year. This change allows these entities greater flexibility in raising property tax revenue without being bound by the current restrictions in South Dakota law.

revise membership of the Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee.

SB 134 changes who serves on South Dakota's Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee by revising the membership requirements in state law. The specific details of which positions or member types are being added, removed, or modified are not included in the excerpt provided, but the bill makes structural changes to how the committee is composed.

add provisions regarding construction and maintenance of livestock pipelines on highways.

SB 150 expands the rules for livestock water pipelines under county roads by allowing countywide blanket approval instead of requiring case-by-case applications, and lets county commissioners delegate approval authority to highway superintendents. The bill also clarifies that when roads are rebuilt or changed, pipeline owners and counties can agree in writing to leave pipelines in place rather than requiring removal or relocation.

prohibit the condemnation of private land for certain non-public purposes.

This bill prohibits pipeline companies that operate as common carriers from using eminent domain (the government power to seize private property) to take land for privately owned carbon dioxide pipelines. Companies can still negotiate directly with landowners and pay them for easement rights, but they can no longer force the sale of land through condemnation proceedings for CO2 transport purposes.

provide for the sale of certain surplus real estate in Rapid City to Pennington County and to provide for the deposit of the proceeds.

South Dakota will sell surplus state-owned land in Rapid City's South Creek Industrial Park to Pennington County, with the sale price determined by an independent appraisal. The money from the sale will go into the state's general fund to support state operations.

create an off-road vehicle decal for non-residents visiting the state.

South Dakota will create a new decal that allows non-residents to temporarily use off-road vehicles on the state's public highways without full vehicle registration. Currently, the state prohibits any temporary permits for off-road vehicles on public roads, so this bill removes that restriction and establishes a decal system for visiting vehicle owners. The specific fee and duration details for the decal are not fully shown in the provided text excerpt.

Recognizing and honoring Kevin Locke, a world-famous Hoop Dancer, player of the North American Indigenous flute, traditional storyteller, cultural ambassador, and educator.

This is a ceremonial resolution honoring Kevin Locke, a renowned Lakota hoop dancer, flute player, storyteller, and cultural educator. The bill makes technical updates to various sections of South Dakota's codified laws but does not substantively change legal requirements or policies. It formally recognizes Locke's contributions to Indigenous culture and education in South Dakota.