Search Bills

revise certain provisions regarding the payment of tuition for members of the South Dakota National Guard.

South Dakota National Guard members now receive 100% of in-state resident tuition at state universities instead of 50%, regardless of whether they live in South Dakota or out of state. The state will pay its portion of tuition after any federal benefits are applied, but the combined federal and state aid cannot exceed the full tuition cost.

increase the basic salary schedule for county veterans' service officers.

County veterans' service officers will receive higher minimum salaries under this bill, with increases ranging from $750 to $1,875 per year depending on their county's population size. For example, officers in the largest counties (50,000+ people) will see their basic salary rise from $18,750 to $20,625 annually, while those in the smallest counties (under 5,000 people) will increase from $7,500 to $8,250 per year.

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.

provide a stipend for the erection of a private headstone for a deceased veteran.

South Dakota now allows families of deceased veterans to purchase a private headstone at their own cost and receive a $100 state stipend to help with erection expenses, as long as the veteran's name, rank, service branch, and birth and death dates are professionally etched on the back. Previously, the state only paid for headstones provided by the federal government. The claim for the stipend must still be filed within one year of the headstone being erected.

increase the maximum amount of dollars payable by the state to erect the headstone of a deceased veteran.

South Dakota will increase the maximum amount it pays to erect headstones for deceased veterans from $100 to $200. This change applies to veterans who were South Dakota residents and whose headstones are provided by the federal government, as well as to memorial markers for armed forces members whose remains were not recovered or were buried at sea.

require candidates for party precinct committeeman or committeewoman to include an email address and phone number in the written statement submitted to the county auditor.

Candidates running for party precinct committeeman or committeewoman must now include their email address and phone number when they submit their written statement to the county auditor. The bill updates the rules for how candidates file for these local party positions and removes some outdated filing procedures that are no longer needed.

change the eligibility requirements of a property tax relief program for disabled veterans and surviving spouses.

This bill expands eligibility for South Dakota's property tax relief program for disabled veterans by allowing veterans rated at least 70% disabled (in addition to those rated permanently and totally disabled) to exempt $150,000 of their home's value from property taxes. The bill also gives veterans who miss application deadlines a chance to petition county commissioners to recalculate their taxes and receive any refunds owed, and clarifies that veterans keep their exemption even if the property's legal description changes as long as they still live there.

regulate industrial hemp-derived delta-8 and delta-10 tetrahydrocannabinol products, and other hemp-derived psychoactive compounds, and to declare an emergency.

# HB 1226 Summary South Dakota will establish new regulations for hemp-derived products containing delta-8 and delta-10 THC (psychoactive compounds similar to marijuana), which currently exist in a legal gray area. The bill creates rules to control how these products are made, sold, and labeled to protect consumers and prevent abuse. The bill declares this an emergency, meaning the regulations take effect immediately rather than waiting for the standard effective date.

accept Uniformed Services ID as proof of veteran status to have veteran designation added to a state license or ID card.

South Dakota now allows honorably discharged veterans to use a Uniformed Services ID Card (Retired) as proof of their veteran status when applying for a veteran designation on their driver's license or ID card. Previously, veterans could only prove their military service using military discharge papers (DD Form 214) or certificates from county veterans service officers. This change makes it easier for retired service members to get the veteran designation without having to locate additional documents.

provide free tuition for a resident whose parent died while on active duty in the United States armed forces.

This bill expands South Dakota's tuition waiver program to include children whose parent died while serving in the U.S. armed forces, not just those whose parents died while serving in the South Dakota National Guard. The benefit already existed for National Guard families; this change extends the same free tuition at state universities to dependents of any U.S. military member who died on active duty.

revise certain provisions pertaining to the Department of Veterans Affairs and residency in the State Veterans Home.

HB 1038 updates the language in South Dakota's veterans affairs laws to clarify staffing requirements and operations at the Department of Veterans Affairs, including making the secretary's annual report to the Governor mandatory and requiring state veterans service officers to be veterans themselves. The bill also modernizes the statutory language by replacing outdated terms like "shall" with "must" to reflect current drafting standards, without changing the actual rules or requirements for the department.

revise certain provisions regarding military affairs.

HB 1047 updates South Dakota's military affairs laws to reflect modern military branches and organizational structures, including adding the Space Force to the list of armed forces recognized in state law. The bill also clarifies that military personnel can have documents notarized by commissioned officers of higher ranks and removes outdated restrictions on state funding for National Guard uniforms and equipment.

revise the order of precedence for the right to control the disposition of the remains of a deceased person.

South Dakota is changing who gets to decide how to handle a deceased person's remains and funeral arrangements. The new law adds two higher-priority options at the top of the decision-making order: first, someone the deceased person specifically named in a signed affidavit, and second, someone designated on a military form (DD 93) for active-duty service members—both taking priority over the surviving spouse, children, and parents who previously had first claim.

designate a portion of U.S. Highway 83 as Sicangu Lakota Code Talker Highway.

SB 190 designates a portion of U.S. Highway 83 as the "Sicangu Lakota Code Talker Highway" to honor Sicangu Lakota members who served as Code Talkers during World War II. This is a ceremonial naming that does not change any operational aspects of the highway but recognizes the historical contributions of these Native American military veterans.