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require property owner consent before construction resulting in lake water level alteration.

Before state agencies or local governments can permit construction projects that would raise or lower a public lake's water level—such as building channels, canals, or dams—the person seeking the permit must get written approval from a majority of the lakefront property owners (not including themselves). If multiple people own the same lakefront property together, they count as one owner for determining whether the majority has consented.

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.

require that certain operations obtain their own general or individual water pollution permits.

This bill updates South Dakota's water pollution rules to require certain animal operations to get their own water permits instead of operating under another facility's permit. Specifically, if an operation independently processes or stores manure and animal waste in amounts that would qualify as a large concentrated animal feeding operation, it must obtain its own general or individual water pollution permit from the state. The bill also updates the federal regulations reference used to define what counts as a concentrated animal feeding operation.

make an appropriation for the construction of a maintenance shop for the Wildland Fire Suppression Division in Hot Springs and to declare an emergency.

South Dakota will spend money to build a new maintenance shop for the Wildland Fire Suppression Division in Hot Springs. The bill declares an emergency, which allows the funding to take effect immediately rather than waiting for the normal legislative process.

revise the water resources projects list.

This bill updates South Dakota's official list of priority water resources projects that the state supports and will manage. The updated list includes nine specific projects focusing on irrigation upgrades, flood control, rural water systems, and water management studies across different regions of the state.

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.

make appropriations for water and environmental purposes and to declare an emergency.

SB17 appropriates $7.7 million from the state's water and environment fund to support various water projects across South Dakota, including irrigation upgrades, flood control studies, and rural water systems. The bill also adds two new projects—the Water Investment in Northern South Dakota project and the Western Dakota Regional Water System study—to the state's list of priority water resource management objectives.

Honoring the Bien Ranch as the 2022 Leopold Conservation Award recipient.

HC 8007 is a ceremonial resolution honoring the Bien Ranch as the recipient of the 2022 Leopold Conservation Award, which recognizes outstanding conservation practices on private land. This is not a law that changes state regulations or policies—it is simply an official acknowledgment by the South Dakota House of Representatives.

provide increased funding for the water and environment fund.

SB 152 increases funding for South Dakota's water and environment fund by modifying the law that governs how money flows into that account. The bill provides additional state resources to support water quality and environmental protection efforts across the state.

Supporting Tribal Nation members' access to fish on lands adjacent to tribal lands without a fishing license.

This resolution expresses the South Dakota Senate's support for allowing enrolled members of Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota tribes to fish on lands adjacent to tribal lands without needing a state fishing license, based on hunting and fishing rights reserved under the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty. The resolution acknowledges that the treaty is the supreme law of the land and recognizes tribal nations' cultural connection to these traditional hunting and fishing grounds. This is a symbolic statement of support rather than a law that changes current regulations, though it advocates for the state to honor tribal treaty rights.

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.

authorize the awarding of deobligated grants in accordance with policies of the Board of Water and Natural Resources.

This bill allows the Board of Water and Natural Resources to reassign water or natural resource grants that were originally awarded but then deobligated (unused or returned) on or after October 1, 2022, to other eligible systems or municipalities. Previously, these deobligated grant funds were subject to stricter conditions; now the board has flexibility to award them according to its own policies rather than following the original grant restrictions. This gives the state more ability to redirect unused grant money to communities that need it.

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.

establish a timeline and conditions for consideration of an application to construct a carbon dioxide transmission facility.

This bill extends the decision timeline for carbon dioxide pipeline permits from 12 months to 24 months, giving the state commission more time to review applications. The longer timeline only applies if the pipeline company obtains voluntary easements from at least 90 percent of affected landowners and receives federal pipeline safety certification from the Attorney General.

require verification of landowner permission prior to certain pipeline permitting actions.

Before a pipeline company can ask the Public Utilities Commission for a permit to build a pipeline, it must now get written permission from at least 90 percent of landowners whose property would be affected by the pipeline easement. The commission cannot hold a hearing on the pipeline permit application until the company proves it has this landowner consent, and the company still cannot use eminent domain to take land until it receives final approval from the commission.

Encouraging the Executive Board of the Legislature to authorize the interim legislative study of long-term care services for veterans regardless of disability ratings and to develop long-term care plans for VA-operated purchased and subsidized long-term care services.

# HCR 6003 Summary This resolution asks South Dakota's legislative leadership to study long-term care services for military veterans and develop plans for how the state can help veterans access affordable care through VA-partnered programs. The study would cover all veterans regardless of their service-connected disability rating, expanding potential eligibility beyond current restrictions.

authorize landowner-on-own-land elk licenses.

This bill creates a new type of elk hunting license that allows landowners to hunt elk on their own property without entering the regular lottery system. The license is only valid on land the person owns, operates, or leases, cannot be sold or given to someone else, and the Game, Fish and Parks Commission will decide how many of these licenses to issue each year.