Search Bills

require the director of equalization to adjust certain agricultural land values.

This bill requires the director of equalization to make adjustments to agricultural land values based on specific conditions outlined in state law, rather than having the discretion to decide whether to make adjustments. The change shifts language from allowing the director to "may" adjust land values to requiring that they "shall" make adjustments, giving property owners a stronger right to have their land reassessed under certain circumstances.

include shelterbelts as a factor affecting productivity in determining assessed value of agricultural land.

SB 131 adds shelterbelts (rows of trees planted to block wind and protect crops) to the list of factors that county assessors can consider when calculating the assessed value of agricultural land for tax purposes. Previously, assessors could only account for surface obstructions in general; this bill specifically names shelterbelts as an example that affects land productivity and can justify adjusting property values accordingly.

Honoring the victims of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

This is a ceremonial resolution, not a law change—it expresses the South Dakota House's appreciation and honors victims of Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War. It doesn't create, modify, or repeal any state laws; instead, it serves as an official statement of recognition and gratitude from the legislature.

increase the maximum user fee for a participant submitting to wear a drug patch under the 24/7 sobriety program.

This bill increases the maximum user fee that people in South Dakota's 24/7 sobriety program must pay to wear a drug-detection patch as a condition of their participation. The bill also repeals several outdated sections of state law related to program administration and makes technical updates to how the program operates.

update the edition of the guidebook used for measuring damages to trees or plants.

# SB84 Summary SB84 updates South Dakota's rules for measuring tree and plant damage by switching to a newer edition of the guidebook currently used to calculate those damages. This change ensures that damage assessments—typically used in legal cases or insurance claims involving trees or plants—rely on the most current measurement standards available.

increase the number of years the discretionary formula may be applied to a structure, and to allow for the individual application of the discretionary formula for a structure.

HB1181 extends the period that counties can apply a reduced-value tax formula for newly constructed structures from five years to ten years after completion. The bill also allows individual property owners to request that their specific structure be fully taxed without the formula, while still allowing counties to apply the formula to other new structures—giving owners and county commissioners more flexibility in how new construction is taxed.

make an appropriation to the Board of Regents to provide grant funding for the operation of the bioproducts facility in Brookings.

SB 150 provides state funding to the Board of Regents to help operate a bioproducts facility in Brookings. The bill amends the appropriations law to allocate money specifically for this facility's operations. This grants the university system the financial support needed to run the bioproducts research and production facility.