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create the Indian Child Welfare Advisory Council.

South Dakota will create a new Indian Child Welfare Advisory Council within the Department of Social Services to improve coordination between state government, the nine tribal nations, and child welfare experts. The council will include representatives from each tribe, the Department of Social Services, and the state legislature, and must meet at least four times yearly to discuss Indian child welfare issues and report progress to the Governor and Legislature annually.

Supporting the Electoral College.

This concurrent resolution expresses South Dakota's support for keeping the Electoral College system for presidential elections. The bill removes existing laws that would have South Dakota join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which would have allocated the state's electoral votes to the national popular vote winner instead of the statewide winner.

create the Commission on Indian Affairs.

South Dakota is creating a new Commission on Indian Affairs to improve services for American Indians in the state and strengthen communication between the state government and the nine federally recognized tribes. The commission will have ten voting members—one from the Department of Tribal Relations and one representative from each of the nine tribes, selected by each tribe's own governing body. The commission cannot override or interfere with any tribe's existing negotiations or relationships with state, federal, local, or other tribal governments.

revise the malt beverage license to also allow the sale of spirits produced by an artisan distiller.

This bill expands existing malt beverage licenses to also permit the sale of spirits made by artisan distillers in South Dakota. Currently, malt beverage licenses only allow beer sales, so this change lets license holders add locally-produced distilled spirits to their product offerings.

establish a task force to address the welfare of Indian children in South Dakota.

South Dakota creates a new Indian Child Welfare Task Force made up of representatives from state agencies, tribal governments, the court system, the legislature, and child welfare organizations to study and address issues affecting Indian children in the state. The task force will include members from the Department of Social Services, all nine South Dakota Indian tribes, the court system, lawmakers from both parties, and foster care and adoption experts to develop recommendations on improving child welfare services for Native American children.

recognize geographic place names containing the word scalp as offensive.

South Dakota will prohibit the use of the words "scalp" and "squaw" in official geographic place names throughout the state, recognizing these terms as offensive. State and local government agencies must update their maps and reference materials to replace any existing geographic features that contain these words with names that better reflect South Dakota's people, history, and heritage.

require active efforts in abuse and neglect proceedings that involve Indian children.

SB 202 requires child protective services to make "active efforts" to prevent the removal of Native American children from their families in abuse and neglect cases, strengthening protections under federal Indian Child Welfare Act standards. The bill amends existing law and adds new requirements to ensure that before removing an Indian child from their home, the state must demonstrate it has actively tried to address the family's problems through services and support.

update references to certain federal motor carrier regulations.

HB1050 updates South Dakota's motor carrier regulations to align with current federal standards by revising references in state law and removing outdated regulatory provisions. The bill eliminates several superseded sections while modernizing the state's rules governing commercial truck operators and safety standards.

require the Executive Board of the Legislative Research Council to establish an interim study committee on minors' access to pornographic material.

HB1257 requires South Dakota's Legislative Research Council to create a temporary study committee to examine how minors are accessing pornographic material and what can be done about it. This establishes a fact-finding effort rather than creating new laws immediately, giving lawmakers time to research the issue before deciding whether to pass stricter regulations.

revise provisions relating to the possession, manufacture, and distribution of child pornography.

HB1045 revises South Dakota's laws on child sexual abuse material (CSAM) by updating penalties and definitions related to possession, manufacturing, and distribution of such material. The bill repeals several outdated provisions while expanding and clarifying the remaining statutes to strengthen protections against these crimes. These changes modernize the state's approach to prosecuting offenses involving child exploitation.

authorize the Board of Regents to accept and use easement proceeds for the purposes authorized by the 2022 Session Laws, chapter 198.

HB 1049 allows South Dakota's Board of Regents to use money received from easements (rights to use land) for the purposes authorized in a 2022 law, rather than being restricted in how they can spend those funds. The bill removes several outdated statutory sections and clarifies the Board's authority to manage these easement proceeds.

transfer the Office of Indian Education to the Department of Education.

This bill moves the Office of Indian Education from the Department of Tribal Relations to the Department of Education. Related state law sections will be updated to reflect this change, so that the Secretary of Education (rather than the Secretary of Tribal Relations) oversees Indian Education programs.

modify and establish provisions regarding remote sales tax and tribal tax agreements.

HB 1160 modifies South Dakota's rules for collecting sales tax from remote sellers (like online retailers) and updates how the state handles tax agreements with Native American tribes. The bill establishes new provisions in these two areas, though the specific changes would require reviewing the full legislative text beyond this introductory excerpt.

require an official declaration of war or other Congressional action before the South Dakota National Guard may be deployed by the federal government.

HB 1191 requires the federal government to obtain an official declaration of war from Congress or take other specific Congressional action before deploying South Dakota's National Guard outside the state. This prevents the President from unilaterally sending South Dakota National Guard troops into military operations without Congressional approval.

Celebrating the LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit community in South Dakota.

This bill is a ceremonial resolution celebrating the LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit community in South Dakota, rather than a change to state law. The resolution does not modify, create, or repeal any existing legal rules or requirements. It serves as a statement of recognition from the South Dakota House of Representatives.

Recognizing the Chester Lady Flyers as the 2023 State B Volleyball Champions.

This is a ceremonial resolution that honors the Chester Lady Flyers volleyball team for winning the 2023 State B volleyball championship—it doesn't change any state laws. The bill is simply a formal recognition by the South Dakota House of Representatives of the team's athletic achievement.

Celebrating Doris Neilan as the first woman to serve as a sergeant-at-arms in the South Dakota Legislature.

HC 8006 is a ceremonial resolution that honors Doris Neilan for becoming the first woman to serve as sergeant-at-arms in the South Dakota Legislature. This bill doesn't change any state laws—it's simply a recognition of this historical achievement by the House of Representatives.

modify the definition of public infrastructure to allow a federally recognized Indian tribe to be eligible for housing infrastructure loans and grants.

This bill expands the definition of "public infrastructure" under South Dakota's Housing Development Authority program to include infrastructure owned or maintained by federally recognized Indian tribes, not just by local government units. This change allows Indian tribes to become eligible for housing infrastructure loans and grants that help support single-family and multi-family housing projects on tribal lands.

define and require active efforts for purposes of preserving and reuniting families following instances of abuse or neglect.

South Dakota's Department of Social Services must now make "active efforts"—defined as more intensive than current "reasonable efforts"—to keep children with their families or reunite them after abuse or neglect cases, including helping parents complete case plans and access needed resources. This new requirement applies to all child welfare proceedings involving the department and emphasizes working in partnership with parents, extended family, and tribes (for Native American children) using approaches tailored to each family's cultural circumstances. The bill raises the legal standard for how hard the state must work to preserve and reunite families rather than removing children or terminating parental rights.

make an appropriation for a grant to the Douglas school district for the construction costs of a new school.

HB 1206 provides state funding as a grant to the Douglas school district to help pay for construction costs of a new school building. This is a one-time appropriation (spending authorization) rather than a change to existing law—it simply allocates money from the state budget for this specific school construction project.

appropriate money for the ordinary expenses of the legislative, judicial, and executive departments of the state, the current expenses of state institutions, interest on the public debt, and for common schools.

HB1259 appropriates state funding for the routine costs of running South Dakota's legislature, courts, executive branch agencies, state institutions, and public schools, as well as payments on the state's debt. This is the state's general operating budget bill that provides the money needed to keep basic government functions running during the fiscal year. The bill doesn't change existing law—it simply allocates funds to cover these established expenses.

To provide for an interim study regarding foreign ownership of agricultural land.

This resolution directs the legislature to study the issue of foreign ownership of agricultural land in South Dakota. The bill makes technical changes to state law governing legislative procedures and repeals several outdated statutory sections related to legislative operations, while establishing a framework for investigating foreign agricultural land ownership as an interim study project.

Urging the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) law enforcement to establish a law enforcement training academy in South Dakota.

HCR 6011 is a resolution urging the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to establish a law enforcement training academy in South Dakota. This resolution does not change state law itself; rather, it expresses the state's position and asks the federal government to take this action to support law enforcement training in the state.

establish the state flag design commission.

South Dakota creates a new state flag design commission to evaluate whether the current state flag effectively represents South Dakota and to develop a process for receiving and reviewing new flag design proposals. The commission, made up of public members, tribal representatives, state officials, artists, and four legislative members, must recommend a new official state flag design by December 6, 2024.

amend language regarding the licensing period for a grain buyer.

This bill updates South Dakota's grain buyer licensing rules by modifying how long licenses remain valid and reorganizing related regulations. The bill removes several outdated licensing provisions while streamlining the requirements that grain buyers must follow to operate in the state.

provide that certain personal information of a lottery prize winner may only be used for advertising or promotion with the winner's consent.

Lottery winners in South Dakota can no longer have their personal information used for advertising or promotion without their permission. The bill updates lottery prize winner privacy protections and removes outdated provisions from state law related to lottery administration. This gives lottery winners control over whether their names and details can be used in marketing or promotional materials.

make an appropriation for the replacement of the Richmond Lake dam and spillway, for the general maintenance and repair of other state-owned dams, and to declare an emergency.

SB 70 appropriates state funding to replace the Richmond Lake dam and spillway and to maintain and repair other state-owned dams across South Dakota. The bill also repeals several outdated provisions of state law related to dam management and declares an emergency to expedite implementation of these repairs.

require the producers of wind and solar energy infrastructure to implement or participate in a wind and solar energy infrastructure stewardship program.

Wind and solar energy producers in South Dakota would be required to implement or participate in a stewardship program to manage their infrastructure. The bill modifies the existing framework for how these programs operate and eliminates some outdated provisions from previous energy infrastructure laws. This means companies building and operating wind and solar facilities would have new responsibilities for managing the lifecycle and environmental impacts of their equipment.

revise a provision providing authority to the Governor to enter into agreements with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

This bill clarifies that the Governor can negotiate agreements specifically with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (rather than vaguely "the federal government") to take over state radiation safety regulations that the federal government previously handled. The bill also requires that the state must have adequate funding and an established radiation protection program in place before the Governor can sign any such agreement.

eliminate the cap on assessment amounts for road improvements and to allow townships to plan and pay for the paving and maintenance of non-section line roads.

HB 1109 removes the dollar cap that currently limits how much townships can assess property owners for road improvement projects, allowing them to spend more on paving and maintenance as needed. The bill also gives townships the authority to plan and pay for improvements to non-section line roads (smaller roads that don't follow the standard grid pattern), expanding the types of roads they can maintain beyond what they can do now.

revise the process for annexing or excluding property contiguous to a road district.

SB 102 modifies the rules for how property next to a road district can be added to or removed from that district's boundaries. The bill streamlines the annexation and exclusion process by revising the procedures outlined in state law, making it easier for property owners and road districts to adjust district boundaries when property is located along a road.

establish provisions related to the reimbursement of doula services through the state Medicaid program.

# HB1081 Summary South Dakota will add doula services to its Medicaid program, allowing the state to reimburse women for using doulas during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. This expands the healthcare services available to low-income pregnant women covered by Medicaid by including trained birth support professionals alongside traditional medical care.

make an appropriation to provide a grant for the construction of a veteran's skilled trade center.

# HB1121 Summary South Dakota will provide a grant to fund construction of a skilled trade center that serves veterans. This one-time appropriation gives money to help build a facility where veterans can learn trades like electrical work, plumbing, carpentry, and other skilled professions.

modify provisions related to the annexation of unplatted territory or agricultural land.

HB1251 requires cities to get approval from the county commissioners and the landowner before annexing unplatted land or agricultural parcels larger than 20 acres. The bill defines "agricultural land" to include farms devoted to crops, livestock, timber, or similar uses, and clarifies that pastureland and woodland count as agricultural if they're part of the same farming operation.

make an appropriation to the Department of Game, Fish and Parks to improve and repair infrastructure around Lake Hiddenwood.

SB153 provides state funding to the Department of Game, Fish and Parks to improve and repair infrastructure at Lake Hiddenwood. The appropriation amends the existing budget authority for the department to include this specific project.

provide new statutory requirements for regulating linear transmission facilities, to allow counties to impose a surcharge on certain pipeline companies, and to establish a landowner bill of rights.

SB201 establishes new rules for pipeline companies operating in South Dakota, allowing counties to charge them a surcharge and giving landowners additional legal protections when pipelines cross their property. The bill amends existing pipeline regulations and creates a new landowner bill of rights that specifies what companies must do when using private land for transmission facilities.

make technical changes to provisions regarding the compensation of agents.

HB1051 updates South Dakota law governing how agents are paid by revising the rules in sections 1-33-3 and 1-33-9 and eliminating outdated compensation provisions from sections 1-14-2, 1-14-3, 1-14-12, and 1-33-10. These changes streamline the state's agent compensation system by removing redundant or conflicting requirements and clarifying how compensation should be handled.