Search Bills

Require that all certified educators take a course in South Dakota Indian Studies.

South Dakota is expanding its requirement for Indian Studies training by requiring all certified educators—not just new teachers or those hired from out-of-state—to complete a three-credit-hour course covering Native American language, culture, history, and educational approaches. The course curriculum remains unchanged and must address tribal languages, cultural awareness, history, traditional tribal education, and teaching strategies tailored to Indian learning styles.

Require the Department of Revenue provide an annual report to tribal governments regarding certain tax collections.

South Dakota's Department of Revenue must now send annual reports to tribal governments showing how much tax was collected in their areas, with separate figures for remote and in-state sellers. Tribes with existing tax collection agreements get reports of actual collections, while tribes without such agreements get estimates based on their population share in specific counties. The department must also provide historical reports covering 2019-2024 by December 1, 2025.

Urging the Trump-Vance administration and Office of Management and Budget to uphold the Reagan administration policy of government-to-government relations with tribal nations.

This concurrent resolution doesn't change any state law; instead, it's a formal message from South Dakota's legislature to the Trump-Vance administration urging them to maintain the Reagan-era policy of treating tribal nations as separate governments with whom the federal government negotiates directly. The resolution emphasizes that federal treaties with tribes are binding legal obligations that should be honored in the federal budget, particularly regarding healthcare, law enforcement, and economic support.

Authorize the South Dakota State Brand Board to enter a memorandum of understanding with any Indian tribe for the investigation of cattle theft.

The South Dakota State Brand Board can now sign cooperative agreements with federally recognized Indian tribes to jointly investigate livestock theft on and near tribal lands, provided the tribe agrees to the arrangement. This new authority allows the Brand Board to work across jurisdictional boundaries to combat cattle theft in areas where both state and tribal lands are involved.

Incorporate the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings in public school curriculum.

This bill requires South Dakota school districts to display posters in every classroom showing the Woope Sakowin—seven Lakota values including generosity, compassion, respect, patience, humility, courage, and wisdom—along with explanatory statements about their historical and cultural significance. Schools must post these materials on posters or documents at least eight by fourteen inches with large, readable fonts, making the Oceti Sakowin teachings a visible part of the school environment.

Supporting the repeal of the Sioux-Dakota Removal Act.

This Senate Resolution expresses South Dakota's support for repealing the 1863 federal law that removed the Dakota, Anishinaabe, and Ho-Chunk tribes from Minnesota by annulling their treaties and forcing their relocation. The resolution acknowledges the historical injustices leading up to the removal, including broken treaty promises, starvation on reservations, and the largest mass execution in U.S. history. South Dakota is formally calling on Congress to repeal this act that stripped these tribes of their ancestral lands.

Encouraging the Executive Board of the Legislative Research Council to establish an interim legislative committee on preserving and protecting the Black Hills of South Dakota.

This resolution asks the Legislative Research Council's leadership to create a temporary committee to study development in the Black Hills, including residential construction, mining, and government economic projects. The committee would evaluate current regulations and recommend new rules to better protect the Black Hills' natural beauty, history, and environmental health for future generations.

Require that pipeline applicants acquire county permits prior to submission of a permit application to the Public Utilities Commission.

Before companies can apply to the state Public Utilities Commission for a pipeline permit, they must first obtain a county permit under this new requirement. This adds a local approval step before the state-level permitting process can begin, giving counties an opportunity to review pipeline projects before they reach the state commission.

Make modifications to the implementation, review, and oversight of the internal control system of the state.

SB 53 clarifies and strengthens South Dakota's internal control system by refining definitions and establishing new oversight roles, including requiring each state agency to designate an "internal control officer" to monitor and report on their internal controls. The bill updates the definition of "internal control" to focus specifically on state agencies and their objectives, and reorganizes related terms for clarity. These changes give the State Board of Internal Control better tools to ensure state agencies are properly managing finances and preventing fraud.