SB93 strengthens South Dakota's ethics rules by prohibiting state officers and employees who approve or administer government contracts from working for companies that received those contracts for one year after leaving their state job. The bill expands the existing one-year "cooling off" period that already applied to new contracts with state agencies, now making it also apply to employment with organizations that won state contracts.
This bill does not directly amend codified state law.
The amendment raises the contract value threshold for the one-year employment restriction from "one million dollars" to "five million dollars," meaning former state officers can now take jobs at organizations that received smaller contracts (under $5 million) after just one year instead of being subject to longer restrictions. This change WEAKENS the bill's anti-conflict-of-interest protections by narrowing the scope of contracts that trigger the cooling-off period for subsequent employment.
The amendment STRENGTHENS the employment restriction by lowering the contract value threshold for the two-year post-employment ban from five million dollars to one million dollars, meaning more former state employees will face longer restrictions before working for organizations that received state contracts they handled. It also removes a proposed exception mechanism ("section 3 of this Act") and makes minor clarifying edits to the approval process language.
Other amendments
House of Representatives Tabled Passed, YEAS 37, NAYS 28. H.J. 473
State Affairs Do Pass Amended Passed, YEAS 11, NAYS 1.
State Affairs Motion to amend Passed, YEAS 8, NAYS 4.
State Affairs Scheduled for hearing
House of Representatives Referred to House State Affairs H.J. 194
First Reading House H.J. 182
Senate Do Pass Amended Passed, YEAS 34, NAYS 0. S.J. 134
Senate Motion to amend S.J. 133
Senate Deferred to another day S.J. 119
Senate Deferred to another day S.J. 107
Senate Deferred to another day S.J. 91
Senate Remove from Consent Calendar S.J. 83
State Affairs Certified uncontested, placed on consent S.J. 3
State Affairs Do Pass Passed, YEAS 8, NAYS 0. S.J. 3
State Affairs Scheduled for hearing S.J. 1
First read in Senate and referred to Senate State Affairs S.J. 55
Prime sponsor · Sen.
R
Cosponsors
Tabled
State Affairs — Motion to amend
State Affairs — Do Pass Amended
Do Pass Amended
State Affairs — Do Pass