Changes to Existing Law

26.676.9 26.676.10 101st Legislative Session SCR604 2026 South Dakota Legislature Senate Concurrent Resolution 604 SENATE ENGROSSED Introduced by: Senator Voita Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the people of the state of South Dakota to seek 1 return to the Lord Most High, the Almighty and Uncreate, and plead High for His 2 healing presence and mercy upon the state. 3 South Dakota. 2 WHEREAS, we know that from the earliest days of the United States, the men and women 4 3 who worked to build up our nation trusted in the all-powerful and most merciful hand of 5 4 Providence to bless our land and guide their work with His wisdom; and 6 5 WHEREAS, we know that these men and women founded the United States upon the 7 6 Judeo-Christian values articulated by Sacred Scripture, among which are the beliefs that 8 7 government is established by God to safeguard the rights of the members of the community 9 8 over which it watches, that we are to love our neighbors as we ourselves have each been 10 9 loved by God, and that each human person has been created in the image and likeness of 11 10 God; and 12 11 WHEREAS, we hold, as John Adams wrote to the Massachusetts Militia on October 11, 13 12 1798, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly 14 13 inadequate to the government of any other"; and 15 14 WHEREAS, Article VIII, § 1 of the South Dakota Constitution affirms that the health of a 16 15 state depends on the virtue of its people; and 17 16 WHEREAS, the official motto of the State of South Dakota is "Under God, the People Rule"; 17 and 18 and 19 WHEREAS, we hold that only a continual submission to the sovereignty of the Almighty 20 19 and wholly Righteous God, joined with an unyielding commitment to uphold the principles of 21 20 the Constitutions of the United States and the State of South Dakota, will allow us to protect 22 21 the liberties that have been given to us by the Almighty, from all forces that are intent on 23 26.676.9 2 SCR604 Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. 22 advancing an agenda that seeks to turn us away from rightly loving God and our neighbors; 1 23 and 24 26.676.10 2 SCR604 Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. WHEREAS, we give thanks to the omnipotent Lord of all creation for the peace and 3 1 prosperity that He has bestowed upon us, for we confess that peace and prosperity are gifts 4 2 from Him and that true peace and prosperity is found only in Him; and 5 3 WHEREAS, we acknowledge that, because of our fallen nature, these blessings of peace 6 4 and prosperity are not experienced by everyone, and many people in this state continue to 7 5 face significant challenges; and 8 6 WHEREAS, decisions that have been made by the federal government concerning our 9 7 nation's borders, foreign relations, economic regulations, and national debt threaten our 10 8 institutions and our way of life; and 11 9 WHEREAS, exposing, resisting, and eliminating corruption from all levels of government 12 10 is essential to maintaining the God-given liberty of all citizens; and 13 11 WHEREAS, acts of criminal violence in our communities are an affront to the inherent 14 12 dignity of every individual; and 15 13 WHEREAS, human trafficking is an abhorrent evil perpetrated upon thousands of people 16 14 in our nation and state, depriving them of their God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit 17 15 of happiness; and 18 16 WHEREAS, addiction and mental illness overwhelm our state's financial resources and 19 17 healthcare and criminal justice systems and adversely affect our communities and families; 20 18 and 21 19 WHEREAS, divorce rates and the unending and extensive demand for foster care reveal a 22 20 fundamental brokenness in our society; and 23 21 WHEREAS, the foundation of a strong community begins with a commitment to strong, 24 22 loving, families, in which is shown the profound and unconditional love of mother and father 25 23 towards each other, their children, and their communities; and 26 24 WHEREAS, cultural forces are inviting us to turn a blind eye towards growing tendencies 27 25 to embrace suicide, infanticide, and self-mutilation, each of which conflict with the truth that 28 26 all men have been created in the image and likeness of God, and that, having been fearfully 29 26.676.9 3 SCR604 Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. 27 and wonderfully made by the Lord of Life, all men possess an inherent and inviolable dignity; 1 28 and 2 29 26.676.10 3 SCR604 Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. WHEREAS, throughout the history of our nation, our leaders have repeatedly called upon 3 1 the people to return to Almighty God in a spirit of humility and penance, and beg the Father's 4 2 favor and mercy; and 5 3 WHEREAS, in a proclamation calling for a time of national fasting, John Adams wrote, "As 6 4 the safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and 7 5 the blessing of Almighty God; and the national acknowledgement of this truth is not only an 8 6 indispensable duty which the People owe to Him, but a duty whose natural influence is 9 7 favorable to the promotion of that Morality and Piety, without which social Happiness cannot 10 8 exist nor the Blessings of a Free Government be enjoyed; and as this Duty, at all times 11 9 incumbent, is so especially in seasons of Difficulty or of Danger, when existing or threatening 12 10 Calamities, the just Judgements of God against prevalent Iniquity, are a loud call to 13 11 Repentance and Reformation…Under these considerations it has appeared to me that the Duty 14 12 of imploring the Mercy and Benediction of Heaven on our Country demands, at this time, a 15 13 special attention from its inhabitants”; and 16 14 WHEREAS, without abdicating any responsibility for the actions that we take and 17 15 acknowledging that the government of our state and nation have the responsibility to govern 18 16 justly, we understand that none of our actions have the ability to come to a good end if the 19 17 Lord does not favor and bless our undertaking; and 20 18 WHEREAS, we hold that "Vain is the builder’s toil, if the house is not of the Lord’s building; 21 19 vainly the guard keeps watch, if the city has not the Lord for its guardian" (Ps. 127:1); and 22 20 WHEREAS, we join the psalmist's prayer to our own and say "Let the glorious majesty of 23 21 the Lord our God be upon us: prosper thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, prosper thou 24 22 the work of our hands" (Psalm 90:17); 25 23 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Senate of the One Hundred First Legislature 26 24 of the State of South Dakota, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that each 27 25 year, the month of July be recognized as a time of prayer and fasting in South Dakota; and 28 26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that through our acts of prayer and fasting, we seek the 29 27 continued blessings of the Lord Most High upon South Dakota, and affirm that He, as our 30 26.676.9 4 SCR604 Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. 28 Creator and God, the King of All Glory, holds all authority, both in Heaven and on earth, to 1 29 judge and bless nations, states, and peoples as He sees fit; and 2 30 26.676.10 4 SCR604 Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that with a humble spirit and a contrite heart, we recognize 3 1 our sins and our weaknesses, both individually and as a people, and beg Him for His 4 2 forgiveness and His strength; and 5 3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we ask the Lord Jesus to remove from us all corruption, 6 4 violence, and addiction, to heal all hearts and minds, to restore marriages and fortify families, 7 5 and to bring a righteous vision and a unity of purpose to all South Dakotans; and 8 6 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we ask the Holy Spirit, the Comforter and the Paraclete, 9 7 to move within the halls of government, classrooms, businesses, places of worship, and 10 8 homes of this state to bring to the people of the State of South Dakota a spirit of healing, 11 9 love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and temperance; 12 10 and 13 11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we call upon all those who are physically able and 14 12 spiritually inclined to join us annually during the month of July, for a time of prayer and 15 13 fasting, depriving ourselves of those temporary physical comforts so that we may be 16 14 awakened to our need and hunger for God, humbling ourselves before Him, prayerfully 17 15 seeking His face, asking for His forgiveness, forsaking all wickedness, and begging Him to 18 16 bestow His healing, blessing, grace, and mercy upon us, so that we, our communities, our 19 17 state, and our nation will be transformed into a people fit to be His own. 20 18

26.676.10 26.676.11 101st Legislative Session SCR604 2026 South Dakota Legislature Senate Concurrent Resolution 604 SENATE ENGROSSED Introduced by: Senator Voita Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. ENROLLED AN ACT A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the people of the state of South Dakota to seek 1 the Lord Most High for His healing presence and mercy upon South Dakota. 2 WHEREAS, we know that from the earliest days of the United States, the men and women 3 who worked to build up our nation trusted in the all-powerful and most merciful hand of 4 Providence to bless our land and guide their work with His wisdom; and 5 WHEREAS, we know that these men and women founded the United States upon the 6 Judeo-Christian values articulated by Sacred Scripture, among which are the beliefs that 7 government is established by God to safeguard the rights of the members of the community 8 over which it watches, that we are to love our neighbors as we ourselves have each been 9 loved by God, and that each human person has been created in the image and likeness of 10 God; and 11 WHEREAS, we hold, as John Adams wrote to the Massachusetts Militia on October 11, 12 1798, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly 13 inadequate to the government of any other"; and 14 WHEREAS, Article VIII, § 1 of the South Dakota Constitution affirms that the health of a 15 state depends on the virtue of its people; and 16 WHEREAS, the official motto of the State of South Dakota is "Under God, the People Rule"; 17 and 18 WHEREAS, we hold that only a continual submission to the sovereignty of the Almighty 19 and wholly Righteous God, joined with an unyielding commitment to uphold the principles of 20 the Constitutions of the United States and the State of South Dakota, will allow us to protect 21 the liberties that have been given to us by the Almighty, from all forces that are intent on 22 advancing an agenda that seeks to turn us away from rightly loving God and our neighbors; 23 and 24 26.676.10 26.676.11 2 SCR604 Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. SCR604 ENROLLED WHEREAS, we give thanks to the omnipotent Lord of all creation for the peace and 1 prosperity that He has bestowed upon us, for we confess that peace and prosperity are gifts 2 from Him and that true peace and prosperity is found only in Him; and 3 WHEREAS, we acknowledge that, because of our fallen nature, these blessings of peace 4 and prosperity are not experienced by everyone, and many people in this state continue to 5 face significant challenges; and 6 WHEREAS, decisions that have been made by the federal government concerning our 7 nation's borders, foreign relations, economic regulations, and national debt threaten our 8 institutions and our way of life; and 9 WHEREAS, exposing, resisting, and eliminating corruption from all levels of government 10 is essential to maintaining the God-given liberty of all citizens; and 11 WHEREAS, acts of criminal violence in our communities are an affront to the inherent 12 dignity of every individual; and 13 WHEREAS, human trafficking is an abhorrent evil perpetrated upon thousands of people 14 in our nation and state, depriving them of their God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit 15 of happiness; and 16 WHEREAS, addiction and mental illness overwhelm our state's financial resources and 17 healthcare and criminal justice systems and adversely affect our communities and families; 18 and 19 WHEREAS, divorce rates and the unending and extensive demand for foster care reveal a 20 fundamental brokenness in our society; and 21 WHEREAS, the foundation of a strong community begins with a commitment to strong, 22 loving, loving families, in which is shown the profound and unconditional love of mother and father 23 towards each other, their children, and their communities; and 24 WHEREAS, cultural forces are inviting us to turn a blind eye towards growing tendencies 25 to embrace suicide, infanticide, and self-mutilation, each of which conflict with the truth that 26 all men have been created in the image and likeness of God, and that, having been fearfully 27 and wonderfully made by the Lord of Life, all men possess an inherent and inviolable dignity; 28 and 29 26.676.10 26.676.11 3 SCR604 Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. SCR604 ENROLLED WHEREAS, throughout the history of our nation, our leaders have repeatedly called upon 1 the people to return to Almighty God in a spirit of humility and penance, and beg the Father's 2 favor and mercy; and 3 WHEREAS, in a proclamation calling for a time of national fasting, John Adams wrote, "As 4 the safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and 5 the blessing of Almighty God; and the national acknowledgement of this truth is not only an 6 indispensable duty which the People owe to Him, but a duty whose natural influence is 7 favorable to the promotion of that Morality and Piety, without which social Happiness cannot 8 exist nor the Blessings of a Free Government be enjoyed; and as this Duty, at all times 9 incumbent, is so especially in seasons of Difficulty or of Danger, when existing or threatening 10 Calamities, the just Judgements of God against prevalent Iniquity, are a loud call to 11 Repentance and Reformation…Under these considerations it has appeared to me that the Duty 12 of imploring the Mercy and Benediction of Heaven on our Country demands, at this time, a 13 special attention from its inhabitants”; and 14 WHEREAS, without abdicating any responsibility for the actions that we take and 15 acknowledging that the government of our state and nation have the responsibility to govern 16 justly, we understand that none of our actions have the ability to come to a good end if the 17 Lord does not favor and bless our undertaking; and 18 WHEREAS, we hold that "Vain is the builder’s toil, if the house is not of the Lord’s building; 19 vainly the guard keeps watch, if the city has not the Lord for its guardian" (Ps. 127:1); and 20 WHEREAS, we join the psalmist's prayer to our own and say "Let the glorious majesty of 21 the Lord our God be upon us: prosper thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, prosper thou 22 the work of our hands" (Psalm 90:17); 23 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Senate of the One Hundred First Legislature 24 of the State of South Dakota, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that each 25 year, the month of July be recognized as a time of prayer and fasting in South Dakota; and 26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that through our acts of prayer and fasting, we seek the 27 continued blessings of the Lord Most High upon South Dakota, and affirm that He, as our 28 Creator and God, the King of All Glory, holds all authority, both in Heaven and on earth, to 29 judge and bless nations, states, and peoples as He sees fit; and 30 26.676.10 26.676.11 4 SCR604 Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. SCR604 ENROLLED BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that with a humble spirit and a contrite heart, we recognize 1 our sins and our weaknesses, both individually and as a people, and beg Him for His 2 forgiveness and His strength; and 3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we ask the Lord Jesus to remove from us all corruption, 4 violence, and addiction, to heal all hearts and minds, to restore marriages and fortify families, 5 and to bring a righteous vision and a unity of purpose to all South Dakotans; and 6 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we ask the Holy Spirit, the Comforter and the Paraclete, 7 to move within the halls of government, classrooms, businesses, places of worship, and 8 homes of this state to bring to the people of the State of South Dakota a spirit of healing, 9 love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and temperance; 10 and 11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we call upon all those who are physically able and 12 spiritually inclined to join us annually during the month of July, for a time of prayer and 13 fasting, depriving ourselves of those temporary physical comforts so that we may be 14 awakened to our need and hunger for God, humbling ourselves before Him, prayerfully 15 seeking His face, asking for His forgiveness, forsaking all wickedness, and begging Him to 16 bestow His healing, blessing, grace, and mercy upon us, so that we, our communities, our 17 state, and our nation will be transformed into a people fit to be His own. 18 26.676.11 5 SCR604 SCR604 ENROLLED Adopted by the Senate, January 27, 2026 Concurred in by the House of Representatives, January 29, 2026 _____________________ _____________________ Chris Karr Peggy Laurenz President Pro Tempore Secretary of the Senate of the Senate _____________________ _____________________ Jon Hansen Patricia Miller Speaker of the House Chief Clerk of the House