Search Bills

make an appropriation for costs related to emergencies and disasters impacting the state and to declare an emergency.

This bill sets aside $4.2 million from the state's general fund to pay for emergency and disaster response costs in South Dakota. The money goes into a special fund that the Department of Public Safety can use to cover expenses related to any declared emergency or disaster affecting the state.

revise the daily meal allowance for wildland fire employees and fire suppression forces in certain circumstances.

The Department of Public Safety will now set a daily meal allowance for wildland firefighters and fire suppression crews working on uncontrolled fires in the Black Hills or during gubernatorial emergencies, capped at the federal General Services Administration per diem rate for South Dakota. This new allowance applies only to meals that the department approves for ordering and distribution, and will be updated each October. The change overrides previous meal allowance rules for these specific fire-fighting situations.

provide for the creation of a cardiac emergency plan in every school and to make an appropriation therefor.

South Dakota schools must now create and implement cardiac emergency response plans that include forming a response team, placing accessible defibrillators on campus, training staff in CPR and defibrillator use, and establishing procedures for sudden cardiac arrest situations. School districts and nonpublic schools must review these plans annually, maintain their defibrillators, and conduct regular drills to practice responding to cardiac emergencies.

make an appropriation for costs related to the suppression of wildfires impacting the state and to declare an emergency.

South Dakota is spending $2.65 million from its general fund to pay for wildfire suppression costs across the state. The bill declares an emergency so the money can be spent immediately without the usual budget restrictions.

create a task force to study the provision of emergency medical services as an essential service and the funding thereof.

South Dakota will create a temporary task force to study how to fund emergency medical services for counties and municipalities and recommend legislative solutions by November 2026. The task force will examine funding mechanisms, ambulance payment policies, and how to potentially use Rural Health Transformation program funds for emergency services, then dissolve after submitting its report.

make an appropriation for a fire management officer position within the Department of Public Safety.

South Dakota will allocate $750,000 to the Department of Public Safety to create a new fire management officer position that supports wildfire operations in the eastern part of the state. This is a one-time appropriation from the state's general fund that takes effect on June 30, 2026, and any money not spent will be returned to the state treasury.

authorize certain utilities to establish wildfire mitigation plans and associated liability limitations for wildfire damages.

This bill allows electric utilities, electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, and wholesale electricity generators to create wildfire mitigation plans that detail their efforts to prevent or reduce wildfire damage. The plans must be approved by each utility's board or city council (for cooperatives and municipal utilities) or filed with the Public Utilities Commission (for other utilities), and the commission will publish them on its website. The bill establishes a framework for these plans but also appears to include liability protections for utilities that follow approved wildfire mitigation plans, though the excerpt cuts off before detailing those protections.

transfer moneys and make an appropriation for the replacement of the Richmond Lake dam and spillway and to declare an emergency.

South Dakota is moving $8.2 million from its unclaimed property fund to pay for replacing the Richmond Lake dam and spillway. The Commissioner of School and Public Lands will manage the project funds, which must be spent or committed according to normal state procedures or returned to the general fund.

make an appropriation to contract for a study on the length of service award programs for volunteers.

South Dakota will spend $100,000 to hire a contractor to study how to set up a length of service award program for volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel, which allows these volunteers to save money tax-free for retirement. The contractor must deliver a report with recommendations to the Legislative Research Council by November 30, 2026. This is a one-time appropriation and does not change existing state law, but instead funds research to inform potential future policy decisions.