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make an appropriation for the expansion of broadband infrastructure and to declare an emergency.

South Dakota receives $87 million in federal funding to expand broadband internet access across the state, with the Governor's Office of Economic Development distributing grants to projects that meet federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program requirements. The bill declares an emergency to allow the funds to be spent immediately rather than following standard appropriation timelines.

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 for roadway and related infrastructure improvements required because of construction activity at Ellsworth Air Force Base and to declare an emergency.

South Dakota is providing $8 million to the Ellsworth Development Authority to pay for road improvements and infrastructure upgrades needed because of construction at Ellsworth Air Force Base. The money can be used for road repairs, widening, safety improvements, engineering studies, and related work to handle the impacts of the base construction activity. The authority must report annually on how the funds are spent and cannot use more than 3 percent of the money for administrative costs.

make an appropriation for eligible water, wastewater, storm water, and riparian buffer initiative projects and to declare an emergency.

South Dakota is allocating $10 million for water infrastructure and environmental projects: $2 million for water, wastewater, and storm water projects that must be approved by the Board of Water and Natural Resources and included in the state water plan, and $8 million for riparian buffer initiatives statewide. The bill declares an emergency so the funding takes effect immediately rather than waiting for the normal legislative process.

make an appropriation for county rural access infrastructure and to declare an emergency.

South Dakota is appropriating $5 million to help counties improve rural roads by funding the inventory and repair of small structures (like bridges and culverts) on township and county secondary roads. The money will be distributed to each county based on how many of these small structures it has compared to the statewide total, and counties must use the funds according to existing rural access infrastructure rules. Any money not spent by June 30, 2031 will be returned to the state.

authorize the construction of a National Guard vehicle maintenance shop in Sturgis, to make an appropriation therefor, and to declare an emergency.

South Dakota is authorizing the Department of the Military to build a National Guard vehicle maintenance shop in Sturgis and providing $30 million in federal funding for the project. The state auditor will process payments for the construction work, which must be completed by June 30, 2031, or any unspent money will be returned according to state rules.

authorize municipalities to establish a local funding mechanism for capital improvement projects.

South Dakota cities can now create a local funding mechanism for capital improvement projects by imposing a gross receipts tax of up to one percent on businesses within their borders. To implement this tax, a city must establish a five-member capital improvement board (made up of one city council member and four residents) that reviews and approves any ordinance establishing the tax, which must specify its purpose and minimum revenue target. This gives municipalities a new revenue option to fund infrastructure and other capital projects without needing state approval.

authorize loans from the South Dakota housing infrastructure fund for airport infrastructure.

South Dakota's housing infrastructure fund can now make loans to airports in cities with populations of at least 125,000 to improve or maintain airport facilities, with each loan capped at $15 million and charged at 2% annual interest. Repayments go back into the housing fund to support additional airport loans. This expands the fund's purpose beyond housing to include airport infrastructure development.

create the water infrastructure development fund, to provide an appropriation, to provide for the awarding of grants and loans from the fund for certain rural water projects and to declare an emergency.

South Dakota is creating a new Water Infrastructure Development Fund that will provide grants (up to 10% of project costs) and loans (up to 50% of project costs) to help rural communities build water infrastructure projects. The state is putting $3 million into this fund from its general budget, and the Board of Water and Natural Resources will decide which projects qualify for support and set the terms for loans and grants.

provide for the study of statewide transit needs and the economic impacts of public transit, and to make an appropriation therefor.

South Dakota will fund a $125,000 study through the Department of Transportation to examine the state's public transit needs and whether public transit affects workforce availability, healthcare costs, and Medicaid spending. The department must complete the study and report its findings to the Legislative Research Council by November 30, 2026.

make appropriations for water and environmental purposes and to declare an emergency.

South Dakota allocates $1.425 million from the state water and environment fund to three water-related projects: a regional water system study, a statewide groundwater and surface water assessment with a public wetlands map, and a flood control study for the Big Sioux River near Watertown. The board overseeing these grants can now cover up to 100 percent of the non-federal costs for the water management studies, removing previous restrictions on how much state funding could support these projects.

make an appropriation for the design and construction of a new soccer venue at South Dakota State University and to declare an emergency.

South Dakota is giving the Board of Regents $5.04 million to design and build a new soccer venue at South Dakota State University, including all necessary facilities like parking, utilities, and landscaping. The board can also accept donations and federal funding for the project and adjust the budget upward by up to 25 percent to account for inflation or regulatory changes.

create the capitol restoration fund and to transfer moneys thereto.

This bill creates a new Capitol Restoration Fund dedicated to fixing up and improving the state capitol building, which will be managed by the Bureau of Human Resources and Administration. The state will transfer $1.1 million from the existing Public Buildings Fund into this new fund, and any future spending from it requires a special vote by the Legislature.

make an appropriation for the construction costs at the Blue Dog State Fish Hatchery, and to declare an emergency.

The state is spending $8 million to build, renovate, and modernize the Blue Dog State Fish Hatchery, with $3.5 million coming from federal funds and $4.5 million from state funds. The bill gives the Department of Game, Fish and Parks authority to contract for construction work including new buildings, equipment, utilities, and professional services needed for the project. An emergency declaration allows the spending to take effect immediately rather than waiting for the usual effective date.

make an appropriation for the design and construction of an athletic facility at the University of South Dakota and to declare an emergency.

The state is appropriating $40 million to the University of South Dakota's Board of Regents to design and build a new indoor athletic facility that will include an indoor track, jumping and throwing areas, practice spaces, and seating for 2,000 spectators. The Board of Regents can adjust the cost estimate upward by up to 25 percent to account for inflation and changes in regulations, but cannot exceed that cap. The bill declares this appropriation an emergency, meaning it takes effect immediately.

authorize the construction of a trades center on the campus of Lake Area Technical College, to make an appropriation therefor, and to declare an emergency.

South Dakota will provide $101 in state funding to Lake Area Technical College to build and equip a trades center with classrooms, labs, and student services on its campus. The college must raise matching funds from donations, grants, or other private sources equal to the remaining project cost, and the state cannot use bonds to pay for the project.

create the South Dakota school construction fund, provide for the transfer of moneys to the fund, and make an appropriation therefor.

South Dakota creates a new school construction loan fund administered by the Department of Education to help school districts build or expand school buildings. The state will make interest-free loans covering up to 40 percent of a project's cost, with loan repayments and any interest earned cycling back into the fund to support future school construction projects.

increase the annual fee required of an owner of an electric motor vehicle.

South Dakota now requires electric vehicle owners to pay an annual $100 fee when they register their vehicles each year, in addition to regular license fees. The money collected goes into the state highway fund. This fee applies to battery-powered cars and trucks designed for public roads but excludes electric motorcycles.

make an exception for improvement districts from a limit on revenue growth for purposes of property taxation.

South Dakota has a law that limits how much property tax revenue most taxing districts can collect year-to-year, but this bill creates an exception for improvement districts (special districts that fund infrastructure like roads or water systems under Chapter 7-25A). Improvement districts will no longer be subject to the three-percent revenue cap that applies to other taxing districts for the years 2027-2031.

authorize the expansion and renovation of the Sturgis Readiness Center, to make an appropriation therefor, and to declare an emergency.

South Dakota is authorizing the Department of the Military to expand and renovate the Sturgis Readiness Center, with $2.35 million in state funding and $8 million in federal funding available for the project. The bill sets a deadline of June 30, 2031, for spending the appropriated money, after which any unused funds must be returned, and declares an emergency so the authorization takes effect immediately.

revise certain criteria for loans from the South Dakota housing infrastructure fund.

SB 204 expands the types of infrastructure projects eligible for loans from South Dakota's housing infrastructure fund to include land acquisition and site preparation work needed to support new housing developments. The bill also allows the Housing Development Authority to use up to one percent of loan amounts to cover its administrative costs for managing these loans.

supporting congressional authorization for, and federal participation in, major rural water supply projects identified by the South Dakota Association of Rural Water Systems.

This concurrent resolution expresses South Dakota's support for federal funding and congressional approval of four major regional water supply projects designed to serve rural areas across the state: the Dakota Mainstem, Western Dakota, Lewis and Clark, and Water Investment in Northern South Dakota systems. The resolution does not change state law itself, but instead urges Congress and federal agencies to authorize and fund these projects to address long-term water supply challenges in various regions of South Dakota.

amend the process by which moneys are distributed from the employer's investment in South Dakota's future fund.

This bill expands how money from South Dakota's employer investment fund can be used by allowing grants for research, economic development, scholarships, workforce training, and infrastructure projects. The bill changes the process for distributing these funds and adds new rules about which organizations and programs can receive the money, including public schools, universities, apprenticeship programs, and technical education providers.

extend the time for reverting moneys appropriated for the modernization of the state's enterprise resource planning systems.

South Dakota is pushing back the deadline for returning unspent money from a 2023 appropriation for modernizing the state's computer systems from an earlier date to June 30, 2029. This gives the state more time to complete the project before any leftover funds have to be returned to the general fund.

make an appropriation to the South Dakota Board of Technical Education to construct an advanced manufacturing laboratory space and classrooms on the campus of Southeast Technical College and to declare an emergency.

The state will provide $6 million to build an advanced manufacturing laboratory and classrooms at Southeast Technical College, but only if the college raises at least $18 million in gifts, grants, and donations for the project and doesn't issue bonds. The bill takes effect immediately upon passage and designates the Bureau of Human Resources and Administration to oversee the design and construction.

create the county and township infrastructure fund for the accounting, safekeeping, and allocation of unobligated rural access infrastructure fund moneys.

This bill creates a new state fund to collect unused rural infrastructure money from counties every three years and redistribute it back to counties that need it. Currently, counties can only use rural access infrastructure funds for specific road and bridge projects, and this bill requires them to send any unspent money to the state instead of keeping it. The Department of Revenue will manage this statewide fund and distribute the collected money to counties based on a formula in existing law.

make an appropriation for the purchase of a new Division of Highway Patrol airplane and mission equipment and to declare an emergency.

South Dakota is spending $5 million from its general fund to buy a new airplane for the Highway Patrol Division, along with equipment to install in it. The bill declares an emergency so the spending can take effect immediately rather than waiting for the normal budget process. Any money not actually spent or committed will be returned to the general fund.

revise registration fees for drones and establish a fund to support drone aviation.

South Dakota will now charge separate registration fees specifically for drones instead of treating them like other aircraft, with the new drone fee structure detailed in a new section of law. The changes also clarify that the existing 4% aircraft registration tax no longer applies to drones, and that civil penalties from late drone registration payments will go into the state's aeronautics fund to support drone aviation.

revise the General Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026.

This bill adjusts spending amounts in South Dakota's budget for fiscal year 2026 by increasing or redirecting funds to various state agencies and programs. The changes include boosting funding for economic development, state employee compensation, building maintenance and repairs, and information technology services, with increases coming from general funds, federal funds, and other revenue sources.

create a solid background license plate for South Dakota.

South Dakota will create a new optional license plate design called "solid background" plates that residents can choose for their cars, trucks, vans, and motorcycles instead of standard plates. Owners will pay a $100 fee when they first get these plates and $100 each year when they renew their registration, with $25 going to a special license plate fund and $75 going to the state highway fund. The Department of Revenue will design these new plates following existing state standards.