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Legislative Roundup: Noem says no three times, but leaves big questions unanswered
Gov. Kristi Noem has not vetoed the Legislature’s “historic” sales tax cut this week – which lawmakers passed Thursday in spite of her opposition – but she did flex her veto power. Noem issued her first veto on March 2, using a cattle “VETO” brand on a bill that would have allowed local business improvement […]
What will ‘truth in sentencing’ mean for South Dakota crime victims?
Anyone who listened to last week’s debate on Senate Bill 146 – often referred to as “truth in sentencing” – might think victims have no idea how long criminals will stay in prison before they’re paroled. Rep. Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, said when a sentence comes down, “you think, wow, OK, we have some measure […]
Legislative roundup: Tax talks go topsy-turvy, and the rest of the week’s action in Pierre
Anyone hoping for some measure of finality this week on the tax relief talks dominating the 2023 legislative session was almost certainly let down. Those who relish the spectacle of late-session political ping-pong, however, had plenty to watch. Coming into the session, the state’s historic surplus – made possible by a combination of economic growth […]
Lawmakers nix bill to raise SD’s nation-leading juror pay
It’s illegal to duck jury duty, even if you’re too broke to afford time off work. A bill meant to address the difficulties that reality can cause for blue-collar jurors died in a state Senate committee this week after passing through the House of Representatives. The 5-2 vote on House Bill 1098 came after testimony […]
House tanks last remaining bill to address Native American disparity in foster care placements
PIERRE – The House of Representatives shot down a bill that would have created a task force to study the causes and possible solutions for the disparate representation of Native American children in the foster care system. Senate Bill 191 sailed to the House with unanimous support from a House panel earlier this week. It […]
House backs ‘truth in sentencing’
PIERRE — A bill to upend the state’s parole system for violent offenders is one step from the governor’s desk. A majority of the House of Representatives went against the pleas of a former Department of Corrections secretary and the House Majority leader on Tuesday and passed Senate Bill 146, dubbed a “truth in sentencing” […]
Panel backs task force to study foster care for Native American children
PIERRE – A House panel on Monday endorsed a two-year task force to study Native American overrepresentation in South Dakota’s foster care system. Senate Bill 191 cleared the full Senate last week. It’s the only bill related to Native children in foster care to have survived past a committee hearing so far this session. The […]
Volunteer fire departments could get millions in state aid
PIERRE — Most of South Dakota’s land area is protected by firefighters who don’t get paid for their work. Most of the fire departments they work for aren’t government entities. That means the fundraising reality of the state’s largely volunteer fire force is one of charity drives, fill-the-boot dances, chili feeds and direct mail solicitation. […]
Recreational marijuana is illegal, but its high-inducing cousins are widespread
Recreational marijuana is illegal in South Dakota – voters confirmed as much in November – but the next best thing is available from border to border. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized the cultivation of hemp. By extension, it legalized two cannabinoids called delta-8 and delta-10 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which occur naturally in tiny amounts in the […]
Legislative roundup: Noem bills bite the dust
About five months – that’s how long a proposed grocery sales-tax repeal inhabited political news, until a legislative committee brought all the chatter to an abrupt end this week. Gov. Kristi Noem flipped the traditional political script when she announced her support for the idea in September. Democrats had been proposing the repeal for years, […]
Move to loosen penalties for drug ingestion, marijuana edibles fails in Senate
The South Dakota Senate rejected two bills Wednesday that aimed to soften controversial drug laws. One sought to help drug users avoid prison for failed drug tests; the other would have placed marijuana edibles and vape products in the same misdemeanor category as marijuana flower. Senate Bill 201, which failed by a single vote, would […]
Budget committee endorses $400 million for new prisons
Lawmakers on the Joint Appropriations Committee unanimously approved funding Wednesday for two new prisons in South Dakota. The first is a new women’s prison for Rapid City, a 300-bed facility that would become the second female prison in the state. The Department of Corrections spent $20 million on land for the prison on the eastern […]