South Dakota Bills

introduced · South Dakota · House Jan 27, 2026

HC 8002: celebrating the Harrisburg Tigers as the 2025 Class AA state gymnastics champions.

This bill is a legislative commemoration honoring the Harrisburg Tigers girls' gymnastics team for winning the 2025 Class AA state championship. It recognizes their historic first-place finish, a team score record of 152.983, and individual victories by Katelyn Maeschen, Emery Myron, and Isabelle Reiners. The resolution, introduced by multiple legislators, formally celebrates the team's achievements and their coaches' recognition as Coach of the Year. As a symbolic gesture, it has no policy impact or direct effect on any laws or regulations.

Heather Baxter (R) Eric Emery (D) Carl Perry (R) Larry Zikmund (R) Brandei Schaefbauer (R)

passed · South Dakota · House Jan 27, 2026

HB 1004: authorize the recall of county commissioners.

HB 1004 authorizes voters to remove county commissioners through a recall process. It requires petitions signed by 15% of district voters or 5% of county voters (based on the last general election), with signatures valid only within 60 days of filing. The petition must state specific grounds for removal, such as corruption, incompetence, or misconduct, and triggers a special election within 60 days to replace the commissioner. This bill directly affects county commissioners and voters in South Dakota counties, establishing a new procedure for their removal.

passed · South Dakota · House Jan 27, 2026

HB 1015: create a pilot program in the Unified Judicial System to develop a pretrial release program.

HB 1015 creates a two-year pilot program (ending December 31, 2027) in South Dakota's Unified Judicial System allowing judges to supervise defendants charged with misdemeanors or felonies instead of requiring jail time before trial. Judges may impose release conditions through presentence court services officers, following existing legal standards. The program requires the judicial system to report detailed results by December 2027, including defendant appearance rates, new charges, missed court dates, and program costs. This directly affects defendants facing misdemeanor or felony charges who qualify for supervised pretrial release under the pilot.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

passed · South Dakota · House Jan 26, 2026

HB 1083: revise certain provisions related to stalking, establish the crime of felony stalking of a public official, and provide a penalty therefor.

South Dakota's HB 1083 creates a new felony charge for stalking public officials, separate from general stalking offenses. It defines "public official" to include elected state/federal leaders, legislators, judges, and law enforcement officers. The bill specifies that intentionally stalking these officials with the intent to cause fear of death or serious harm constitutes a Class 6 felony, carrying the same penalty as existing felony stalking of children. This amendment modifies existing stalking laws (§ 22-19A-1) by adding a specific provision for public officials, without changing penalties for general stalking or stalking children. The law directly affects public officials and those who target them through repeated following, threats, or harassment.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

passed · South Dakota · House Jan 26, 2026

HB 1081: exempt certain individuals from, and require specific notice for, jury duty.

HB 1081 exempts certain healthcare providers, public safety workers, and caregivers from jury duty under specific conditions. Healthcare providers caring for pregnant patients or those with serious medical conditions can request exemption if their absence would cause patient hardship, such as uncontrolled pain or worsened health. Public safety workers (like police and EMTs) and individuals solely responsible for daily care of a permanently disabled household member may also be exempt if their absence risks public safety or the disabled person’s health. The bill also requires courts to notify jurors 14 days in advance of their required service date.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

passed · South Dakota · House Jan 26, 2026

HB 1026: provide for the licensing of property data collectors and the registration of property data collection companies and to provide a penalty therefor.

HB 1026 requires individuals performing property data collection (observing real estate for financial transactions like sales or loans, excluding appraisals) to obtain a state license. To qualify, applicants must complete 30 hours of approved training, pass an exam, complete 5 supervised observations, and pass background checks. The law exempts licensed real estate appraisers, brokers, architects, engineers, and certain employees (like insurance adjusters or government workers). Violating the licensing requirement is a Class 1 misdemeanor, and the bill does not apply to banks or entities acting within their existing licensed scope.

passed · South Dakota · Senate Jan 26, 2026

SB 66: prohibit the use of automatic tabulating equipment and electronic ballot marking systems.

SB 66 prohibits South Dakota election officials from using automatic tabulating equipment or electronic ballot marking systems for any election. The bill requires all ballots to be hand-counted manually in public view, replacing electronic processing with paper-based counting. It directly affects county auditors, precinct election boards, and all election administrators responsible for ballot handling and counting. The law mandates that ballots must be printed on paper (not processed electronically), with all vote counts performed manually after polls close, eliminating electronic tabulation entirely.

Topics ✗ Technology

failed · South Dakota · Senate Jan 26, 2026

SB 62: discontinue the issuance of new Class B electrician licenses.

SB 62 discontinues the issuance of new Class B electrician licenses in South Dakota after July 1, 2026. It directly affects future applicants seeking this specific license type, as only those already licensed before that date may continue practicing. The bill amends South Dakota law to define "Class B electrician" exclusively as individuals licensed prior to July 1, 2026, with the necessary experience and qualifications. This change ends the process for new applicants to obtain this license category.

passed · South Dakota · House Jan 26, 2026

HB 1078: direct the amendment of the Administrative Rules of South Dakota regarding the coursework required for high school graduation.

HB 1078 requires South Dakota's Board of Education to amend administrative rules by September 2026 to update high school graduation coursework requirements. The bill mandates specific credit counts: 4 units of language arts (including writing, speech, and American literature), 3 social studies units (U.S. history and government), 3 math units (including Algebra I), 3 science units (including biology), plus required courses in personal finance, fine arts, physical education, health, and electives. It allows substitutions for one science credit using approved advanced computer science or agriculture science courses (but not for biology), and permits up to one fine arts credit through extracurricular activities with documented alignment to state standards. This directly affects all South Dakota public high school students and school districts implementing graduation standards.

Topics ✓ Education

passed · South Dakota · House Jan 26, 2026

HCR 6005: supporting January as National Blood Donor Month.

South Dakota's House and Senate passed HCR 6005, a concurrent resolution recognizing January as National Blood Donor Month. The resolution highlights the critical need for blood donations (citing that transfusions occur every two seconds in the U.S. and type O blood is most urgently needed) and urges citizens, businesses, and organizations to support blood drives and acknowledge donors. It does not create new laws or funding but symbolically encourages regular donation and community blood drive participation. This is a procedural resolution focused on raising awareness, not implementing policy changes.

passed both · South Dakota · House Jan 26, 2026

HCR 6003: recognizing the importance of conservation and restoration practices in addressing water shortages and forest fire mitigation in the Black Hills, and commending the organizations engaged in this work.

This House Concurrent Resolution (HCR 6003) recognizes conservation and restoration practices - such as native vegetation restoration, stream rehabilitation, and beaver dam analogues - as critical for addressing water shortages and reducing wildfire risks in South Dakota's Black Hills region. It specifically commends organizations like the Black Hills Watershed Collaborative, landowners, and community groups working on these projects. The resolution does not create new laws or allocate funds but formally acknowledges these efforts' role in improving water availability, fire mitigation, soil health, and ecosystem resilience. It serves as a symbolic statement of legislative support for ongoing community-led conservation work.

introduced · South Dakota · Senate Jan 26, 2026

SC 801: honoring Madisen Younie of Rapid City, South Dakota Girls State Governor, and Brody Tynan of Sioux Falls, South Dakota Boys State Governor, and the South Dakota American Legion and Auxiliary for their sponsorship and coordination of the Girls State and Boys State programs.

This is a ceremonial resolution (not a substantive bill) honoring Madisen Younie as 2025 South Dakota Girls State Governor and Brody Tynan as 2025 South Dakota Boys State Governor. It also recognizes the South Dakota American Legion and Auxiliary for their decades-long sponsorship of the Girls State and Boys State programs, which educate youth about U.S. government through hands-on learning. The resolution formally expresses legislative appreciation for these young leaders and the Legion's long-term coordination of the programs.

Bill results