Budget & Taxes

HB 1172 terminates school district excess tax levies approved before July 1, 2002, under South Dakota law. It prohibits these levies from being imposed in 2026 or any subsequent year. The bill directly affects school districts that previously secured voter-approved excess tax levies prior to 2002, ending their ability to collect these specific taxes moving forward. This is a procedural change that modifies existing tax authority without creating new programs or funding.

This non-binding South Dakota House Concurrent Resolution (HCR 6006) urges the state's congressional delegation (Senators Thune and Rounds, Rep. Johnson) to end U.S. foreign aid programs and halt overseas nation-building efforts until federal debt is controlled. It cites the national debt exceeding $38 trillion, projected $1 trillion in 2026 interest payments, and a 124% debt-to-GDP ratio as justification. The resolution specifically asks the delegation to "rein in the federal debt" by halting foreign aid and advocating for congressional declarations of war before military engagements. As a concurrent resolution, it has no legal effect and cannot alter U.S. foreign policy or budget decisions.

HB 1032 eliminates a 10% cap on how much unused property tax revenue authority counties and municipalities in South Dakota can accumulate from prior years. Currently, local governments could only use up to the prior three years' total of unused tax revenue calculations or 10% of the tax base, whichever was lower. The bill removes the 10% limit, allowing local governments to utilize all accumulated unused tax revenue authority without this restriction. This directly affects South Dakota counties and municipalities that collect property taxes, changing how they calculate annual tax revenue limits. The change modifies specific sections of state tax law (§ 10-13-35.4 and § 10-13-35.5) to remove the percentage cap.