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SDPB Radio Coverage of the South Dakota Legislature. See all coverage and find links to audio and video streams live from the Capitol at www.sdpb.org/statehouse

Governor Signs Bills, Including 2016 Budget

South Dakota’s governor has signed more than one dozen measures into law. He’s approved the state’s general funding bill and a measure that increases scholarship money for certain South Dakota students.

Governor Dennis Daugaard approves of the measure that funds operations in the State of South Dakota through the end of June in 2016. The bill includes a two percent increase for education and 2.5 percent for medical providers. It also gives state employees a boost. 

Daugaard says the state coffers can support those increases.

"Though we do expect revenue to grow, it’s growing a little more slowly than we had initially believed it would in December. But still, it is growing, and so we’re able to provide increases to education and to Medicaid providers and to state employees beyond what state statutes would require," Daugaard says.

The general spending bill allocates $4.3 billion in general, federal and other funds for the fiscal year 2016 budget.

South Dakota’s governor also approves of a bill that increases the amount paid to Opportunity Scholarship recipients. Now South Dakota high schoolers who meet minimum ACT requirements and class schedules and attend a state college are eligible for $6,500 over four years. It used to be $5,000.

In addition to the budget bill and the scholarship funding measure, on Thursday Governor Dennis Daugaard signed 17 other bills into law. 

Kealey Bultena grew up in South Dakota, where her grandparents took advantage of the state’s agriculture at nap time, tricking her into car rides to “go see cows.” Rarely did she stay awake long enough to see the livestock, but now she writes stories about the animals – and the legislature and education and much more. Kealey worked in television for four years while attending the University of South Dakota. She started interning with South Dakota Public Broadcasting in September 2010 and accepted a position with television in 2011. Now Kealey is the radio news producer stationed in Sioux Falls. As a multi-media journalist, Kealey prides herself on the diversity of the stories she tells and the impact her work has on people across the state. Kealey is always searching for new ideas. Let her know of a great story! Find her on Facebook and twitter (@KealeySDPB).