Legislative session is here, and the states lobbyists are lining up their legislative agendas much like the lawmakers. That includes the state’s businessowners.
With this week marking the start of legislative session, lobbyist priorities are officially being shared as lawmakers begins to formulate the next year of South Dakota government.
For the state Retailers Association, executive director Nathan Sanderson said he anticipates a busy, unusual session for the Capitol. In an interview on SDPB’s In the Moment with Lori Walsh, he cited that as a symptom of a growing state.
“Budget would be, I think, the number one thing we’re looking at, and the way government is funded is through taxes," Sanderson said. "In the Noem administration, in 2019, the first fiscal year when she came into office, the budget was 4.3 billion dollars. This year, fiscal year 2025, it’s 7.3 billion dollars.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by David Owen, president of the state Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“I think property taxes is going to be an issue," Owen said. "There’s a proposal to restructure what we used to call unemployment insurance, it’s now called reemployment assistance, so there’s a surcharge that would be in play. This idea about school vouchers, the public should be aware of some of the nuances that are going to be involved with that.”
The session runs through mid-March.
