Legislative Session 2022

For many organizations, this legislative session brought feelings of insecurity and questions about the future as the state faced a major budget shortfall. The state’s colleges and universities now must implement mandates from lawmakers.

South Dakota, which formerly held biannual legislative sessions, has reached 100 total lawmaking sessions. After well over a century of change, lawmakers now turn to the future.

AbbVie, a Chicago-based drug manufacturer, is suing the state of South Dakota, claiming a bill signed to law hinders its ability to have a free market.

House lawmakers are passing a bill that designates grassland above a certain elevation as non-cropland, regardless of soil type.

The bill would allow elderly, disabled and homeless SNAP recipients to buy discounted prepared food at restaurants, delis and grocery stores.

A legislative measure requiring k-12 schools to post teaching materials online has died in committee. The bill would also require schools to post employee professional development and orientation materials, and a catalog of all books and resources at a school’s library. Under the measure, a school could be sued if it doesn’t comply.

A House panel will hear a bill that sets up a taxation structure for recreational marijuana sales.The structure will only go into effect if voters approve recreational marijuana at the ballot box in November.

A tribal college in Mission may soon enter into a partnership with NASA that would result in the development of 3D housing that could someday be used on the moon or Mars.

A bill that provides $200 million for workforce housing infrastructure is designed to give municipalities and developers the flexibility to pitch projects aimed at their local workforce needs.

The House State Affairs Committee heard a series of legislative proposals from Representative Shawn Bordeaux. We listen to testimony.

The South Dakota Education Association is a professional organization dedicated to the state's public education workforce.

Lawmakers across the state were flooded with phone calls and emails about a proposed expansion to campsites in Custer State Park. The vast majority of those messages told lawmakers to reject the bill.

In her state of the state address, Governor Kristi Noem announced plans to introduce a bill to ban abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected. But only legislators and their committees have the authority to introduce a bill. And in the final hours before the submission deadline, a motion to introduce the governor's draft failed in committee for lack of a second. Why?