We are on the home stretch of the 2026 Legislative Session with only six days remaining of the main run. Committee hearings have quieted as bills make their way through the non-house of origin. The next big deadline is March 9th, which is the last day for a bill to pass both chambers. 

 Click here for Darla's Detailed Report 

The following are bills we are tracking:

Bills with aStrikethroughhave been killed in some manner and are not included in the report. Bills with an asterisk have been signed by the Governor.

HB 1006: An Act to create a task force to study the creation of Indian Medicaid managed care entities in the state.

*HB 1023:An Act to establish requirements and liability protection for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses serving on ambulance crews.Signed by Governor

*HB 1024:An Act to modify requirements for ambulance operators.Signed by Governor

*HB 1044:An Act to make an appropriation to implement rural health transformation program, and to declare an emergency.Signed by Governor

HB 1059: An Act to increase the amounts required in a motor vehicle liability policy.

HB 1061: An Act to require the acceptance of cash as payment in certain transactions.

HB 1085: An Act to establish provisions for the coverage of nonopioid prescription drugs.

HB 1101:An Act to prohibit an insurer from declining or limiting life, disability, or long-term care insurance policies based solely on an individual’s status as a living organ donor.

HB 1119:An Act to modify provisions regarding directors serving on a farm mutual insurer’s board.

HB 1125: An Act to create a task force to study the impact of artificial intelligence systems on the state.

HB 1130:An Act to amend permissible uses of a school district’s capital outlay fund.

HB 1134:An Act to make an appropriation for the economic development prosperity of South Dakota.

HB 1135:An Act to make an appropriation to enhance the economic health of South Dakota.

HB 1136: An Act to make an appropriation for the development of South Dakota.

HB 1138:An Act to require the licensure of non-medical home care agencies, and to provide a penalty therefor.

HB 1150: An Act to make an appropriation to increase the rate of payment for federally qualified health centers.

HB 1153: An Act to protect certain rights of healthcare providers.

HB 1163: An Act to prohibit certain persons from requiring genetic-based vaccinations.

HB 1166: An Act to require financial interest statements from members of certain state authorities, board, and commissions, and to provide a penalty therefor.

HB 1171: An Act to establish provisions related to the disclosure of COVID-19 and mRNA vaccination status and blood donations.

HB 1180:An Act to ensure the validity of non-compete agreements in the context of jointly owned business entities.

HB 1199:An Act to address preauthorization requirements for certain health care services and utilization review requirements for certain health benefit plans.

HB 1210: An Act to prohibit COVID-19 vaccination requirements and to provide a penalty therefor.

HB 1224: An Act to protect persons from discrimination by financial institutions.

HB 1225: An Act to enhance the future education in South Dakota.

HB 1238:An Act to protect financial institutions taking action to prevent the financial exploitation of consenting, senior, or vulnerable adults.

HB 1248: An Act to amend provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code.

HB 1292:An Act to limit the ability of a health carrier to recoup, recover, or retroactively deny previously paid claims.

HB 1302:An Act to address issues facing South Dakota.

HB 1303:An Act to promote the future success and development of South Dakota.

HJR 5002: A Joint Resolution proposing and submitting to the voters at the next general election an amendment to the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, repealing the requirement to provide expanded Medicaid.

HCR 6004: A Concurrent Resolution encouraging the use of physical cash in transactions.

SB 6: An Act to reduce the duration of an individual’s reemployment benefits.

SB 36: An Act to authorize utilities to establish wildfire mitigation plans and associated liability limitations for wildlife damages.

*SB 84: An Act to increase thresholds for the value of and eligibility for the partners in education scholarship.Signed by Governor

SB 86: An Act to authorize purchasing agency verification and monitoring of workers’ compensation insurance coverage obtained by public improvement contractors.

SB 89:An Act tocreate a task force to study theprovision of emergency medical services as an essential service and the funding thereof.

SB 98:An Act to prevent virtual currency kiosk fraud.

SB 100:An Act to revise provisions related to trusts.

SB 119:An Act to create the Capitol Restoration Fund and to transfer moneys thereto.

SB 120:An Act to make an appropriation for the economic development of South Dakota.

SB 121: An Act to make an appropriation for developing the economic viability of South Dakota.

SB 122:An Act to establishthe crime of failure to summon aid for a suicide attempt and provide a penalty therefor.

SB 153:An Act to prohibit certain restrictions in employment contracts for community service providers.

SB 161: An Act to repeal an exemption for certain health care facilities.

SB 168: (Amended Title) An Act to regulate the use of chatbots by minors a conversational AI service.

SB 169: An Act to place requirements on the use of artificial intelligence systems by health carriers in making determinations about the provision of health care services.

SB 172: An Act to enhance the economy of South Dakota.

SB 182: An Act to address the tax situation in South Dakota.

SB 184: An Act to enhance public education in South Dakota.

SB 199: An Act to establish a new fund to provide property tax relief.

SB 211: An Act to prohibit certain billing practices by ambulance service providers and establish reimbursement standards for out-of-network emergency medical services.

SB 227: An Act to establish a minimum damage threshold for a motor vehicle total loss declaration.

SB 233: An Act to prohibit the assessment of certain administrative fees or penalties related to the provision of care by an out-of-network provider.

SB 244:An Act to address issues facing South Dakota.

SB 245:An Act to  promote the future success and development of South Dakota  create the homeowner property tax reduction fund, and to transfer moneys to the homeowner property tax reduction fund.

Respectfully submitted,

Darla Pollman Rogers, NAIFA-South Dakota Lobbyist

Our final Legislative Update meeting will be held on March 14th at 12:00 PM Central by Zoom. 

We are on the home stretch in the final days of the 2025 Legislative Session with just two more days to go after today. SB 154 (340B bill) sailed through the House of Representatives 65-5 on March 5th. Most of the vehicle bills were disposed of this past week. March 10th was one of the longer days of the Session as it was the last day for bills to pass both chambers. 

Everything is contentious at this time of the Session. Next year's calendar selection came out of committee by one vote. The Joint Appropriations Committee is fighting over the placement of excess unclaimed property tax dollars into a trust fund.

These last two days will be devoted to finalizing the budget, determining which topics may be recommended for summer study, sorting out the remaining tax bills, and acting on Conference Committee reports.

Following are the bills we are tracking: (Bills with a strikethrough have been defeated or modified in some manner.)

Our final Legislative Update meeting will be held on March 14th at 12:00 PM Central by Zoom. 

We are down to the final two weeks of the 2025 Legislative Session and the insurance issues remain quiet. SB 154 (340B drug program) had a hearing in the House Health and Human Services Committee on March 4th and it passed out of committee 8-5. March 6th will be the last day for a bill to pass out of the second committee and March 10th is the last day to pass both chambers.

Following are the bills we are tracking: (Bills with a strikethrough have been defeated or modified in some manner.)

Our final Legislative Update meeting will be held on March 14th at 12:00 PM Central by Zoom. 

We are officially in the 7th week of the legislative session and with only three weeks to go, there is a lot to get done! This week is quieter from an insurance perspective after the defeat of SB 158 and HB 1137. There was not an attempt to smoke out SB 158, and yesterday was the last day to do so. 

I ran into Director Dieter over the weekend and he anticipates discussions on non-opioid drugs over the interim. He complimented NAIFA-South Dakota on the active participation and help throughout this Session, it was very nice to hear.

Yesterday, (February 25th), was crossover day so the days are long as both chambers work to get bills through the house of origin.

Following are the bills we are tracking: (Bills with a strikethrough have been defeated or modified in some manner.)

South Dakota Legislative Updates will be held by Zoom every other Friday. Register today for the February 21st update!

February 17th marks the beginning of the sixth week of the legislative session and there is no sign that things are slowing down.

Our focus and concentration is on SB 158 (pre-auth bill), which will be heard in committee on Wednesday, February 19th. It continues to be an uphill battle. Opponents had a strategy meeting on February 13th to discuss committee testimony and what we believe to be the vote count. 

HB 1137 is yet another mandate (coverage of nonopioid drugs). It will likely be up in committee hearing this week as well.

Cross-over day (last day for bills to pass house of origin) is Tuesday, February 25th, so committee hearings and sessions will be long this week to catch up on a backlog of bills.

Following are the bills we are tracking: (Bills with a strikethrough have been defeated or modified in some manner.)

South Dakota Legislative Updates will be held by Zoom every other Friday. Register today for the February 14th update!

It is hard to believe that Friday, February 7th ended the fourth week of the 2025 Legislative Session. It has been a busy session with a total of 488 bills introduced. Last week was a successful one for insurance. We saw the defeat of HB 1070 and HB 1112 in committee, HB 1102 was tabled at the request of the Prime Sponsor, and HB 1122 squeaked out of the committee, but went down on the House floor.

SB 158 (pre-auth/gold card bill) is still the elephant in the room and was scheduled for hearing this week. We just learned that it has been deferred to next week with a hearing on February 19th. Committee members are: Kevin Jensen; Sydney Davis (Prime Sponsor); Tamara Grove; Karl Perry; Tim Reed; Jamie Smith; and Curt Voight. Any grassroots assistance we can get is greatly needed and appreciated.

Following are the bills we are tracking: (Bills with a strikethrough have been defeated or modified in some manner.)

South Dakota Legislative Updates will be held by Zoom every other Friday. Register today for the February 14th update!

Last week was a big week for South Dakota's administrative branch. Larry Rhoden is now the 34th Governor of the state. In his address to a joint session of the Senate and House, the Governor committed to keeping South Dakota strong, safe, and free. Governor Rhoden received a unanimous vote in both the House and Senate on January 30th (he needed a majority) and was sworn in thereafter.

January 30th was the deadline for unlimited bill introduction and, as such, a flurry of bills were filed. The bill count is now at 218 House bills and 194 Senate bills.

I count 16 placeholder or hoghouse/vehicle bills filed so far. They are listed at the end of this report.

The week of February 3rd is a busy week for committee hearings. HB 1070 (breast imaging mandate) was defeated on Monday morning. HB 1112 (biomarker testing mandate) and HB 1122 (UCC) are scheduled for hearing Wednesday morning. The Legislature is in session Monday through Friday (the only 5-day week).

Governor Rhoden's inauguration will take place on Saturday, February 8th.  

Following are bills we are tracking:

South Dakota Legislative Updates will be held by Zoom every other Friday beginning January 31st at noon Central Time.

Kristi Noem was confirmed as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on January 25, 2025 (59-34), and immediately submitted her letter of resignation as governor of the state of South Dakota. Larry Rhoden is now our 34th Governor. Governor Rhoden addressed a joint session of the Senate and House on January 28th. He is committed to keeping South Dakota strong, safe, and free. He has not yet not named his choice for Lt. Governor. The Governor's inauguration will be held on February 8th.

Bills are being filed daily with 124 House bills and 115 Senate bills.

 Following are the bills that we are tracking:

South Dakota Legislative Updates will be held by Zoom every other Friday beginning January 31st at noon Central Time.

South Dakota's 100th Legislative Session kicked off on Tuesday, January 14th at 1:00 PM with Governor Kristi Noem's State of the State Address. This is a year of new faces. There are 28 new legislators in the House of Representatives (22 are first-timers, and six served in the legislature previously). The Senate has 14 new legislators (4 of whom have previously served). Building relationships with your legislators is more important than ever. They jumped in with both feet filing 82 bills in the Senate and 82 bills in the House during the first week of session. 

 Following are the bills that we are tracking: