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.)

Senate Bill 158 creates an exemption process where medical providers do not have to submit preauthorization requests to health insurers. This is known as "gold carding".

Why oppose SB 158?

1. Inserts government into business disputes: it creates a complex process for resolving exemption process disputes between insurers and providers and tells private businesses what to do. Providers and health insurers already contract with each other, they could manage a similar process through their private contracts.

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.)

Have you ever engaged in a conversation about LILI with a LILI graduate? Once you get them talking, it is hard to get a word in edgewise.

Why?

Because LILI is just that powerful. It is a life-altering experience for participants both personally and professionally.

The Leadership in Life Institute is a six-month program offered exclusively to NAIFA members who are committed to growing intellectually and professionally through deep introspection and discussion. The intense curriculum creates a unique learning environment that encourages participants to bring out their best and apply what is learned across every aspect of their lives.

NAIFA-South Dakota is forming a LILI class to begin this spring, and we would welcome the opportunity to have you join us. Class size is limited, so please reach out today so that we can help you get started on your LILI journey.

To learn more about the program, follow this link, LILI and to express your interest in taking this life-changing course, contact us here NAIFA-South Dakota for an application. If none of the above links convince you to take the next step, talk to a LILI graduate they are never short on praise for the program!

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:

January 21, 2025
5:00 - 8:00 PM

The NAIFA Quality Award provides advisors at any career stage the opportunity to demonstrate a commitment to excellence. This includes professionalism through education and earned designations, production-measured performance metrics customized for each practice specialty, adherence to the NAIFA code of ethics, and service to your industry association. Advisors specializing in Life & Annuities, Financial Advising & Investments, Health & Employee Benefits, Multiline Sales, or any combination of these specialties have the opportunity to demonstrate the quality that is the mark of a true professional.

Governor Kristi Noem has declared September 2024 Life Insurance Awareness Month.