By 
Week three of the 101st South Dakota legislative session is in the books with six weeks to go. The proposed bills keep rolling in through the Legislative Research Council. As of this writing (Saturday afternoon, January 31), nearly 500 proposed bills, resolutions, and commemorations have been introduced. The last day to introduce an individual bill is coming up on February 4. That means we can probably expect to see a flurry of bill proposals hit the pipeline in the next few days. Most of the “agency” bills, as I explained them last week, have gone through the system, and now we will start to debate the more meaty pieces of legislation. That means the days could get longer (while the tempers get shorter?) as we move ahead.
I want to mention a few items that caught particular attention from my point of view:
- Senate Bill 62 discontinues the issuance of Class B electrician licenses. The spirited debate surrounding this was surprising, considering the small number of licenses of this type in the state. It was defeated 14-20. I voted in favor of it.
- Senate Bill 85 would require all school district opt-out votes go to a vote of the people. I argued that there already is a system in place to deal with this, and it would also tend to tie the hands of the local governing board and, potentially, delay the start and increase the cost of various projects and expenditures. It passed on a 20-14 vote and will move on to the House.
- Senate Joint Resolution 501 would place an item on the 2026 general election ballot, which would amend the Constitution to limit the number of terms an individual could serve as a member of the Legislature. If passed in November, it would place a limit of 16 consecutive years of service in the Legislature. It passed 20-14 and now moves on to the House. I supported this.
- Senate Bill 36 would authorize utility companies to establish mitigation plans, which would potentially allow for limiting utility liability for wildfire damages. It passed by a surprisingly wide margin of 29-4 and will now be considered by the House. I voted in favor of this.
- House Bill 1015 would have created a pilot program in the Unified Judicial System to develop a pretrial release program in an attempt to somewhat unclog the court system and free up jail space. It was defeated by the House on a 33-34 vote and will not come before the Senate. I think I would have supported this had it come to a vote before us.
- Both the House and Senate passed House Bill 1044 by a wide margin. This would allow the State to apply for federal fund expenditure authority of $402 million to move forward with the funding for the first two years of the Rural Health Transformation Program as spelled out in the One Big Beautiful Bill passed this past summer. This truly does have the potential to revolutionize health care in South Dakota in upcoming years. As soon as it cleared both chambers, the Governor signed it as the first piece of legislation to be implemented this session.
Also, this past week, Governor Rhoden had his portrait unveiled and hung in the Senate President’s Chamber. He served six years as our Lt. Governor, which meant he served as president of the Senate during that time. As such, his portrait will now be displayed in the President’s Chamber behind the Senate floor. A fair amount of good-natured ribbing accompanied the proceedings.
I have only served in the Senate for 50 days’ worth of floor proceedings, but there is an endearing tradition that I would like to relate to you. If a senator has a family member, friend, contingent from back home, etc., in the gallery, we can ask the president for a “personal privilege.” This then allows us to introduce them and say a few words. We then all rise and give that individual or group a standing ovation. It adds a personal touch as we carry on the important task of debating and voting on the business of our citizens.
As I close for now, I would like to let you know I am around most Fridays and Saturdays if you would like to track me down for a visit. Also, there will be a couple Cracker Barrels coming up when you can come and visit with the delegation from both District 4 and District 5. These will be at the Farm Show on February 14 at 8 a.m. and at the Home Show on March 14 at 10 a.m. Both will be at the Codington County Extension Complex.
Thank you for allowing me to be of service to you. Until next week.
Glen Vilhauer
District 5 State Senator
605-868-3239
[email protected]
