2019 South Dakota Legislative Session

Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment

Week 1 Update – January 8-11, 2019

Legislative Notes

The 94^th South Dakota Legislative Session began on Tuesday, January 8, 2019. SD Governor Kristi Noem presented her 1^st State of the State address to a joint session of the State Legislature. Governor Noem discussed several priorities, including transparency in state government, identifying new industries for South Dakota, and fighting methamphetamine use in our state. Governor Noem also indicated she will propose legislation requiring high school graduates to be able to pass the U.S. citizenship test. Additional remarks included bringing high-speed internet to all areas of the state and creating public-private partnerships to help overcome rurality issues.

South Dakota Chief Justice David Gilbertson provided the State of the Judiciary address on Wednesday, January 9, 2019. Chief Justice Gilbertson’s remarks focused on creating a mental health court in the Sioux Falls region and supporting an additional judge in the Second Judicial Circuit. The State of the Tribes address was given by the president of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Rodney Bordeaux, on Thursday, January 10, 2019. President Bordeaux proposed higher education tuition waivers for Native American students and an increase for mental health services in rural areas and reservations. He also recommended a government-to-government summit on meth and opioids, and addressed the development of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

The 2019 Legislative Session will run 40 days (four day work weeks), ending on March 29, 2019.

Bills

As of Friday, January 11, 2019, 42 House Bills and 48 Senate Bills have been submitted for consideration. CPCM is actively tracking the following bills:

HB 1029: An Act to revise certain provisions regarding criminal background checks for adults working in child care institutions.

          Sponsor: Department of Social Services

          Committee Assignment: House Judiciary

HB 1029 requires all adults working in child care institutions, including group homes, residential treatment centers, intensive residential treatment centers, or shelter care facilities, to receive a criminal background check prior to the issuance of a child welfare license for the institution.

 

SB 8:  An Act to provide for a statewide resource information system.

Sponsors: Senator Stalzer and Representative Hunhoff, at the request of the Access to Mental Health Services Study Committee

Committee Assignment: Senate State Affairs

SB 8 requires the Department of Social Services to cooperate with and support each county in the development and maintenance of a centralized resource information system. This will support the implementation of 211 across the state of South Dakota.

 

SB 31: An Act to revise certain provisions regarding criminal background checks for assistant behavior analysts and paraprofessionals.

Sponsors: Department of Social Services

Committee Assignment: Senate Health and Human Services

SB 31 eliminates the need for a national (FBI) criminal background check for assistant behavior analysts and paraprofessionals. These professionals will still require a criminal background check through the Division of Criminal Investigation.

Upcoming Dates

The full social calendar is provided by the SD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

• January 10, 2019: SD Association of Addiction & Prevention Professionals – breakfast
• January 15, 2019: Children’s Day at the Capitol
• January 22, 2019: SD Health Care Association – reception
• January 23, 2019: Community Support Providers of SD – social
• January 24, 2019: SD Governor’s Prayer Breakfast
• January 25, 2019: SD Counseling Associations – Day on the Hill
• February 6, 2019: SD School Age Care Alliance/ Afterschool Day at the Capitol
• February 19, 2019: Social Work Day at the Capitol
• February 20, 2019: SD Association of Youth Care Providers – social
• February 25, 2019: Early Childhood Day at the Capitol
• February 26, 2019: 25^th Annual Disability Awareness Day at the Capitol
• February 26, 2019: SD Department of Tribal Relations Summit

Resources

Bills: To view a full listing of the 2019 Legislative Bills, visit the SD Legislative Research Council webpage.

Legislators: There are 70 Legislators serving in the House of Representatives and 35 Legislators serving in the Senate. You can find your Legislators on the SD Legislative Research Council webpage. A complete listing of 2019 Legislators can also be found on the SD Legislative Research Council webpage.

Committees: There are 26 total standing committees (13 in each house, divided by subject matter). The primary function of a standing committee is to consider each bill or resolution assigned to the committee and to make a specific recommendation on what action should be taken regarding the bill or resolution. Following the introduction and first reading of a bill in either house, the presiding officer assigns the bill to a committee based on the subject matter. Generally, bills dealing with certain subjects are assigned to the same committee.  You can find out which committees your Legislators serve on by visiting the SD Legislative Research Council webpage.

Schedule: For an up-to-date listing of committee schedules and agendas, click HERE. The SD Chamber of Commerce and Industry provides the annual legislative handbook.