Week 8 - 2024 South Dakota Legislature Report
25th District Representative Randy Gross
As bills move through the legislative process, it is worthwhile to know when a bill becomes law. Once passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate AND signed by the Governor, most new laws go into effect on July 1. Some bills contain emergency clauses, such as for reimbursement of disaster recovery costs. Those generally go into effect immediately upon signature by the Governor. Putting an emergency clause on a bill requires that it receive a 2/3 vote to pass. Other legislation may have delayed enactment dates. These go into effect on the date specified in the bill.
Last week I wrote about SB 201 and the concerns I had about its consequences. On the day before we voted on SB 201 Representatives each received over 1500 emails. Mine were approximately 80-90% opposed to SB 201.
This week there was the discussion over three bills pertaining to the carbon dioxide pipeline. The bills will determine the future of the CO2 pipeline and private property rights. These bills were introduced by House and Senate leadership. Each bill has been amended and the negotiations continue.
HB 1185 is an effort to update South Dakota’s existing surveying laws. The bill attempts to increase applicant/landowner communication, clarify landowner compensation, specify when and where a survey may be conducted, and the amount of time the survey will require.
HB 1186 was originally designed to protect property rights by establishing minimum terms for carbon pipeline easements and securing a $1/linear foot annually for the landowners. The structure of the bill was comparable to what the Legislature established when wind and solar easement minimum terms were codified in the late 1990s. For example, the bill contained provisions that capped the easement and that a carbon pipeline easement is void if no permit has been granted by the Public Utilities Commission within five years after the effective date of the easement. The bill was amended to remove the cap on carbon dioxide pipeline easements and the $1/linear foot annually to landowners.
SB 201 was heard in House Commerce and Energy as well as the House floor. The bill was created to establish requirements for linear transmission facilities and would allow counties to impose a surcharge on pipeline companies. The bill also provided landowner protections such as indemnification and liability for damages. The bill, as amended, ultimately passed the House of Representatives 40-30, and will now head to conference committee to sort out each chamber’s differences. This bill has been promoted as a “compromise”; however, property owners receive little in the bill that they do not already have under existing law while pipeline proponents receive a new level of development certainty.
By the time you read this, we will be down to our last couple of days of the legislative session. I will close with the following Ronald Reagan quotes. “Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.” And “There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.”
It continues to be an honor to represent the 25th District. Information on the content and status of all bills is available on the state web site https://sdlegislature.gov. I can be contacted at .
Week 8 - 2024 South Dakota Legislature Report
25th District Senator Tom Pischke
The 8th week of the 2024 legislative session ended on February 29th. At this point, many of the policy related bills have either passed or died and we are now mostly working on spending priorities and putting together a budget.
While the session may be winding down, there are still many exciting conversations and things going on. This past week, we celebrated the 2023 Dell Rapids Quarriers with Senate Commemoration 812. The commemoration reads as follows:
On November 11, 2023, the Dell Rapids Quarriers won a second consecutive 11A state football championship; and the Quarriers were the number one seed going into the playoff tournament and finished the 2023 season with a record of 12-0; and the Quarriers advanced to the state championship after defeating the Madison Bulldogs 52-0 in the first round and the Sioux Falls Christian Chargers 22-14 in the second round; and the Quarriers dominated the state championship game, outscoring West Central by thirty-four points in the first half, en route to a final score of 42-6; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT COMMEMORATED, by the Ninety-Ninth Legislature of the State of South Dakota, that the Dell Rapids Quarriers are the 2023 State 11A football champions. Congratulations boys on a heck of a season!
As always, if you are interested in following along with any of our committees or chambers this session, there are two great ways to do that. First, visit www.sdlegislature.gov as this is the Legislature's home page where you can find any information about session that you are looking for. On the front page you will find a schedule of committees and when the House and Senate will be meeting and what's on the agenda for each meeting. You can also find listings of all the bills that we will be working on this session. Additionally, if you want to listen into a committee or chamber you can click on the South Dakota Public Broadcasting icon next to that scheduled meeting to listen live. The Second way to listen and watch is to visit www.SD.Net where you can find all the live audio from the committees and the live audio and video streams from the House and Senate Chambers.
Finally, if you have any questions about how to find information about a bill or committee, or any questions at all about session please contact me. I can be reached most anytime by phone at 605-999-2948 and by email at . If you do call and I’m unable to answer, try sending me a text and I will call you back later. Additionally, if you email, please include that you are from District 25 and what town you're from. We get 100s of emails a day and I cannot reply to them all, but if I know that you are from our district, I will get back to you! Lastly, if you are planning a trip up to the Capitol for a visit during session, please let me know so that we can find a time to meet up while you are here! Have a great week and God Bless!
-Sen. Tom Pischke
