Governor Rhoden has signed six additional bills into law, bringing the total to 57 bills for the current legislative session. The new laws include Senate Bills 65, 71, and 109, as well as House Bills 1057, 1063, and 1173. These bills address a range of issues, including real estate in Pennington County, the individualized education program (IEP), the state racing fund, and road improvements, among other matters.
Forty-five students are set to graduate this week from the Basic Law Enforcement Training Academy in Pierre. After 13 weeks of rigorous training, which covers law, arrest control tactics, firearms, criminal investigations, and more, the ceremony will take place today at 10 a.m. at the George S. Mickelson Criminal Justice Center.
Fifty teachers’ aides from school districts across South Dakota are being invited to participate in the new Teacher Apprenticeship Pathway program, a unique opportunity to advance their careers. This third round of the program is made possible by funding from the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation.
DOGE sets its sights on South Dakota as the Department of Government Efficiency moves forward with a significant reduction in federal offices across the state. At least 13 offices are slated for closure, including key locations in Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Watertown, Huron, Fort Thompson, Sisseton, and Yankton.
South Dakota farmers, including Stephanie Peterson, owner of Fruit of the Coop in Brandon, are facing uncertainty due to the freezing of USDA grant funds. Peterson was set to move forward with significant business plans after being approved for a $36,000 grant, but last week, the USDA notified her that the funds were frozen due to ongoing government spending cuts.
The South Dakota House has successfully passed two key anti-human trafficking bills, Senate Bills 58 and 59, proposed by Attorney General Marty Jackley. Having already been approved by the Senate, the bills are now set to move to Governor Larry Rhoden’s desk for final approval and signature.
South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden has expanded the state’s executive order to include a ban on two Chinese apps, DeepSeek and RedNote. This move restricts state devices and personal devices used by state employees during work hours from accessing these applications.
The South Dakota Senate Education Committee rejected a bill Tuesday that would have reduced state funding for the high school dual credit program, while advancing another education measure to appropriations. House Bill 1040, which proposed cutting the state’s share of dual credit tuition costs from two-thirds to 50 percent, failed on a 4-3 vote after committee members expressed concerns about passing costs to students and families.
A former South Dakota state employee accused of stealing nearly two million dollars is officially headed to trial. The case has drawn significant attention due to the large sum involved and the role Carroll held within the state agency.
Federal spending cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are having a significant impact on South Dakota, with several federal offices set to close across the state. The DOGE website now lists a dozen South Dakota locations, including the Small Business Administration (SBA) office in Sioux Falls, which has an annual lease of nearly $87,000.