The last week of the regular legislative session ended late Friday night with the adoption of HB 1185 - see bill explanation under the bill number.

SB 235 -
Building South Dakota - community development, retention and expansion from within, affordable housing development, workforce development, investment targeted to key educational priorities, business certainty for other development, alternative energy and wind development, sciece and technology development, support for value added ag development, and additional transparency. Funding for this proposal will come from the contractor's excise tax, unclaimed property tax fund, and sales tax rebates for projects as incentives. 25% of fund will go to housing, 25% to infrastructure/transportation improvement, 15% to local economic development efforts/recapitalization of local economic revolving loan funds, 5% to recapitalize REDI Fund for granting incentives for projects less than $20 million, and 30% for ESL/technical education efforts with an overflow mechanism to the state aid formula. Bill passed both House and Senate with a $7 million start-up appropriation.

Veto Day is March 25.

ABATE decided not to introduce the vertical motorcycle plate bill this year but we have a plan to proceed forward working out the issues with all the shareholders for next session. We will be meeting with law enforcement and licensing division to meet their concerns and deal with cost and making of the plates.
Also we are gathering as much information as possible on other states and how they dealt with vertical plates and if they are allowed.

Have a great Spring!

This bill is the major reform of the Governor concerning improving public safety through criminal justice reform. Bill is the product of a workgroup task force comprised of various individuals from law enforcement, judges, victim groups, corrections, dept of social services, and others. Bill makes significant changes in various areas - drug courts, penalties, and prison. Bill is designed to lessen the prison population, deal with treatment for offenders, expand drug courts for non violent offenders. Passed Senate State
Affairs 9-0, passed Senate 31-2.
Has one amendment
to change the numbers to the Oversight Committee. Passed House Judiciary Committee, passed House 63-7. Governor signed

Bill clarifies the gross receipts subject to taxation by the retail sales and service tax, the gross receipts tax on visitor related businesses, the municipal non-ad valorem tax, and the municipal gross receipts tax. Passed House, passed Senate 31-0, signed

These bills deal with restictions to minor's permits to drive a car. All passed Senate. SB 105 and SB 107 were killed in committee, SB 106 - texting bill - failed on House floor and then was reconsidered and passed 43-23. The offense is a secondary offense.