Business & Regulation

Provides funding for economic development projects in South Dakota.

This bill appropriates $101 from the general fund to the state for economic development purposes in South Dakota. The bill includes standard appropriation language for voucher approval, warrant drawing, reversion procedures for unspent funds, and sets an effective date of June 30, 2026.

Creates a fund to pay for capitol building repairs and renovations.

This bill appropriates $101 from the general fund to the state for the vague purpose of 'enhancing the economic health of South Dakota.' The bill includes standard appropriation language for voucher approval, warrant drawing, and fund reversion procedures, with an effective date of June 30, 2026.

Sets rules for selling nicotine products with penalties for violations.

This bill creates new regulations for vapor products (e-cigarettes) in South Dakota by: (1) restricting ingredients to only vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, food-grade flavoring, and nicotine, with limits on toxic substances like vitamin E acetate, arsenic, cyanide, and diacetyl; (2) requiring child-resistant packaging and ingredient labeling with nicotine warnings; (3) prohibiting marketing that targets minors through cartoons, celebrities, or gaming themes; (4) restricting advertising on exteriors, billboards, and digital media; (5) banning marketing on platforms without age controls or that appeal to under-21 audiences; and (6) prohibiting free samples. Violations are Class 2 misdemeanors.

Provides emergency funding to replace the Richmond Lake dam and spillway.

This bill appropriates $101 from the general fund to the state for developing South Dakota's economic viability. The appropriation includes standard provisions for voucher approval, warrant drawing by the state auditor, reversion of unexpended funds, and becomes effective June 30, 2026.

Requires app stores to verify user age and get parental consent for minors.

This bill creates a new regulatory framework for mobile application stores operating in South Dakota. It adds a new violation to the state's deceptive practices law for violations of these app store requirements. The bill establishes definitions for terms like account holder, age categories (child, younger teenager, older teenager, adult), application store providers, developers, and minor accounts. It requires minor accounts to be affiliated with parent accounts and establishes age verification and parental consent requirements for app store operations.

Allows hotels to use biological filters in their pools and hot tubs.

This bill creates a new permit system allowing small lodging establishments (15 or fewer sleeping rooms) to use biological filtration systems in their water recreational facilities. These systems filter water using natural processes like plants, bacteria, and microbes without continuous chemical disinfectants. The Department of Health must issue annual permits, conduct yearly inspections, and establish rules for applications, maintenance requirements, water quality testing, and fees (capped at $50). Establishments that fail inspections lose their permits and cannot reapply for one year.

Updates the definition of e-cigarettes and vaping devices.

This bill modifies the definition of 'electronic smoking device' in South Dakota Code 34-46-1 by clarifying that the device must contain or deliver nicotine specifically, and makes minor grammatical changes to the definition language.

Updates or removes laws about the state athletic commission.

This bill comprehensively revises South Dakota's athletic commission law by adding detailed definitions for boxing, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts terms; expanding the commission's regulatory authority over competitions and sparring exhibitions; requiring licenses/registrations for all participants including fighters, managers, promoters, officials, and seconds; establishing fee structures up to 5% of gross revenues with minimum fees up to $5,000; and creating procedures for disciplinary actions, complaint investigations, and bout result verification.

Changes the deadline for filing certain annual reports.

This bill changes annual report filing deadlines for limited liability companies (LLCs) and limited liability partnerships (LLPs). It creates a specific January 31st deadline for LLCs and LLPs to file their first annual report (by January 31st of the year following authorization to do business) and subsequent reports (each January 31st thereafter), while maintaining the existing general deadline for other business entities.

Requires licenses for online betting on horse and dog races.

This bill regulates online pari-mutuel wagering (betting) on horse and dog races by requiring only licensed multi-jurisdictional totalizator hubs to operate online betting platforms in South Dakota. It establishes tax obligations for both in-state and out-of-state operators, with out-of-state operators taxed based on contributions from South Dakota residents. The bill also updates federal law references and makes minor grammatical changes to existing racing statutes.

Creates a simpler way to form certain business partnerships.

This bill creates two pathways for forming limited liability limited partnerships (LLLPs) in South Dakota: (1) allows existing limited partnerships to qualify as LLLPs by obtaining partner approval, filing a statement of qualification, and adding proper name designations, and (2) creates a new direct formation process by filing a certificate of limited liability limited partnership with the secretary of state that includes the entity name, office addresses, registered agent information if no SD office, an election statement, and optional deferred effective date.

Encourages businesses to accept cash payments.

This concurrent resolution encourages South Dakota citizens to use physical cash in transactions whenever possible and to support businesses that offer cash discounts. It also encourages businesses to offer discounts for cash payments. The resolution cites benefits including privacy protection, reduced transaction fees for businesses, keeping money in-state, inclusion of unbanked populations, and disaster resilience.

Changes licensing requirements for public accountants.

This bill modifies provisions related to public accountant licensure by updating terminology and definitions in the accountancy laws. It makes technical changes to definitions including changing 'may' to 'shall' for the board's rule-making authority, updates language around certificates and permits, removes references to 'substantial equivalency,' and makes various grammatical and structural changes to the South Dakota Board of Accountancy statute.

Updates rules for addiction counselors and prevention services.

This bill revises South Dakota's addiction counseling and prevention services regulation by expanding practitioner definitions to include new categories (addiction counselor supervisees, prevention specialist supervisees, peer support specialists and their trainees/supervisees), reorganizing board duties to focus on competency and public safety, establishing new rulemaking authority for education/examination/practice standards, setting specific fees for various certifications and renewals, expanding title protection to cover all new practitioner categories, allowing reciprocity for out-of-state licensed practitioners, and strengthening regulatory oversight of addiction treatment professionals.

Requires background checks for social workers who want to practice in multiple states.

This bill establishes criminal background check requirements for social workers seeking multistate licenses under the social work licensure compact. It requires applicants to submit fingerprints for state and federal background checks, pay associated fees, and allows the board to consider criminal history information when determining whether to issue a multistate license. The board cannot issue a multistate license before receiving the background check results.