Budget & Appropriations

Funds the state government's basic operations and schools.

This is a general state appropriations bill that allocates funding for the ordinary expenses of legislative, judicial, and executive departments, state institutions, public debt interest, and common schools for fiscal year 2027. The bill contains detailed budget line items and funding amounts for various government offices and programs, including the Governor's Office, Bureau of Finance and Management, economic development programs, and employee compensation adjustments.

Updates the state budget for 2026.

This bill revises the General Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026 by adjusting budget line items across various state departments and agencies. It makes numerous changes to operating expenses, personal services, and federal funds allocations for departments including Governor's Office, Finance and Management, Revenue, Agriculture, Tourism, Social Services, Health, Education, Public Safety, and Board of Regents. The changes involve increasing or decreasing specific dollar amounts in existing budget categories.

Provides funding for nonprofits that help crime victims.

This bill appropriates $8,000,000 from the general fund to the Department of Public Safety to provide grants to nonprofit organizations that assist victims of child abuse/neglect, domestic violence, sexual assault, and commercial sexual exploitation/trafficking. The grants can fund emergency services, counseling, crisis lines, case management, sexual assault nurse examiners, and child advocacy centers. Grants cannot establish new programs or fund legal services. Recipients must provide annual reports on services delivered.

Moves money from savings accounts to cover immediate state expenses.

This bill transfers $56,153,769 from the budget reserve fund to the general fund and $41,874,757 from the general revenue replacement fund to the general fund. The bill includes an emergency clause making it effective immediately upon passage.

Funds the state's basic operations and public schools.

This is a general appropriations bill that allocates money for the ordinary expenses of South Dakota's legislative, judicial, and executive departments, state institutions, interest on public debt, and common schools for fiscal year 2027. The bill shows budget allocations across various state agencies and departments with specific dollar amounts and FTE positions.

Provides emergency funding for a therapy center for students in Brown County.

This bill appropriates $2,000,000 from the general fund to the Department of Corrections to construct, complete, and equip a regional juvenile corrections center in Brown County. The appropriation includes funding for heating, plumbing, water, sewer, electric facilities, architectural and engineering services, and other required services. The Bureau of Human Resources and Administration will supervise the project, and the bill includes standard provisions for voucher approval and fund reversion procedures.

Funds new manufacturing labs and classrooms at Southeast Technical College.

This bill appropriates $6,000,000 from the general fund to the South Dakota Board of Technical Education to construct an advanced manufacturing laboratory space and classrooms at Southeast Technical College. The appropriation is contingent upon the college receiving $18,000,000 from other sources (gifts, grants, donations) and no bonds being issued for the project. The bill designates administrative oversight to the Bureau of Human Resources and Administration and includes standard appropriation procedures for voucher approval and fund reversion.

Funds a new Highway Patrol airplane and equipment.

This bill appropriates $5,000,000 from the general fund to the Department of Public Safety for purchasing a new Highway Patrol airplane, mission equipment, and installation of that equipment. The bill includes standard appropriation procedures for voucher approval and fund reversion, and declares an emergency for immediate effectiveness.

Provides emergency grants for volunteer fire departments to buy safety equipment.

This bill appropriates $5 million from the general fund to the Department of Public Safety to provide grants for volunteer fire departments to purchase personal protective equipment for firefighters. The grants will be awarded chronologically with priority given to departments showing greatest need. Any unspent funds revert by June 30, 2030.

Creates a fund to help build and repair schools.

This bill creates the South Dakota school construction loan fund administered by the Department of Education to provide zero-interest loans to eligible school districts for constructing or expanding school buildings. Loans are limited to 40% of total project costs with 20-year repayment terms. The fund allocates 30% for districts with 4,000+ students and 70% for smaller districts. Eligibility restrictions exclude districts near other districts (within 10 miles) and small districts under 200 students unless designated as sparse. The bill establishes application processes, reporting requirements, and appropriates $1 to initialize the fund, effective June 30, 2026.

Funds programs to keep teachers from leaving their jobs.

This bill appropriates $2.5 million from the general fund to the Department of Education for grants to school districts and accredited nonpublic schools for a statewide educator retention initiative. The initiative will use data to address educator retention issues, with grants available from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2029. The Department of Education can partner with qualified organizations and use up to 5% of the appropriation for administrative costs.

Funds construction of a trades training center at Lake Area Technical College.

This bill appropriates $5.2 million from the general fund to the South Dakota Board of Technical Education to construct, complete, and equip a trades center at Lake Area Technical College. The funding is contingent upon the college matching the state appropriation with gifts, grants, donations, or other sources. The bill prohibits issuing bonds for the project and places construction oversight under the Bureau of Human Resources and Administration. It includes standard appropriation language for voucher approval and fund reversion procedures, and declares an emergency for immediate implementation.

Provides funding to help schools cover their operating costs.

This bill appropriates $5,000,000 from the general fund to the Department of Education to defray operational costs of school districts. The money will be distributed directly to school districts based on their proportional share of 2026 fall enrollment relative to statewide enrollment. The appropriation is effective June 30, 2026, and any unused funds revert by June 30, 2027.

Funds a new fire management position in the Department of Public Safety.

This bill appropriates $750,000 from the general fund to the Department of Public Safety for a fire management officer position to support Division of Wildland Fire operations east of the Missouri River, effective June 30, 2026.

Funds food banks to buy and distribute food statewide.

This bill appropriates $5 million from the general fund to the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources to provide a single grant to a South Dakota-based statewide food distribution organization. The organization must use at least $1.5 million to purchase food from local farmers and producers in the state. The bill requires annual reporting on grant expenditures and food distribution activities until the grant is fully spent. The Act becomes effective June 30, 2026.

Increases payment rates for community health centers.

This bill appropriates $4 million from the general fund and $4 million in federal fund expenditure authority to the Department of Social Services to increase payment rates for services provided by federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). The appropriation is effective June 30, 2026, and any unspent funds will revert according to standard state procedures.

Allows housing funds to be used for airport construction loans.

This bill transfers unobligated money from the South Dakota housing infrastructure fund to the revolving economic development and initiative fund. It authorizes the Board of Economic Development to provide zero-interest, unsecured loans up to $15 million to airport owners/operators in metropolitan areas with populations between 125,000-275,000+ for airport infrastructure projects. The loans have 20-year amortization with equal annual payments, first payment due one year after funding, and must be closed by June 30, 2030. Municipal loans are exempt from certain debt limitation chapters but subject to constitutional municipal debt limits.

Provides money for state employee salary payments.

This bill appropriates $20.7 million ($8.45M general fund, $3.52M federal funds, $8.68M other funds) to provide state employees with a 1.5% salary increase starting July 1, 2026. Each state employee employed as of January 1, 2026 will receive monthly payments equal to one-twelfth of 1.5% of their January 1, 2026 annualized salary.

Provides emergency funding to pay for major lawsuits against the state.

This bill appropriates $650,000 from the general fund to the extraordinary litigation fund for payment of eligible expenses under section 1-33-8.11. It establishes procedures for voucher approval and warrant drawing, includes standard reversion language for unused funds, and declares an emergency to make the appropriation effective immediately.

Provides emergency funding for tax refunds to elderly and disabled residents.

This bill appropriates $425,000 from the general fund to the Department of Revenue to provide tax refunds to elderly persons and persons with disabilities for real property tax and sales tax under existing chapters 10-18A and 10-45A. Up to $20,000 of the appropriation may be used for administration. The bill includes standard appropriation language regarding voucher approval, warrant drawing, fund reversion by June 30, 2027, and declares an emergency for immediate effect.

Funds an expansion to the pig barn at South Dakota State University.

This bill appropriates $1,720,000 to the Board of Regents for the design and construction of an addition to an existing swine wean-to-finish barn at South Dakota State University. The appropriation comes from other fund expenditure authority for donated moneys, and allows for cost adjustments up to 125% of the original estimate due to inflation or regulatory changes. The bill includes standard appropriation provisions for accepting additional funds, disclaiming state liability for any debt incurred, and administrative oversight.

Funds construction of a new indoor sports facility at Dakota State University.

This bill appropriates $13,330,000 to the Board of Regents for the design and construction of an indoor athletics facility at Dakota State University's Beacom PREMIER Complex in Madison. The bill allows for cost adjustments up to 125% of the estimated amount due to inflation and regulatory changes, permits acceptance of external funding sources, and declares an emergency for immediate implementation.

Provides emergency funding to fight wildfires in the state.

This bill appropriates $2,652,561 from the general fund to the state fire suppression special revenue fund for costs related to suppressing wildfires that impact the state. It establishes procedures for voucher approval and warrant drawing through the Department of Public Safety and state auditor, includes a reversion clause for unused funds, and declares an emergency for immediate implementation.

Provides emergency funding for state disasters and emergencies.

This bill appropriates $4,205,497 from the general fund to the special emergency and disaster special revenue fund for costs related to any emergency or disaster impacting the state. It designates the secretary of the Department of Public Safety to approve vouchers and includes an emergency clause for immediate effect.

Extends the deadline to spend money allocated for upgrading state computer systems.

This bill extends the deadline for unspent appropriations from the 2023 state enterprise resource planning (ERP) system modernization project to revert to the general fund from the standard reversion timeline to June 30, 2029.