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Deepfakes bill clears state Senate, loses impact on 2024 primary – South Dakota Searchlight

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Deepfakes bill clears state Senate, loses impact on 2024 primary – South Dakota Searchlight


A bill to bar the dissemination of unlabeled “deepfakes” within 90 days of an election cleared the state Senate on Tuesday, but not before lawmakers stripped it of an emergency clause that would have changed the law in time for the 2024 primary.

Deepfakes is the blanket term attached to photos, audio and video manipulated digitally to resemble or sound like a real person, and they’ve already been used to target voters in the U.S. presidential election. In last month’s primary election in New Hampshire, voters heard robocalls from a voice purporting to be President Joe Biden that urged them to “save their vote” for the general election.

Sen. Liz Larson, D-Sioux Falls, is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 96, which she calls a “light touch” regulation. Twenty-seven states have or are trying to enact outright bans or create regulations around deepfakes, but Larson said South Dakota should take a careful approach that creates accountability without overreaching.

There may be a need for more serious regulation as the technology evolves, she said, but deepfakes are already convincing enough to be used against any candidate.

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“There are currently no laws on our books to prevent anyone from doing this,” Larson said.

Larson played a phony audio clip made to sound like former President Donald Trump during the bill’s committee hearing last week.

SB 96 would make it a class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail, to create and release a video, photo or audio manipulated by digital means to resemble a real person “with the intent to injure a candidate or influence the result of an election” unless it is labeled as fake.

It would also empower the attorney general or targeted candidate to “seek injunctive or other equitable relief prohibiting the dissemination of the deepfake,” and allow the state Board of Elections to issue fines for breaking the law. 

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Those caught creating and releasing election-related deepfakes not labeled as such more than once in five years could be fined up to $10,000 by the board, and those who do so with the intent to cause violence could be fined up to $5,000. In all other cases, the board could issue a $1,000 fine.

As debate on the bill commenced, Larson asked for and received support from her fellow senators to amend the bill with exemptions for media organizations that unknowingly publish or broadcast deepfakes in electoral ads. There are also exemptions for satire or parody.

Those clauses were an issue for Sen. David Wheeler, R-Huron. Satire is subjective, he said, and he also didn’t like the idea that he could “pay a buddy $5” to post a deepfake to a blog and avoid punishment.

“As long as you pay someone to publish it, it’s OK,” Wheeler said of the amendment.

Sen. Liz Larson, D-Sioux Falls, listens to testimony during a state Senate Education Committee meeting on Jan. 16, 2024. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
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Sen. John Wiik, R-Big Stone City, argued that it’s too soon to regulate such a new technology. 

“This is a new thing. And when we’re entering into new territory, our gut instinct is ‘we need a law,’” Wiik said.

He also objected to handing the Board of Elections the power to fine people – something it’s never had, Wiik said.

The majority of senators disagreed with Wheeler and Wiik, though. They voted to back the bill 21-11, not enough to get the two-thirds majority required to make the bill law immediately with the governor’s signature. It was enough, however, for Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden to invoke Joint Rule 513, which allows a bill that misses the two-thirds mark but gets majority support to be immediately reconsidered without an emergency clause. 

After an amendment removing the clause was moved and seconded, SB 96 passed on a 22-10 vote. Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller, R-Rapid City, switched her vote after the amendment.

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Larson’s bill now moves to a House of Representatives committee. If it passes that chamber and is signed by the governor, it will take effect July 1, after the June primary election and before the November general election.

Another bill on deepfakes, SB 107, has yet to see a committee hearing. That bill, from Rapid City Republican Sen. David Johnson, is a companion bill to SB 96. It would go beyond elections to punish those who create deepfakes of any person “with the intent to defame, exploit, harass, intimidate, or sabotage the person.”

 

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Mega Millions, Millionaire for Life winning numbers for March 10, 2026

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The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 10, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 10 drawing

16-21-30-35-65, Mega Ball: 07

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 10 drawing

03-27-43-45-49, Bonus: 04

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

  • Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
  • Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
  • Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
  • Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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Trading property tax for sales tax: Legislature moves forward with parts of homeowner relief package

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Trading property tax for sales tax: Legislature moves forward with parts of homeowner relief package


PIERRE — Two pieces of a property tax reduction package prepared by South Dakota’s legislative leadership and the executive branch are moving forward, but one bill failed during votes on Monday as lawmakers began the final week of the annual legislative session.

The House of Representatives voted

42-27

in support of

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Senate Bill 245

, which would pull future revenue from a scheduled sales tax increase from 4.2% to 4.5% next year into a relief fund for homeowner property taxes, and use nearly $56 million in one-time money to seed the fund before the sales tax increase.

The Senate supported

House Bill 1323

, which would reduce the number of petition signatures needed to force an election on a local government’s decision to levy property taxes beyond limits set by the state. The Senate passed the bill 19-15.

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Both bills have to return to the opposite chamber for consideration of amendments.

The Senate rejected

House Bill 1253

, which would cap annual assessment growth for owner-occupied homes and commercial properties at 5% annually and reset assessments back to market value every five years. The bill failed with a 9-24 vote.

The bills are part of a broader,

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five-bill legislative package

targeted at property tax relief.

Another bill

in the package, which would allow counties to implement a half-percent sales tax with proceeds going to homeowner property tax credits, is awaiting the governor’s signature after he proposed it and it received both chambers’ approval.

The legislative budget committee is scheduled to consider a fifth piece of legislation in the package on Tuesday.

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The bill

would reduce maximum property tax levies for school districts.

Sales tax bill overcomes concerns about future budget needs

SB 245 would capture revenue from the impending sales tax increase to deposit into a “homeowner property tax reduction fund” meant to reduce property taxes levied by school districts. The Legislature and then-Gov. Kristi Noem reduced the state sales tax rate three years ago but scheduled the reduction to sunset in 2027.

House Speaker Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, told lawmakers on Monday that the bill would be an “investment in the people,” because it’ll give South Dakota homeowners more money to spend as they choose. Hansen, the bill’s sponsor and a candidate for governor, said that would lead to more spending and, therefore, more sales tax revenue. The state relies on sales taxes, while counties and schools rely on property taxes, and cities receive revenue from property taxes and sales taxes.

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Some opponents said the legislation would favor wealthier, property-owning South Dakotans rather than lower-income renters.

Rep. Mike Weisgram, R-Fort Pierre, speaks on the House floor at the Capitol in Pierre on March 9, 2026.

(Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

Rep. Mike Weisgram, R-Fort Pierre, worried that automatically diverting future state revenue to reduce homeowner property taxes would come at the cost of other priorities, such as annual funding increases for state employees, Medicaid providers and public schools — which are known as the “big three” budget priorities. Lawmakers often

aim

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to increase funding for the groups by 3% or inflation, whichever is less. An inflationary increase this legislative session would be 2.5%, according to the state Department of Education.

“We are just clawing to get 1.4% for the big three,” Weisgram said. “I don’t think any of us are proud of that.”

Hansen said the decision “is not an either-or” situation.

“We can help the property taxpayers in the state who desperately, desperately need it,” Hansen said, “and then I trust fully that this state is going to continue to grow and that we are going to be able to meet the needs of our core obligations of this state.”

The bill was introduced as an amendment to placeholder legislation last week, and it will head to the Senate for approval. The Senate narrowly rejected a

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similar proposal

earlier this legislative session.

Senate approves lower signature threshold to force election on excess taxes

The version of House Bill 1323 that passed the Senate would set the number of petition signatures needed to force an election on an excess tax levy (often called an “opt-out”) for a local government at 2,500 or 5% of registered voters within its jurisdiction, whichever is less. The current threshold to refer decisions by a local government is 5% of registered voters in the district, without a 2,500 signature cap.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Taffy Howard, R-Rapid City, said it will still be difficult to refer decisions by a local government to voters.

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“You’re talking dozens and dozens of volunteers, weeks of organized effort,” Howard said. “There’s not a lot of people that have been through that and can even organize that kind of effort. So it’s not a trivial bar.”

Because the bill was amended since it last appeared in the House, it’ll now go to the House for approval.

HB 1253 intended to provide South Dakota homeowners and commercial property owners predictable increases in their property assessments, which factor into property taxes they pay, over five year periods.

But opponents said the change would shift the property tax burden onto farmers and ranchers and surprise homeowners every five years when assessments would be re-based on market value, which could lead to double-digit increases in assessments.

This story was originally published on

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SouthDakotaSearchlight.com.

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Political Pulse: South Dakota Senate Majority Leader Jim Mehlhaff on data centers, property taxes and more

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Political Pulse: South Dakota Senate Majority Leader Jim Mehlhaff on data centers, property taxes and more


RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – State Senate Majority Leader Jim Mehlhaff joined Political Pulse over the weekend.

Mehlhaff weighed in on property tax proposals, data centers, and effort to repeal the death penalty and speculation that Kristi Noem could run for Senate.

The interviewed was taped on Saturday.

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