South Dakota

Hot topics aplenty on South Dakota’s 2026 legislative session agenda

Published

3 weeks ago

January 12, 2026

Hot topics aplenty on South Dakota’s 2026 legislative session agenda

With a slate of hot-button policy issues on the table and limited funding to work with, state Sen. Jim Mehlhaff of Pierre said it is difficult to predict how the 2026 legislative session will play out in the Capitol this year.

“A legislative session is just like the rest of my life — it usually goes just the way I didn’t plan,” the Republican Senate majority leader said of the roughly two-month session that convenes Tuesday, Jan. 13. “Maybe we can have respectful discussions and find good compromises, but it could also become a rodeo-and-a-half, too.”

All joking aside, South Dakota lawmakers are expected to tackle a roster of topics that could have long-lasting impact on the state and its roughly 925,000 residents.

Mehlhaff said that in addition to the annual battle over how to spend state money, legislators are also sure to dive headlong this session into property tax reform and legislation regarding data centers.

Rep. Mike Derby, a Republican from Rapid City, said other major policy issues on the 2026 agenda include efforts to change the state’s electoral process, possible regulation of tax increment financing districts and refining how economic development tools are used in the state.

Hovering over any policy debates, however, will be the difficult task of developing and passing an annual state spending plan following a year when overall tax revenues fell by 1.4%. In response, Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden has proposed no funding increases for schools, state employees and government-funded health programs.

“That’s what we’re going to spend all session talking about,” said Derby, who will lead budget discussions as chairman of the Joint Appropriations Committee. “We have a long list of ideas people want to discuss.”

Passing a spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year is the Legislature’s only required action each year. After several years of receiving a total of roughly $1.3 billion in federal funds related to the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers are back into what Derby describes as budget “normalization” mode.

In his budget address in December, Rhoden proposed a lean budget but did include $14 million in discretionary funds lawmakers could possibly use to advance one-time local, regional or statewide projects.

Gov. Larry Rhoden announces a plan to loan the Sioux Falls Regional Airport Authority $15 million to help pay for a $107 million expansion pending legislative approval on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.

Patrick Lalley / Sioux Falls Live

Derby noted that the governor’s budget recommendation is subject to review and alteration. For instance, some lawmakers might try to use the discretionary money to give one-time bumps to state employees, schools and Medicaid providers, he said.

Other ideas that could rise up during budget negotiations include funding of airport expansions, finding ways to tap into funds from unclaimed property and using money Rhoden targeted toward boosting state reserves to fund new or ongoing projects instead.

Lawmakers tried and failed in 2025 to reform the property tax system, which largely funds local schools and county governments.

The push to reform the property tax system comes as many South Dakota homeowners have seen sharp increases in property valuations that have correspondingly caused their tax bills to jump. Most state government operations are funded through the state sales and use taxes.

A summer task force made 19 recommendations on how to reduce the burden on homeowners, and those ideas are still on the table.

Rhoden has offered a plan to allow counties to vote in a local sales tax to offset a reduction in property taxes, and gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson has floated a plan to give homeowners a $400 annual property tax credit.

South Dakota's Capitol building. Matt Gade / Republic — South Dakota’s Capitol building.

Mehlhaff told News Watch he will offer a plan this session to increase the statewide sales tax by 2% and use that money to remove the burden of funding schools from local taxpayers.

Pros and cons of data centers

The decision on whether to allow construction of data centers that use extensive electricity and water to store huge amounts of computer data is perhaps the hottest topic in South Dakota right now.

The issue

drew a large crowd and high emotions

at Tuesday’s Sioux Falls City Council meeting.

“There’s going to be a robust debate about whether we should incentive data centers to come to South Dakota or put up barriers to them,” Mehlhaff said.

A bill

has already been filed to provide tax exemptions for data centers in an attempt to encourage their development in the state.

Mehlhaff, who is a co-sponsor of that bill, said he would rather see data centers built in the United States, including South Dakota, instead of in foreign countries such as China.

Democrats to push prison reform

The recent large expenditures related to building new prisons for men and women in South Dakota will translate into efforts in the upcoming session to reform elements of the state judicial system and current criminal sentencing laws, said Rep. Erin Healy, a Sioux Falls Democrat who is the House minority leader.

In the past two years, lawmakers have approved construction of a $650 million men’s prison for a site in eastern Sioux Falls and an $87 million women’s prison now being built in Rapid City.

Erin Healy.png — Rep. Erin Healy, D-Sioux Falls

Healy said she expects to see legislation filed to keep low-level offenders out of prison and to provide better prison programs to reduce recidivism.

“I think people are realizing that incarcerating people is a very expensive endeavor and that if we take care of people after arrest or before re-entry (into society) that we can avoid some of those costs,” Healy said. “We can help people before they enter the system because it costs us less money but also because it’s the right thing to do.”

Healy expects to file a bill to provide some criminal immunity from drug charges to anyone who witnesses someone else suffering an overdose.

Amid a tight budget year, Democrats will be looking for new revenue streams in 2026 to counter the funding freezes Gov. Rhoden has proposed for schools, state employees and Medicaid-funded health programs, Healy said.

She also said the rhetoric in the Capitol might be heightened due to the upcoming 2026 gubernatorial election as candidates and their supporters seek to drive home messaging they believe will resonate with voters.

Rhoden, one of those candidates, faces primary challengers from within and outside of the state Legislature.

“There are going to be some interesting developments and potentially we’re going to see some new priorities coming out from different camps aligned with gubernatorial candidates,” Healy said.

— This story originally published on southdakotanewswatch.org.

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South Dakota

Where to watch SDSU women’s basketball vs South Dakota today, TV, time

Published

2 hours ago

January 31, 2026

Press Room

Where to watch SDSU women’s basketball vs South Dakota today, TV, time

South Dakota State’s women’s basketball has a lot on the line when it travels down I-29 to take on South Dakota on Saturday.

The Jackrabbits (17-5, 7-1 Summit League) are coming off an 85-41 home win over Omaha on Jan. 28, while the Coyotes (16-6, 6-2) just beat St. Thomas 67-55 at home the same day.

Here’s what you need to know about when and how to watch South Dakota State at South Dakota.

South Dakota State at South Dakota women’s basketball TV, live stream

TV: Midco Sports Two, Summit League Network
Radio: Jackrabbit Sports Network, Coyote Sports Network
Stream: Midco Sports Plus

South Dakota State at South Dakota time today

Date: Saturday, Jan. 31
Time: 1 p.m. CT
Location: Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion

South Dakota State at South Dakota prediction

Paul Cifonelli, Argus Leader: South Dakota State has won three consecutive games by an average of 36.3 points since dropping a home game to North Dakota State on Jan. 17, and the Jackrabbits appear to have a new sense of determination about them. They also beat Oral Roberts by 27 on Jan. 10, two days after the Golden Eagles won by 22 in Vermillion.

That math doesn’t always work in a rivalry setting, and the Coyotes have a chance to put their top rival in a bad spot in the Summit League standings. South Dakota had a tough 4-5 stretch during December and January, but are 12-1 with a win over Kansas State otherwise. This one has a chance to get interesting if the Coyotes can find a way to slow this down and win in the 60s. That just doesn’t seem likely against a South Dakota State team with a fire lit under it.

South Dakota State 78, South Dakota 61

South Dakota State schedule 2025-26

Jan. 31: at South Dakota, 1 p.m. CT, Midco Sports Two, Summit League Network
Feb. 4: at St. Thomas, 8 p.m. CT, Summit League Network
Feb. 12: vs. North Dakota, 7 p.m. CT, Midco Sports, Summit League Network
Feb. 14: vs. Kansas City, 2 p.m. CT, Summit League Network

South Dakota schedule 2025-26

Jan. 31: vs. South Dakota State, 1 p.m. CT, Midco Sports Two, Summit League Network
Feb. 5: at Denver, 7 p.m. CT, Summit League Network
Feb. 7: at Oral Roberts, 2 p.m. CT, Summit League Network
Feb. 12: vs. Kansas City, 7 p.m. CT, Summit League Network

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South Dakota

South Dakota: Learn about heat-treated soybeans at Cattlemen’s Education Day

Published

14 hours ago

January 30, 2026

Press Room

South Dakota: Learn about heat-treated soybeans at Cattlemen’s Education Day

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association (SDCA), in partnership with South Dakota State University (SDSU), will be hosting Cattlemen’s Education Day on February 19, 2026, in Brookings, S.D. The event brings together industry leaders, educators and cattle producers for a day of learning and connecting.

Attendees will learn about both sides of cattle production from preparing their calves for optimal performance at the rail to understanding how carcasses are graded and processed. Participants will hear from SDSU Extension Feedlot Specialist, Dr. Warren Rusche, about how maturity and yield grades are calculated and the latest carcass trends in the United States.

“We are excited to host the Cattlemen’s Education Day on February 19th on the campus of South Dakota State University,” Rusche said. “We are especially excited to share our most recent research on how we have seen an extra 20-30 pounds in carcass weight by using heat-treated soybeans in finishing diets.”

Each session will provide different strategies to help producers maximize their bottom lines and improve their operation practices. Participants will explore the benefits of soybeans in feeder calf diets, review the latest implant rules and regulations and be updated on the current cattle markets. The event concludes with an open discussion to address practical concerns and industry challenges.

Thanks to the generous support of Merck and South Dakota Soybean Checkoff this day of learning is offered at no cost to attendees, but pre-registration is highly encouraged.

For more information about the event visit sdcattlemen.org, click ‘Events Calendar’ and select ‘Cattlemen’s Education Day’ or contact Ella Stiefvater.

The South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association (SDCA) is a grassroots organization representing members of the beef production industry across the state. The purpose of SDCA is to unify members to work together to protect their industry; seek solutions to industry problems; provide a unified voice and to build the good will, esteem, and recognition the industry deserves. SDCA is an affiliate of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) which has more than 25,000 individual members and represents more than 175,000 cattle producers and feeders nationwide.

–South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association

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South Dakota

From a South Dakota stage to a national platform: The winding road that got Tina Peters on the President’s radar

Published

1 day ago

January 30, 2026

Press Room

From a South Dakota stage to a national platform: The winding road that got Tina Peters on the President’s radar

Mesa County’s former Clerk and Recorder has for months been a subject of national fascination, as well as a source of consternation for Colorado election officials. But it didn’t start out that way.

Tina Peters first made national headlines in the summer of 2021, when the state started looking into the tampering of the county’s voting machines. Almost immediately, the county District Attorney’s office and the FBI began an investigation into the release of information from Mesa County’s Dominion voting election system and the role Peters played in it.

At the start of the investigation, Peters was attending a cybersecurity conference headlined by Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, and a leading purveyor nationally of false claims about election security. She quickly became a cause celebre on the right in President Donald Trump’s MAGA world, when people like Steve Bannon defended her right to investigate claims of election rigging. But for four years, Trump himself remained silent on Peters, even as his allies continued to claim she was innocent.

“I’m not overly surprised that he didn’t have much to say during that time just because there was so much unknown, although that hasn’t stopped him in other ways,” said Republican Matt Crane, the executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, which has long pushed back against Peters’ efforts to try to prove election fraud.

Peters was indicted by a grand jury from Mesa county and a Republican district attorney prosecuted the case. A jury of her peers later found her guilty on seven counts, including four felonies.

“Ms. Peters has made this community a joke. She’s made respecting law enforcement a joke, made respecting court orders a joke. She’s not accepted any responsibility and considers this a badge of honor,” said Mesa County DA Dan Rubinstein during Peters’ sentencing hearing.

But even after her conviction and sentencing in the fall of 2024, still no word from Trump.

“I had hoped that somebody smart was in his ear telling him that all of this was a facade,” said Crane. “She found no evidence of fraud. This is not a person worth getting behind or using calories on because she didn’t find any fraud, and she was a useful idiot for grifters and bad actors.”

Meanwhile, Peters’ supporters wanted Trump to speak out and take action. Scott Bottoms, a Republican representative in the Colorado Statehouse and now candidate for governor, said a team comprised of Peters’ attorneys, members of her inner circle and people like himself staged a campaign to alert the president to her cause.

Bottoms thinks Trump didn’t initially weigh in because it was a state issue and also because he thinks the media was biased against Peters.

“The media has been very quiet or very one-sided on the issue.” He said that contributed to Trump not being directly engaged.

“I mean, how would he hear about a county clerk in Mesa County at the White House unless people had to just be beating on his door with it, and finally he opened his eyes and said, ‘Hey, this is a serious issue going on.’”

Peters’ conviction and sentence have stood out because other legal efforts related to 2020 election tampering have faltered. On Trump’s first day in office in his second term, he commuted the sentences of some of the people convicted of crimes stemming from the U.S. Capitol attack, and pardoned more than 1,200 people for crimes related to the January 6 riot.

Then, in March, the administration turned some attention to Peters. The U.S Department of Justice decided to review her case, and in May of 2025, President Trump released his first social media post calling for her release.

He referred to Peters as a hostage “being held in a Colorado prison by the Democrats, for political reasons. ” He asked the state to release her.

“FREE TINA PETERS, NOW!” Trump wrote to punctuate his message.

Trump has since ramped up efforts to secure her release, at one point telling state leaders to “rot in hell” and using Peters as a reason to punish the blue state, from efforts to cut federal funds to shutting down the National Center for Atmospheric Research and denying disaster emergency funding requests. Trump issued a symbolic federal pardon for her crimes, and Peters’ supporters are pushing for Democratic Gov. Jared Polis to commute her sentence.

Crane is urging the governor to hold firm and resist pressure from Trump and said any special treatment for Peters would invite people to do nefarious things in the name of proving fraud or “stopping the steal.”

“It shows that you can try to undermine our election community, that you can commit these types of crimes, and that there’s no significant consequence to it … It becomes open season on our elections and our election personnel that you can have somebody now and go and listen to some disinformation, not know their jobs and say, hey, ‘we’re going to go and prove this.’”

But for Peters’ supporters, like Bottoms, Trump’s involvement has been welcome news. Though Bottoms said he is discouraged that federal funding for Colorado is being taken away, he said it’s because of the “leftists and the Marxists who control our state,” and is glad Trump is stepping in.

Here is a timeline of Trump’s involvement in the Tina Peters case:

Aug. 12, 2024: A guilty verdict

After more than four hours of deliberation, a Mesa County jury finds Peters guilty on 7 charges, including four felony counts.

Oct. 3, 2024: Prison time for ‘a charlatan’

21st Judicial District Judge Matthew Barrett sentences Peters to more than 8 years in prison. At sentencing, 21st Judicial District Attorney Dan Rubinstein argued for a strict sentence given Peters’ refusal to take accountability for her actions.

Barrett lambasted Peters’ behaviour before handing down the prison time, noting that she was “as defiant a defendant as this court has ever seen.”

“You are no hero,” Barrett told Peters. “You’re a charlatan who used, and is still using, your prior position in office to peddle a snake oil that’s been proven to be junk time and time again.”

Mar. 3, 2025: Department of Justice gets involved

The federal government’s law enforcement arm wades into the Peters issue, announcing plans to review the state conviction. The Department of Justice submitted a statement of interest in district court. In it, the DOJ notes concerns about whether the case was political.

Mar. 10, 2025: Colorado GOP leader calls for federal government to hold back funds

While campaigning to lead the Colorado GOP, Darcy Schoening tells 9News the federal government should pull funding from projects in Colorado, specifically citing Peters’ sentence as rationale.

May 5, 2025: The Truth (social) comes out

President Donald Trump pours fuel onto the Peters issue with a social media post calling for her release. In it, Trump describes Peters as a political prisoner and directs the Department of Justice to “take all necessary action to help secure” her release.

Aug. 21, 2025: Trump takes aim at Colorado again, threatens harsh measures

Trump again calls for Peters’ release, this time while with a threat of consequences should she stay in prison.

Sept. 2, 2025: Space command move announced, signs of a pressure campaign begin

Trump announces he is moving Space Command to Huntsville, Alabama. The President did not mention Peters in the announcement, but Colorado Democrats called the decision “political.”

Nov. 12, 2025: Feds look to move Peters out of state custody

The Federal Bureau of Prisons sends a letter to the Colorado Department of Corrections requesting Peters’ be transferred to a federal facility. Such transfers from state to federal custody are rare and usually are reserved for cases involving long-term safety and security needs.

Colorado’s Attorney General Phil Weiser and 21st Judicial District Attorney Dan Rubinstein would later co-author a letter to the governor asking Polis to reject the request, saying it was an attempt to circumvent the prison sentence Peters received.

Dec. 8, 2025: Federal court rejects Peters’ habeas petition

A federal judge declines to consider Peters’ appeal, saying the state courts must settle the matter first. Peters’ legal team had been arguing that she should be eligible to post bond while the state appeal played out.

Dec. 11, 2025: Peters pardoned, kind of

Trump claims on social media to have pardoned Peters. The action is met with skepticism as Peters was convicted on state charges, and the presidential pardon is commonly understood to be limited to federal crimes.

Peters’ attorneys argue they have found a new read of the presidential pardon powers that could be read to apply to state charges as well.

Dec. 16, 2025: Trump administration vows to dismantle NCAR, Dems think Peters issue to blame

In another blow to federal funding in Colorado, the Trump Administration announces plans to cut funding to the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. Rep. Joe Neguse, a Democrat whose district includes Boulder, suggests it’s retaliation for Peters still being in prison.

Dec. 24, 2025: Peters’ attorneys ask appeals court to review presidential pardon

Just ahead of scheduled oral arguments, Tina Peters’ attorneys ask the Colorado Court of Appeals to consider whether they still have jurisdiction over the clerk’s case in light of Trump’s pardon.

Dec. 30, 2025: Trump vetoes Arkansas River Valley conduit

The bipartisan legislation would have helped finish a critical water project to benefit southeastern Colorado by giving local communities 100 years to pay back no-interest loans.

Dec. 31, 2025: ‘May they rot in hell’

Trump takes to social media to call Gov. Jared Polis a “scumbag” and says Rubinstein, the district attorney in Mesa County, is “disgusting.” He concludes the post: ‘May they rot in Hell. FREE TINA PETERS!”

Jan. 6, 2026: More cuts, more pressure from Trump Administration

The federal government freezes some childcare and food funding intended for Colorado.

Jan. 8, 2026: Colorado AG ratchets up legal challenge

Weiser expands the scope of a lawsuit against the federal government, arguing that the cuts to Colorado funding amounted to a pattern of unlawful behavior.

Jan. 8, 2026: Polis renews attention of his clemency powers with “harsh” comment

After publicly calling Peters’ prison sentence “harsh,” Polis kicks off a new wave of speculation that he might commute some of her sentence.

Jan 9, 2025:

Tina Peters’ attorney, Peter Ticktin, tells CPR News that her legal team has applied for clemency. The Governor’s office later told CPR that it could not confirm a request for clemency for Peters because and said under state law that clemency applications are not a public record.

Jan. 14, 2026: Peters’ case heard by Colorado appellate court

A panel of three Colorado Court of Appeals judges hears arguments as to whether Peters received a fair trial and sentence at the district court level.

Jan. 18, 2026: Peters is involved in a prison scrap

Peters is seen involved in a tussle with another inmate at the La Vista Correctional Facility in Pueblo.

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