State Senate keeps sales tax reduction temporary • South Dakota Searchlight

The state Senate killed off a last-minute attempt Tuesday in the House to permanently lower South Dakota’s sales tax to 4.2%, as lawmakers acted on several bills during the third-to-last day of the legislative session.

The Legislature and Gov. Kristi Noem lowered the sales tax from 4.5% to 4.2% last year, but that tax relief will sunset in 2027.

Sen. Jean Hunhoff, R-Yankton, reminded the Senate that lawmakers had weeks ago tanked one tax cut bill that aimed to do what the House amended SB 137 to do on Monday.

“We addressed this bill once this session,” Hunhoff said. “I would ask that we put it to bed.”

SB 137 was defeated on a 29-5 vote.

Cash for long-term care

A bill born of last summer’s long-term care study group is on its way to the governor’s desk. Senate Bill 80 authorizes the Department of Health to issue grants to providers for technological upgrades. That could include tech like remote patient monitoring for elderly patients who choose to remain in their homes, to enhance services at adult day centers or to improve care at nursing homes or assisted living facilities.

The Senate version had $3 million in grant funding. The House amended that figure down to $2 million, and Senators agreed on a 31-3 vote.

SB 80 is funded with state dollars. A bill to put $5 million in federal funds into grants for telemedicine expansion at nursing homes and assisted living facilities, SB 209, passed the House on Monday. It awaits a signature or veto from the governor.

Online porn age verification

The Senate revived a failed bill Monday that would mandate age verification for accessing pornographic websites and converted it into a mandate for a summer legislative study on the topic. 

On Tuesday, the House did not concur with the amendment. Instead, the bill’s prime House sponsor, Rep. Bethany Soye, R-Sioux Falls, successfully motioned to send the bill to a conference committee of lawmakers from the two chambers. 

911 surcharges

A bill to increase funding for 911 call centers by raising phone customers’ monthly surcharge from $1.25 to $2 per line is headed to the governor after the Senate and House approved a conference committee’s version of the bill.

In 2023, the existing surcharge generated about $12.47 million in revenue. With the proposed increase and assuming no change in the number of service lines, the projected revenue is approximately $19.95 million. The surcharge has not been increased since 2012.

Petition signature withdrawal

The House approved the Senate’s amendments to a bill that would establish a process for people to retract their signatures from ballot-question petitions. It comes in response to a proposed ballot measure to restore abortion rights.

The bill includes an emergency clause for immediate enactment prior to the Nov. 5 general election.

Initiated measures and referendums need 17,508 signatures from registered voters to make statewide ballots, and initiated constitutional amendments need 35,017. Dakotans for Health, which is circulating the abortion-rights petitions, has said the petitions have more than 50,000 signatures so far.