South Dakota

Where major education bills stand as Legislature’s main work ends until Veto Day

Published

2 years ago

March 14, 2024

Where major education bills stand as Legislature’s main work ends until Veto Day

This legislative session was a “banner year for education.”

That’s the sentiment of House Majority Leader Will Mortenson (R-Fort Pierre). After all, the 2024 legislative session saw frank conversations about the state’s teacher pay situation, school safety and school lunch, as well as support from lawmakers regarding a tuition freeze and a 4% increase in funding to education.

More: $7.3 billion South Dakota budget funds $27 million increase, new programs and more

All of the following bills can move forward if Gov. Kristi Noem approves the budget as it stands, and doesn’t veto any of the bills that have passed by Veto Day on March 25. Here’s a closer look at what’s at stake:

Teacher pay, education funding and a tuition freeze

State employees and educators will get the 4% increase in education funding both they and Noem wanted to see this year, an increase that will benefit public K-12 and higher education.

Technical colleges and state universities will also see a tuition freeze for the third year straight, an addition to the budget Noem hadn’t originally supported in December, and a move that will keep students’ tuition from rising.

Multiple bills came up dealing with the state’s near-last-in-the-nation average teacher salary. The main one passed is Senate Bill 127, which requires districts to raise their average teacher compensation, which affects salary, by 97% of the increase approved by the Legislature and governor each year starting July 1. Noem signed the bill on Wednesday in Mitchell.

SB 127 also requires each district to pay their teachers a salary at least equal to a new state minimum teacher salary of $45,000. That’s where the figure will start in fiscal year 2025. It will increase by the percentage change in target teacher salary from the previous fiscal year to the current fiscal year each year going forward.

Districts that don’t follow the bill by increasing average teacher compensation and paying teachers at least the state minimum teacher salary could face an accreditation review, or could be penalized $500 in state aid for each full-time teacher employed in the district.

A similar bill, House Bill 1048, was tabled in the Senate. It progressed through most of the legislative session until SB 127 was amended and took over.

More: South Dakota Legislature passes bill aiming to increase teacher salaries, compensation

Another bill, House Bill 1201, is awaiting the governor’s signature and would appropriate $800,000 to the Department of Labor and Regulation for the teacher apprenticeship pathway program.

More than $3 million in funding for a major higher education project, the Center for Quantum Information Science and Technology, is contained in Senate Bill 45, which Noem signed at Dakota State University on Wednesday.

More: Why 4 of South Dakota’s universities want a Center for Quantum Information Science

Noem also signed House Bill 1022, a $6 million appropriation to the Department of Education to provide professional development to teachers on literacy education based on the science of reading, in Mitchell on Wednesday.

Attempt for school safety results in concealed carry in schools

Sen. Brent Hoffman (R-Hartford) brought three different school safety bills this session: Senate Bill 34, Senate Bill 103 and Senate Bill 203.

SB 34 would’ve required all 148 public K-12 school districts and all 706 public K-12 school buildings in the state to have a school sentinel or school resource officer, but it was killed in the Senate Education committee.

SB 103 would’ve required each exterior door of a public school that’s unlocked during regular school hours to be monitored and controlled by a school district employee or school resource officer who’s physically present, and would’ve required video surveillance at main school doors, but a vote to pass the bill with an amendment failed in the Senate.

SB 203 was the only bill to make it out of the Legislature, and lets school principals give written permission to individuals 21 or older with an enhanced permit to carry a concealed pistol at public elementary or secondary schools. It’s on Noem’s desk.

More: South Dakota bill would allow principals to decide who concealed carries guns in schools

School lunch bills failed

There were two different attempts to free up some of the costs families face when paying for school lunch: Rep. Kadyn’ Wittman’s (D-Sioux Falls) House Bill 1042, and Rep. Tyler Tordsen’s (R-Sioux Falls) House Bill 1238.

HB 1042 would’ve covered the cost of breakfast and lunch for students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at an estimated cost of $578,000 per year, but was killed in the House Education committee.

HB 1238 would’ve covered costs for families with incomes less than 209% of the poverty line who aren’t already eligible for free or reduced-price meals through federal programs. Tordsen estimated the annual cost between $1 million and $1.5 million. His bill was killed in the House Committee on Appropriations.

Mixed bag on bills monitoring content, events in educational settings

Noem has a chance in the coming days to sign House Bill 1178, which prohibits the Board of Regents or any institution under its control from using state resources for “obscene live conduct.”

HB 1178 mirrors two similar bills from 2023, House Bill 1116 and House Bill 1125, which were an attempt to prevent events such as the student-led drag show on campus at South Dakota State University in November 2022 from ever happening again.

More: Senate committee advances bill banning ‘obscene live conduct’ at South Dakota universities

Two more outright anti-drag bills, House Bill 1113 and Senate Bill 184, were killed in the early stages of being introduced.

HB 1113 would’ve prohibited the use of state resources for the provision of “lewd or lascivious content,” and sought to limit state agencies, institutions or public school districts to spend money or use state-owned facilities to develop, implement, facilitate, host, promote or fund any “lewd or lascivious content.” HB 1113 was killed in the House State Affairs committee.

SB 184 would’ve made someone guilty of disseminating material harmful to minors, a class one misdemeanor, if they were performing in drag. The bill was killed by the Senate Education committee.

Noem has already signed House Bill 1197, which requires schools to publish online or in their local newspaper what policies they have that restrict minors from accessing obscene matter or materials, something that was largely already in place on many district websites or in their policy handbooks.

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South Dakota

Fact brief: Does South Dakota require front license plates?

Published

7 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Fact brief: Does South Dakota require front license plates?

(South Dakota News Watch) – Yes. South Dakota is one of almost 30 states that require front and back license plates on vehicles, though there are a couple of exceptions.

Vehicles that are used for “occasional transportation, public displays, parades and related pleasure hobby activities” can use a rear-only plate. The plates cost $25 in addition to the normal registration cost. To qualify, drivers must provide their odometer reading at the time of registration and not exceed 7,500 miles in a year.

Motorcycles are also only required to have one plate.

Why use rear-only plates? Many owners don’t like how front plates take away from the aesthetic of their vehicles. But dual plates are touted as a way to assist law enforcement with crime.

South Dakota offers more than a dozen different types of plates: construction, emblem, habitat conservation, Dignity sculpture, historical, amateur radio license, disabled person, firefighter, EMS, tribal, tribal veteran, veteran and several military plates.

Source

South Dakota Department of Revenue, Personalized and Specialty Plates

South Dakota Department of Revenue, License plate application

Lakota Times, South Dakota specialty plates available July 1

South Dakota laws, 32-5-98

Thompson Law Injury lawyers, Which states require front license plates?

South Dakota News Watch partners with Gigafact to publish fact briefs that refute or confirm a claim with supporting information and additional evidence and context.

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Read our verification standards and other best practices policies.
Submit a question for us to answer on the South Dakota News Watch Tipline.
Send questions or feedback to factbrief@sdnewswatch.org.

This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email to get stories when they’re published. Contact Michael Klinski at michael.klinski@sdnewswatch.org.

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Dec. 22, 2025

Published

19 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 22, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

03-18-36-41-54, Powerball: 07, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

09-16-23-34-46, Lucky Ball: 07

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

01-09-18-19-44, Star Ball: 02, ASB: 05

Check Lotto America 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.

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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South Dakota

ICE in SD — from small towns to Operation: Prairie Thunder

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

ICE in SD — from small towns to Operation: Prairie Thunder

Molly Wetsch

Reporter / Report for America corps member
605-531-7382
molly.wetsch@sdnewswatch.org

Five months after Operation: Prairie Thunder officially began, the South Dakota Highway Patrol’s collaborative anti-crime and immigration enforcement effort will continue into the new year, the governor’s office has confirmed.

The program was originally announced by Gov. Larry Rhoden to take place from July 28 through December.

One portion of Operation: Prairie Thunder involves the state’s entrance into multiple 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that allow ICE to delegate some authority to state and local law enforcement agencies.

That happened as immigration enforcement operations ramped up after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who nominated former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as the Department of Homeland Security secretary.

Under Trump and Noem, more than 500,000 people have been deported from the country, according to Homeland Security, which has not released state-by-state deportation numbers.

ICE arrest data indicates focus on Hispanic, male individuals

In South Dakota, ICE and Homeland Security have been visible, especially in small towns in the eastern part of the state.

In July, ICE confirmed an active investigation at the Trail King Industries Inc. manufacturing plant in Mitchell, though no further information has been released about whether that investigation resulted in arrests, detainments or deportations.

In May, Manitou Equipment and Global Polymer Industries in Madison saw eight people arrested on immigration charges.

And in October, Drumgoon Dairy near Lake Norden confirmed that the company had been subjected to an immigration audit by Homeland Security, which is not the same as an immigration raid. But it resulted in the forced termination of 38 employees with citizenship information that was outdated, inaccurate or incomplete.

While nationwide ICE arrests and deportations have targeted a wide variety of individuals from multiple countries – including in neighboring Minnesota, where Somalian people have been the most recent target of ICE operations – South Dakota arrests have involved nearly all Hispanic people.

Most recent ICE arrestees in South Dakota are citizens of Mexico and Central America, with the majority coming from Mexico and Honduras, and 98% are male, according to government data obtained via a FOIA request from the Deportation Data Project and analyzed by South Dakota News Watch.

The project currently retains accurate state-based data from July 1 to Oct. 15. The data cannot accurately reflect any arrests prior to July 1 but can help to understand general arrest trends in South Dakota.

Hispanic people across the state have reported feeling less safe, said Ivan Romero, vice president of the South Dakota Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The Latino Festival and Parade, which is hosted in Sioux Falls by the South Dakota Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, was canceled this year due to safety concerns, Romero told News Watch in October.

“That was unfortunate, but people just don’t feel comfortable coming to Sioux Falls at this point,” he said.

The vast majority of detainer requests from July 1 to Oct. 15 went to the Minnehaha County Jail in Sioux Falls, followed by the Pennington County Jail in Rapid City and the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.

The Deportation Data Project defines detainer requests as “all requests to state, county, and municipal jails and prisons either for a person to be held on a detainer or for a notification of release date and time. A detainer is a request to a local jail to hold someone for 48 hours beyond when they otherwise would be released so that ICE can make an arrest in the jail while the individual remains detained.”

ICE said that detainer requests are most often lodged against an individual in an agency’s custody that poses a “public safety threat.” Other Homeland Security agencies can issue detainers, but most come from ICE, according to the agency’s website.

Operation: Prairie Thunder focuses on drug operations

To date, ICE has signed more than 1,200 287(g) agreements with agencies in 40 states, including five with various South Dakota agencies enabling parts of Operation: Prairie Thunder.

Those agreements take three different forms:

Task Force Agreement: The “force multiplier” program that allows law enforcement officers to adopt limited immigration enforcement duties, with ICE oversight. The South Dakota Highway Patrol signed this agreement on May 22 and the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigations signed it on June 11.
Warrant Service Officer: Allows law enforcement officers to execute warrants on behalf of ICE on individuals in their agency’s jail. The South Dakota Department of Corrections signed this agreement on Aug. 28, the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office signed it on March 17 and the Hughes County Sheriff’s Office in Pierre signed it on March 7.
Jail Enforcement Model: Allows law enforcement officers to identify and process individuals who may be in violation of immigration laws while they are serving time in their agency’s jail. The DOC signed this agreement on July 25.

While Operation: Prairie Thunder’s immigration enforcement prong has been well-publicized in the state, the majority of the program’s activity comes from enhanced traffic monitoring and drug enforcement, according to data released from the governor’s office.

According to a press release from Operation: Prairie Thunder, 260 of 406 – 64% – of individuals currently in custody as a result of Operation: Prairie Thunder have a drug charge and 156 have been cited with a drug charge and released. More than 2,000 traffic citations have been issued.

The “ICE Contacts” section of Operation: Prairie Thunder’s most recent dataset said that 89 people had been contacted in ICE-related situations since the program was announced. A representative from the Department of Public Safety told News Watch in a statement: “The intent of (Operation: Prairie Thunder) is to reduce crime in our communities.

“It is important to note that any ICE contacts are incidental contacts – we aren’t seeking out illegal aliens during the saturation patrols. However, the 287(g) agreement allows us to coordinate swiftly with ICE if a stop uncovers undocumented individuals. Those undocumented, non-citizens, are the people counted as ‘Individuals Contacted.’ Not all of those found to be undocumented are taken into custody, per ICE guidance, therefore the ‘Contacts’ and ‘Arrests’ sections differ.”

The program, which initially concentrated most of its efforts in Sioux Falls and the surrounding area, has started other efforts across the state.

Operation: Prairie Thunder most recently carried out operations in Belle Fourche, Huron and Yankton, where 75 individuals were taken into custody, 42 with a drug charge. Twenty-seven people were identified as ICE contacts.

The city of Brookings issued a statement on Dec. 12 that the operation would be coming to town Dec. 17-19 and that the city “would not be participating.”

Josie Harms, Rhoden’s press secretary, said the ongoing arrest and citation statistics indicate successful crime-fighting efforts.

“Our results remain impressive, and it is clear that this operation is keeping South Dakota strong, safe, and free — so we are going to keep it up,” Harms said in a statement.

This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email for statewide stories. Investigative reporter Molly Wetsch is a Report for America corps member covering rural and Indigenous issues. Contact her at molly.wetsch@sdnewswatch.org.

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