South Dakota House of Representatives
| South Dakota House of Representatives | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Lower house |
| Term limits: | 4 terms (8 years) |
| 2013 session start: | January 8, 2013 |
| Website: | Official House Page |
| Leadership | |
| House Speaker: | Brian Gosch, (R) |
| Majority Leader: | David Lust, (R) |
| Minority leader: | Bernie Hunhoff, (D) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 70 |
| Democratic Party (17) Republican Party (53) | |
| Length of term: | 2 years |
| Authority: | Art III, South Dakota Constitution |
| Salary: | $12,000/two-year term + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 6, 2012 (70 seats) |
| Next election: | November 4, 2014 (70 seats) |
| Redistricting: | South Dakota South Dakota Legislature has control |
Contents |
South Dakota state representatives are elected to two year terms, and are limited to no more than four consecutive terms, as per Section 6 of Article III of South Dakota's Constitution.
As of June 2013, South Dakota is one of 24 Republican state government trifectas.
Sessions
Article III of the South Dakota Constitution establishes when the South Dakota State Legislature, of which the House of Representatives is a part, is to be in session. Section 7 of Article III states that the Legislature is to meet in regular session each year on the second Tuesday of January.
The South Dakota Constitution also contains provisions concerning special sessions of the Legislature. Section 3 of Article IV allows the Governor of South Dakota to convene a special session of the Legislature. Additionally, Section 31 of Article III allows for a special session to be convened by the presiding officers of both legislative houses upon the written request of two-thirds of the members of each house.
2013
- See also: Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions
In 2013, the Legislature will be in session from January 8 through March 25.
Major issues
Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) has asked legislators to focus on reforming the state's criminal justice system. They will also have to approve a new, balanced budget.[3]
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the House was in session from January 10 through March 19.
2011
- See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions
In 2011, the Legislature was in session from January 11 through March 28. [4]
2010
- See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions
In 2010, the House was in session from January 12 to March 29.[5]
Transparency
The Sunlight Foundation released an "Open Legislative Data Report Card" in March 2013. South Dakota was given a grade of C in the report. The report card evaluated how adequate, complete and accessible legislative data is to the general public. A total of 10 states received an A -- Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Kansas, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington.[6]
Elections
2012
Elections for the office of South Dakota House of Representatives will be held in South Dakota on November 6, 2012. All 70 seats were up for election.
The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was March 27, 2012.
South Dakota state representatives are subject to term limits, and may not serve more than four two-year terms. In 2012, 7 state representatives will be termed-out of office.
2010
Elections for the office of South Dakota's House of Representatives were held in South Dakota on November 2, 2010.
The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was March 30, 2010. The primary election day was June 8, 2010.
In 2010, the candidates for state house raised a total of $1,675,460 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [7]
| 2010 Donors, South Dakota House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| Donor | Amount |
| Munsterman, Scott | $183,417 |
| South Dakota Democratic Party | $35,550 |
| South Dakota Association of Realtors | $28,000 |
| South Dakota Education Association | $26,700 |
| South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations | $18,550 |
| Schaefer, James | $17,721 |
| Independent Community Bankers of South Dakota | $16,000 |
| Equality South Dakota | $15,500 |
| Murray, Matthew | $15,045 |
| South Dakota Retailers Association | $14,350 |
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the South Dakota House of Representatives, a candidate must be:[8]
- A U.S. citizen at the time of filing
- 21 years old at the filing deadline time
- A two-year resident of South Dakota at the filing deadline time
- May not have been convicted of bribery, perjury or other infamous crime; may not have illegally taken "public moneys"
- A qualified voter. A qualified voter is someone who is:
- * A U.S. citizen
- * Reside in South Dakota
- * At least 18 years old old on or before the next election
- * Not currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction which included imprisonment, served or suspended, in an adult penitentiary system
- * Not be judged mentally incompetent by a court of law
- * Not have served 4 consecutive terms
Vacancies
Under the state constitution, the Governor is responsible for appointing a replacement in the event a vacancy happens in the State Senate. There are no deadlines set in the state constitution to when the Governor has to fill the vacancy[9].
Redistricting
The Legislature is tasked with drawing and passing new legislative maps, which the Governor can veto. The maps must be pre-cleared by the U.S. Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia per Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
2010 census
Census data was delivered to South Dakota on February 11, 2011. The state's population grew 7.9 percent to 814,180, making it the 25th fastest-growing state in the country.[10] On October 24, 2011, the state legislature passed HB 1001, which was signed by Governor Dennis Daugaard on October 25, and precleared on January 19, 2012.[11]
Representatives
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state houses
| Party | As of June 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 17 | |
| Republican Party | 53 | |
| Total | 70 | |
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the South Dakota State House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
Leadership
The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body.[12]
Current leadership
| Current Leadership, South Dakota House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office | Representative | Party |
| State Speaker of the House | Brian Gosch |  Republican
|
| State House Speaker Pro Tempore | Dean Wink | Republican
|
| State House Majority Leader | David Lust | Republican
|
| State House Minority Leader | Bernie Hunhoff |  Democratic
|
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2013, members of the South Dakota Legislature are paid $12,000/two-year term. Legislators receive $110/day per diem. Rates are set by the legislature.[13]
Pension
South Dakota does not provide pensions for legislators.[14]
When sworn in
South Dakota legislators assume office the first day of session after election (Jan. 11).
Current members
Standing committees
The South Dakota House of Representatives has 13 standing committees:
- Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, South Dakota House of Representatives
- Appropriations Committee, South Dakota House of Representatives
- Commerce and Energy Committee, South Dakota House of Representatives
- Education Committee, South Dakota House of Representatives
- Government Operations and Audit Committee, South Dakota House of Representatives
- Health and Human Services Committee, South Dakota House of Representatives
- Judiciary Committee, South Dakota House of Representatives
- Legislative Procedure Committee, South Dakota House of Representatives
- Local Government Committee, South Dakota House of Representatives
- Retirement Laws Committee, South Dakota House of Representatives
- State Affairs Committee, South Dakota House of Representatives
- Taxation Committee, South Dakota House of Representatives
- Transportation Committee, South Dakota House of Representatives
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
During every year from 1992-2013, the Republican Party was the majority in the South Dakota State House of Representatives. The South Dakota House of Representatives is one of nine state Houses that was Republican for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013. South Dakota was under Republican trifectas for the final 19 years of the study.
Across the country, there were 577 Democratic and 483 Republican State Houses of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of South Dakota, the South Dakota State Senate and the South Dakota House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
.PNG)
External links
- Official website of the South Dakota Legislature
- Official list of the current members of the South Dakota House of Representatives
References
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ KTIV, "UPDATE: SD Governor asks lawmakers to revamp criminal justice system," January 8, 2013
- ↑ 2011 SD Legislative Calendar
- ↑ 2010 session dates for South Dakota Legislature
- ↑ Sunlight Foundation Ten Principles for Opening Up Government Information, accessed June 16, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money: "South Dakota House 2010 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ Qualifications for running for South Dakota Senate
- ↑ South Dakota Legislature "South Dakota Constitution"(Referenced Section Article 3, Section 10)
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 South Dakota census statistics, retrieved July 5, 2012.
- ↑ All About Redistricting, Loyola University School of Law, retrieved July 5, 2012.
- ↑ South Dakota House Leadership
- ↑ NCSL.org, "2012 State Legislator Compensation and Per Diem Table," accessed March 18, 2013
- ↑ USA Today, "State-by-state: Benefits available to state legislators," September 23, 2011
- ↑ Mitch Krebs and Roxy Everson "Gov. Rounds Appoints Gosch as District 32 representative to legislature" State News Web September 21, 2007
- ↑ " Governor Appoints Kristin Conzet to Legislature""State News Web" December 2, 2009
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