2019 South Dakota legislative session
| South Dakota State Legislature | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type: | State legislature |
| Term limits: | 4 terms (8 years) in Senate, same for House |
| Session start: | January 8, 2019 |
| Session end: | March 29, 2019 |
| Website: | Official Legislature Page |
| Leadership | |
| Senate President: | Larry Rhoden (R) |
| House Speaker: | Steven Haugaard (R) |
| Majority Leader: | Senate: Kris Langer (R) House: Lee Qualm (R) |
| Minority Leader: | Senate: Troy Heinert (D) House: Jamie Smith (D) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 35 (Senate), 70 (House) |
| Length of term: | 2 years (Senate), 2 years (House) |
| Authority: | Art III, Sec 1, South Dakota Constitution |
| Salary: | $11,379/session + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last election: | November 6, 2018 Senate House |
| Next election: | November 3, 2020 Senate House |
| Redistricting: | South Dakota Legislature has control |
South Dakota convened its legislative session on January 8, 2019, and legislators remained in session until March 29, 2019. Republicans had a veto-proof supermajority this legislative session, as they did in 2018. Following the 2018 election, Republicans had a 30-5 majority in the Senate and a 59-11 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta.
Click the links to read more about the 2020 state Senate and state House elections.
Click the links to read more about the 2018 state Senate and state House elections.
Partisan control in 2019
- See also: State government trifectas
South Dakota was one of 22 Republican trifectas at the start of 2019 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.
South Dakota was one of 22 state legislatures where one party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.
The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the South Dakota State Legislature in the 2019 legislative session.
South Dakota State Senate
| Party | As of January 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 5 | |
| Republican Party | 30 | |
| Total | 35 | |
Between 1992 and 2018, partisan control of the South Dakota State Senate shifted in favor of the Republican Party. As a result of the 1992 elections, Democrats held a 20-15 majority. Republicans flipped the chamber in 1994 and, by 2018, expanded their majority to 30-5. The table below shows the partisan history of the South Dakota State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
South Dakota State Senate election results: 1992-2018
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 20 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| Republicans | 15 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 30 |
The largest shift in the partisan balance of the state Senate occurred as a result of the 2010 elections, when Republicans gained 10 seats. Democrats' largest gain was when they picked up five seats in 2006. Apart from the movement between 2006 and 2010, the changes in partisan balance between the 19-16 Republican majority in 1994 and the 30-5 Republican majority in 2016 were gradual.
South Dakota House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 11 | |
| Republican Party | 59 | |
| Total | 70 | |
Between 1992 and 2018, partisan control of the South Dakota House of Representatives shifted in favor of the Republican Party. After the 1992 elections, Republicans held a 41-29 majority. That majority was gradually expanded to the 59-11 Republican majority resulting from the 2018 elections. The table below shows the partisan history of the South Dakota House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
South Dakota House of Representatives election results: 1992-2018
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 29 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 24 | 19 | 17 | 12 | 10 | 11 |
| Republicans | 41 | 45 | 47 | 52 | 50 | 49 | 51 | 50 | 46 | 50 | 53 | 58 | 60 | 59 |
The most significant changes in the partisan balance of the state House occurred between 2008 and 2014. Republicans gained four seats in 2010, three seats in 2012, and five seats in 2014. Before those Republican gains, Democrats picked up four seats in the 2008 elections. There was a similar uptick for Republicans—11 seats gained in three election cycles—between 1992 and 1998.
Leadership in 2019
South Dakota State Senate
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South Dakota House of Representatives
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Regular session
The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2019 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria yet in 2019. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
Standing legislative committees
A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.
At the beginning of the 2019 legislative session, there were 27 standing committees in South Dakota's state government, including 1 joint committee, 13 state Senate committees, and 13 state House committees.
Joint committees
Senate committees
- Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
- Senate Appropriations Committee
- Senate Commerce and Energy Committee
- Senate Education Committee
- Senate Government Operations and Audit Committee
- Senate Health and Human Services Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Legislative Procedure Committee
- Senate Local Government Committee
- Senate Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee
- Senate Retirement Laws Committee
- Senate Select Committee on the Nomination for Lieutenant Governor
- Senate State Affairs Committee
- Senate Taxation Committee
- Senate Transportation Committee
House committees
- House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
- House Appropriations Committee
- House Commerce and Energy Committee
- House Education Committee
- House Government Operations and Audit Committee
- House Health and Human Services Committee
- House Judiciary Committee
- House Legislative Procedure Committee
- House Local Government Committee
- House Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee
- House Retirement Laws Committee
- House State Affairs Committee
- House Taxation Committee
- House Transportation Committee
Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.
The methods by which the South Dakota Constitution can be amended:
Amendments to the South Dakota Constitution may be proposed in three different ways—through a citizen-initiated process, a legislative process, or a state constitutional convention.
Initiative
- See also: Initiated constitutional amendment
An initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.
In South Dakota, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 10% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.
Legislature
A simple majority vote is required during one legislative session for the South Dakota State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 36 votes in the South Dakota House of Representatives and 18 votes in the South Dakota State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Convention
According to Section 2 of Article 23 of the South Dakota Constitution, the South Dakota State Legislature can call a state constitutional convention through a 75% vote in each legislative chamber. Citizens can initiate a constitutional convention question using the same procedures as an initiated constitutional amendment.
Historical partisan control
South Dakota Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Thirty-two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
See also
| Elections | South Dakota State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes
