2024 South Dakota legislative session
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| 2024 South Dakota legislative session |
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| General information |
| Scheduled session start: Jan. 9, 2024 Scheduled session end: March 25, 2024 |
| Leadership |
| Senate President Larry Rhoden (R) House Speaker |
| Elections |
| Next Election: November 5, 2024 Last Election: November 8, 2022 |
| Previous legislative sessions |
| 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
| Other 2024 legislative sessions |
In 2024, the South Dakota State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 9, 2024, and adjourn on March 25, 2024.
The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2022 elections. Republicans won a 31-4 majority in the Senate and a 63-7 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta. At the start of the 2024 session, South Dakota was one of 20 state legislatures where Republicans had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.
Leadership in 2024
South Dakota State Senate
- Senate president: Larry Rhoden (R)
- Majority leader: Casey Crabtree (R)
- Minority leader: Reynold Nesiba (D)
South Dakota House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House: Hugh Bartels (R)
- Majority leader: Will Mortenson (R)
- Minority leader: Oren Lesmeister (D)
Partisan control in 2024
- See also: State government trifectas
South Dakota was one of 23 Republican state government trifectas at the start of the 2024 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 also one of 20 Republican 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 2024 legislative session.
South Dakota State Senate
| Party | As of January 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 4 | |
| Republican Party | 30 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 35 | |
South Dakota House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 7 | |
| Republican Party | 62 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 70 | |
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 2024 legislative session, there were 30 standing committees in South Dakota's state government, including two joint legislative committees, 14 state Senate committees, and 14 state House committees.
Joint legislative committees
- Appropriations Committee
- Joint Legislative Procedure Committee
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 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
Legislation
Enacted legislation
The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2024 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 in 2024. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
Election administration legislation
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job. Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments, translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language, and, because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan.
The table below lists 2024 election-related legislation in South Dakota. The following information is included for each bill:
- Bill number
- Official name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by bill number. The table displays up to 100 results by default. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, simply click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.
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
The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of South Dakota.
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 |
Historical Senate control
Between 1992 and 2022, 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 2022, expanded their majority to 31-4. The table below shows the partisan history of the South Dakota State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2022. 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: 1992-2022
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 20 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Republicans | 15 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 31 |
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 2018 were gradual.
Historical House control
Between 1992 and 2022, 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 63-7 Republican majority resulting from the 2022 elections. The table below shows the partisan history of the South Dakota House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2022. 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: 1992-2022
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 29 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 24 | 19 | 17 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 7 |
| Republicans | 41 | 45 | 47 | 52 | 50 | 49 | 51 | 50 | 46 | 50 | 53 | 58 | 60 | 59 | 62 | 63 |
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.
See also
| Elections | South Dakota State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes
