Legislative Update with Chesney

South Dakota's 100th Legislative Session kicked off with Governor Noem's bold address, a high-energy Credit Union Legislative Day, and a fast-moving legislative agenda.

by Chesney Garnos, Executive Director of Government Affairs

Last week, we kicked off the 100th Legislative Session in South Dakota on Tuesday with Governor Noem’s State of the State Address. During her address, Governor Noem highlighted her famous “10 key accomplishments” from her time in office. These accomplishments included:

#10. Education.
#9. Healthcare.
#8 Agriculture.
#7 Outdoor Opportunities.
#6 Babies.
#5 Safety.
#4 South Dakota’s Economy.
#3 Our Values.
#2 Our Freedoms.
#1 Our People.

This is the second year Governor Noem has taken this nontraditional approach to the State of the State Address, emphasizing administrative highlights with touches of legislative measures. This may be partly due to her national popularity, as by the end of the week, she began the confirmation process in Washington, D.C. to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security for the Trump administration. She is expected to be confirmed soon, and as a result, Lt. Governor Larry Rhoden will become South Dakota’s 34th Governor in the coming weeks.

On the topic of Lt. Governor Larry Rhoden, credit union leaders from across South Dakota had the opportunity to take a photo with him and State Treasurer Josh Haeder during our South Dakota Credit Union Legislative Day last Wednesday. It was an action-packed day full of excitement, including distributing donuts and coffee to legislators, attending the State of the Tribes, having a panel discussion with a wealth of knowledge, and participating in our legislative social. The panel was moderated by our President/CEO Jeff Olson and included Senator Steve Kolbeck, Senator Casey Crabtree, Jody Gillaspie, Director of Consumer Protection from the Attorney General’s Office, and Lorraine Polak, Housing Development Specialist from Senator Mike Rounds’ office. We wrapped up the evening with one of our best-attended legislative socials in years! A big thank you to our team at DakCU, our sponsors, and the SD GAC for making this year’s event a success.

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 While some legislative sessions in South Dakota have traditionally started slowly, last week’s session began at full speed. Our advocacy team and the SD GAC are already tracking nine pieces of legislation, with more expected to emerge soon. If you’re interested in the legislation we’re tracking, visit our bill tracker and filter by South Dakota. You can also filter for North Dakota and U.S. legislation as well.

​If you have any questions about the legislation we’re monitoring, please don’t hesitate to contact me!