Legislative Update with Chesney

​2025 South Dakota Legislative Session kicks off today and South Dakota Credit Union Legislative Day will be held tomorrow!

by Chesney Garnos, Executive Director of Government Affairs

​100th South Dakota Legislative Session
The South Dakota Legislative Session begins today, marking a historic year as the 100th session in state history. For those who like little history, the legislative session always convenes at 12:00 noon on the second Tuesday in January, as provided in the constitution. Today in Pierre, Governor Kristi Noem will deliver the State of the State address. Tomorrow, we will hear the State of the Judiciary, followed by the State of the Tribes. From there, the committee work and the bill process will begin!

Bill Tracking
Speaking of bills, you can follow along with the bills we are tracking during this year’s session in South Dakota by visiting DakCU’s website or clicking here. It is as simple as clicking the link and choosing your state in the drop-down menu. Once filtered, our interactive bill tracker will explain each bill, our position, and recent or upcoming committee actions. The lists will also be updated in real time as bills are filed. South Dakota legislators have until the beginning of February to introduce bills. For more specific dates during the South Dakota Legislative Session, you can view the calendar here.
 
The South Dakota Credit Union Legislative Day Tomorrow
The 2025 South Dakota Legislative Day is taking place in Pierre tomorrow! It promises to be an amazing day packed with advocacy. For those attending, please note that parking will be limited near the Capitol this week due to the first week of the session. Additionally, our meeting time has been moved up, so please review the schedule thoroughly below!

Event Schedule

•  10:00 am (optional): State of Judiciary
  • If you arrive in town early, attend the State of the Judiciary at 10:00 am for a critical update. (Open to all)
• 10:30 am – 11:30 am: Donuts for Legislators at the Capitol Building
  • The South Dakota GAC will provide coffee and donuts at the Capitol to kick off the morning engaging with legislators. (SD GAC only)
• 11:45 am: SD GAC Meeting
  • This SD GAC will hold its annual meeting at Oahe Federal Credit Union Board Room. (SD GAC only)
• 12:45 pm: State of the Tribes Address
  • Please be at the Capitol by 12:45 pm and meet in the Rotunda. Due to the first week of session, please plan accordingly for parking. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear an important tribal update. (Open to all)
• 1:45 pm: Group Photo at the Capitol Rotunda
  • Meet at the Capitol Building in the Rotunda for a group credit union photo. (Open to all)
• 2:30 pm: Break
• 4:00 pm: South Dakota Legislative Leadership Panel
  • Location: Red Rossa (Hills + Highlands Rooms).
  • Introduction by DakCU CEO/President Jeff Olson and moderated by Chesney Garnos, Executive Director of Government Affairs (Open to all). This panel will feature:
    • Senator Casey Crabtree, Former Senate Majority Leader
    • Jody Gillaspie, Director of Consumer Protection, South Dakota Office of the Attorney General
    • Senator Steve Kolbeck, Supervisory Committee Board Member, Service First
    • Kim Olson, Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Senator Mike Rounds’ Office
• 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Legislative Social
  • Location: Red Rossa (Hills + Highlands Rooms)
  • Join us for a networking reception to wrap up the day and continue building relationships with legislators and fellow credit union advocates. (Open to all)

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​Reach out to me directly with any questions.