Legislative Update with Chesney

It has certainly been an active and exciting few months for Dakota Credit Union's state legislative advocacy!

by Chesney Garnos, Executive Director of Government Affairs

2025 South Dakota Legislative Recap Pt. 1
We kicked off the year with our highly successful South Dakota Credit Union Legislative Day during the opening of the 100th Legislative Session. This event was our largest and most impactful to date, showcasing the collective strength and unity of our credit union community. A heartfelt thank you to all credit union leaders and members who dedicated their time to ensure our voices resonated loud and clear in Pierre!

This legislative session was historic in many ways—not only marking South Dakota's milestone 100th session but also seeing a remarkable 571 bills, commemorations, and resolutions filed. Our advocacy and South Dakota Governmental Affairs teams worked tirelessly to monitor, track, and influence key legislation. You can explore these bills by accessing our interactive bill tracker and filtering specifically for South Dakota.

Adding to the historic significance, South Dakota welcomed a new governor this year. Larry Rhoden was officially sworn in as the 34th Governor of South Dakota in a private ceremony held in Pierre, succeeding former Governor Kristi Noem, who was appointed as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security in the Trump Administration. Governor Rhoden appointed Representative Tonnis Venhuizen as his Lieutenant Governor; a choice overwhelmingly approved by both legislative chambers.

I was honored to attend the 2025 South Dakota Inaugural Ball, celebrating Governor Larry Rhoden and Lt. Governor Tonnis Venhuizen. This event not only marked their official swearing-in but also featured Governor Rhoden’s inaugural address, emphasizing South Dakota’s foundational values: service, hard work, resilience, and generosity.

Major legislative debates this session included pipeline developments, property tax relief, discussions surrounding the proposed new men's prison, and comprehensive budget allocations for healthcare, education, and state employees.

Governor Rhoden successfully championed his property tax relief initiative; however, the proposed $825 million prison project did not garner enough legislative support to move forward. Meanwhile, a rising anti-pipeline Republican faction secured the passage of eminent domain reform in both legislative chambers, resulting in significant delays to Summit Carbon Solutions' planned $8.9 billion CO2 pipeline. Additionally, Governor Rhoden exercised his first veto to block the expansion of childcare assistance targeted at specific families.
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Our advocacy efforts are ongoing, and we'll return to Pierre for Veto Day on March 31st, marking the conclusion of this legislative session. Stay tuned for part two of our state legislative recap to learn more about our continuing efforts!

​If you have any questions on getting involved in any of these events, please reach out to me at [email protected].