The question of whether South Dakota moves to ban the use of government food assistance for sugary drinks is in the hands of Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden, who has signaled his opposition to the bill all through the 2026 legislative session.

You know psychedelics have mainstream attention as a mental health treatment when even drug-skittish South Dakota gets behind them. The key to support here? Veterans. Psychedelics are a promising alternative treatment for PTSD.

The South Dakota Senate approved a bill that would allow a state housing infrastructure fund to be used for large airport project loans, but at 2% interest instead of the previously proposed 0%.

Last week, the South Dakota Supreme Court ruled that the lieutenant governor has the authority to break tie votes in the state Senate. This week, Senators passed a resolution that would ask voters to strip the lieutenant governor of that authority. southdakotasearchlight.com/2026/02/24/s...

South Dakota legislative committees vetted nine data center bills, leaving three of the bills standing at the end of the day.

Settling a debate that was pushed to the forefront by the health-related absence of a state senator, the SD Supreme Court has issued an opinion saying the lieutenant governor does in fact have the authority to break a tie vote in the state Senate.

A smoke shop lobbyist told a committee of South Dakota lawmakers that nicotine vapes are “the number one method worldwide to help people quit smoking.” Then he asked them to back a bill that would make smoke shops the only place to get the flavored vapes you can currently buy just about anywhere.

South Dakota #MedicalMarijuana cards will soon be primarily digital, lawmakers learned during a legislative committee hearing.

Lawmakers advanced a bill to allow #CharterSchools in South Dakota on a 4-3 committee vote, after debate over whether the proposal would expand opportunity or further strain public schools.

Big news for our noses and our economy here in Sioux Falls. Notable: the 1909-built pork plant and 1881-built state penitentiary just up the hill from it will both be vacated before 2030. Their replacements will be on the outskirts of town.

Barring the use of food stamp benefits for soda purchases would cost South Dakota about $248,000 annually, according to a legislative estimate. The state would have to hire a new employee and obtain software to track sales, file reports and help retailers. #SNAP

A federal judge declined to intervene against the South Dakota Republican attorney general's attempt to shut down a national nonprofit’s #AbortionPills ad campaign in the state. The judge said "I trust that the South Dakota court will get it right."

Debates about which types of authority figures should be #MandatoryReporters of child abuse and neglect ended in one proposal’s failure and another’s advancement at the South Dakota Capitol in Pierre.

Legislation that would have allowed South Dakota health care providers to refuse to perform services that violate their conscience failed in the state House of Representatives.

The state Senate Health and Human Services Committee swatted off two cannabis restriction bills this morning before 9 a.m. The first would've repealed SD's medical cannabis laws if/when the federal gov. reschedules cannabis. sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill...

South Dakota officials should talk to tribal leaders more often, but lawmakers aren’t prepared to make them. That was the message from two bills considered by a legislative committee.

A bill that would bar the practice of jailing people who can’t afford to pay sobriety program fees sailed through a South Dakota House of Representatives panel at the Capitol in Pierre.

Gov. Larry Rhoden vetoed a bill that would effectively ban #LabGrownMeat in South Dakota, but also suggested a moratorium on the products as a compromise approach.

A bill criminalizing fertility fraud that was inspired by a Netflix documentary is on its way to the South Dakota House of Representatives. The 2022 movie is about Donald Cline, of Indianapolis, who secretly used his own sperm to father more than 90 children in the 1970s and 1980s.

South Dakota #prison officials have quietly stood up a program they view as a win for some inmates and their families: Since 2022, qualifying inmate mothers have lived full-time with their children in a house on the campus of the Women’s Prison in Pierre.

Lawmakers want to expand the state's self-defense statutes again, this time by requiring counties to reimburse legal fees incurred by a person who successfully defends a criminal charge on self-defense grounds.

A lawmaker said she takes #ivermectin during each legislative session but forgot it at home and has been sick without it. She ended up on the losing side of a debate about liability shields for doctors and pharmacists who prescribe or dispense drugs used off-label for COVID.

The divide in South Dakota’s Republican Party over the government’s role in #EconomicDevelopment spilled into public view as two of the party’s top leaders argued in front of reporters. More about that exchange:

Health care providers would be able to refuse patients treatment due to conscience-based objections under a bill South Dakota lawmakers endorsed today. Opponents say the bill is overly broad and would lead to legal challenges, strain rural facilities and erode care for patients.

Many thanks to the good people at SDSU Journalism for letting me come by and talk public service reporting this morning in Brookings. These Jackrabbits have four interesting projects in the works, and I look forward to reading them.

South Dakota House Republicans have suspended Rep. Phil Jensen from their caucus meetings for two weeks because of his remarks about Democratic votes on legislation dealing with religion.

A South Dakota legislative panel greenlit a bill that would protect doctors and pharmacists who issue or fill off-label prescriptions for ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine from liability. Neither drug is authorized as a COVID treatment by the FDA.

Two pieces of legislation are going to South Dakota’s House and Senate floors with different levels of increased penalties for disturbing worshippers. Both were filed in response to a recent protest in Minnesota.

The South Dakota House of Representatives will vote on a bill meant to bar the purchase of sweetened beverages with food stamps. Supporters say sodas create and exacerbate health problems. Gov. Larry Rhoden's office calls the plan too costly.

Things you hear on the SD state senate floor you *probably* wouldn't hear at its NY counterpart: "They must think my combine is a million-dollar bird dog."

“There needs to be an acknowledgment that there are bad-faith researchers,” he said. “The rules and regulations need to catch up with that.” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...

“We balance our budget every year. We’re proud of that,” he said. “We need to begin to balance our water budget.”

Legislation that could outlaw #LabGrownMeat in South Dakota passed the state House and is headed to the Senate. Last year, lawmakers passed a bill requiring clear labels on the product.

Question from a friend just now: "When's the last time a South Dakotan was name checked in a Springsteen song?" I believe the answer was never until just now. Kristi Noem's the first. youtu.be/wWKSoxG1K7w?...

The mention of ICE in a resolution on tribal policing was enough to draw 18 no votes. That mention made clear that support for a federal tribal police academy in SD did not amount to support for ICE.

Blink-and-you-missed it news that's not about the South Dakota legislature: An inmate charged with giving drugs to an inmate who later overdosed on them probably won't spend any extra time in prison. Why? Partly because the DOC failed to preserve evidence. southdakotasearchlight.com/2026/01/27/i...

Point: "We’re not going to give our teachers a pay raise, we’re out of money, and we’re going to pass a bill that we know is going to cost the taxpayers millions of dollars,” Reisch said. “I’m going to be a ‘no’ on this.”

Eleven people, including a former prison food service contract worker, inmates alleged to be gang members and non-inmates have been indicted on a host of drug-related charges tied to an overdose death at Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield, South Dakota.

Families who qualify for reduced-price #SchoolMeals would no longer have to pay a portion of the cost if a bill advancing in the SD Legislature becomes law. “When the state mandates education, it takes on a shared responsibility to ensure that students can succeed," the sponsor said.

Lawmakers rejected a pretrial monitoring program requested by South Dakota’s top judicial official, as some legislators expressed concerns about the perceived political persuasion of the foundation that pledged to pay for it. One lawmaker called MacArthur Foundation grants "woke." buff.ly/rxmDp9Z

Another person in Minneapolis shot and killed by feds minnesotareformer.com/2026/01/24/a...

Follow-up: Rep. Greg Jamison, who's running for mayor in Sioux Falls, was Top Gun at the legislative shoot-out this week. Take that, West River. www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1...

The head of South Dakota's Department of Corrections loves his profession, he said, because “you can save a life” by talking to and listening to inmates. He hopes to find people with a similar passion as the department aims to reduce its turnover rate by 12 percentage points.

It's never good when the forecast looks like it belongs at a Grateful Dead show

“I’ve got 18-year-old kids working the galleries at night, with adults,” said DOC Secretary Nick Lamb, using a term for the tiered floors of inmates at the penitentiary. “God bless them. They’re going to make mistakes, but that’s what we have now.” southdakotasearchlight.com/2026/01/23/p...

A South Dakota legislative committee defeated a proposal that could have produced more revenue from the state’s taxes on #gold #mining.

Point: Steve Siegel of the South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association said he’s had many friends who’ve switched to THC seltzers from alcohol or pain killers. “These drinks should be regulated. But they’re selling like wildfire,” Siegel said. “They’re a phenomenal alternative to alcohol.”

Point: "When I miss class time, my focus should be on catching up academically, not being required to spend even more time on physical activity I already am doing every day.”

The South Dakota Legislature's annual shootout takes place tonight at law enforcement training center in Pierre. The legislature's crackin-est crack shot gets a trophy. Last year, that was Rep. Terri Jorgenson of Piedmont (retired military). www.facebook.com/SDATG/posts/...

Retired sportscaster Michele Tafoya on Wednesday announced she will run for Minnesota’s soon-to-be vacated U.S. Senate seat as a Republican.