2020 South Dakota Legislative Session

South Dakota State Legislature
General information
Type:	State legislature
Term limits:	4 terms (8 years) in Senate, same for House
Session start:	January 14, 2020
Website:	Official Legislature Page
Leadership
Senate President:	Larry Rhoden (R)
House Speaker:	Steven Haugaard (R)
Majority Leader:	Senate: Kris Langer (R) House: Lee Qualm (R)
Minority Leader:	Senate: Troy Heinert (D) House: Jamie Smith (D)
Structure
Members:	35 (Senate), 70 (House)
Length of term:	2 years (Senate), 2 years (House)
Authority:	Art III, Sec 1, South Dakota Constitution
Salary:	$6,000/session + per diem
Elections
Last election:	November 6, 2018
Next election:	November 3, 2020
Redistricting:	South Dakota Legislature has control

In 2020, the South Dakota State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 14 and adjourn on March 30.

Several state legislatures suspended their sessions or otherwise limited legislative activity in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Republicans had a veto-proof supermajority this legislative session, just as they did in 2019. Following the 2018 election, Republicans had a 30-5 supermajority in the Senate and a 59-11 supermajority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta.

Click the links to read more about the 2020 state Senate and state House elections.
Click the links to read more about the 2018 state Senate and state House elections.

Partisan control in 2020[edit]

See also: State government trifectas

South Dakota was one of 21 Republican state government trifectas at the start of 2020 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 22 state legislatures where one party 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 2020 legislative session.

South Dakota State Senate[edit]

Between 1992 and 2020, 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 2018, expanded their majority to 30-5. The table below shows the partisan history of the South Dakota State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2018. 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.

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 2016 were gradual. Republicans maintained the minimum 24 votes necessary for a supermajority from 2010 to 2020.

South Dakota House of Representatives[edit]

Between 1992 and 2020, 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 59-11 Republican majority resulting from the 2018 elections. The table below shows the partisan history of the South Dakota House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2018. 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.

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. Republicans maintained the minimum 47 votes needed for a supermajority from 2010 to 2020.

Leadership in 2020[edit]

South Dakota State Senate[edit]

• Senate president: Larry Rhoden (R)
• Senate president pro tempore: Brock Greenfield (R)
• Majority leader: Kris Langer (R)
• Minority leader: Troy Heinert (D)

South Dakota House of Representatives[edit]

• Speaker of the House: Steven Haugaard (R)
• Majority leader: Lee Qualm (R)
• Minority leader: Jamie Smith (D)

Regular session[edit]

The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2020 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 2020. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

Standing legislative committees[edit]

See also: Standing committee and List of committees in South Dakota state government

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 2020 legislative session, there were 27 standing committees in South Dakota's state government, including one joint legislative committees, 13 state Senate committees, and 13 state House committees.

Joint legislative committees[edit]

Senate committees[edit]

House committees[edit]

Legislatively referred constitutional amendments[edit]

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 in which the South Dakota Constitution can be amended:

See also: Article XXIII of the South Dakota Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in South Dakota

Amendments to the South Dakota Constitution may be proposed in three different ways:

• Citizens can propose amendments through initiated constitutional amendments.

• South Dakota is one of 18 states where amendments can be proposed through ballot initiative.
• Amendments proposed by petition must be "signed by qualified voters equal in number to at least ten percent of the total votes cast for Governor in the last gubernatorial election."

• The state lawmakers can propose amendments through legislatively referred constitutional amendments.

• The South Dakota State Legislature can refer a proposed amendment to the state's voters through a majority vote.

• South Dakotans can also change their constitution through a convention, according to Section 2 of Article XXIII. There are two ways a convention can happen:

• The state legislature can call a convention through a 75 percent vote "of all the members of each house." This vote of the state legislature does not need to then go to a vote of the people; the legislature can directly call a convention with 75 percent of their membership.
• Conventions can also be "initiated and submitted to the voters in the same manner as an amendment" by collecting signatures on petitions and putting the question about whether to have a convention to a vote of the state's electors.

Whether proposed by initiative or by the state legislature, an amendment may amend one or more articles and related subject matter in other articles as necessary to accomplish the objectives of the amendment.^[1]

2021 measures:

See also: 2021 ballot measures

Certified:

The following measures were certified for the ballot.

No measures to list

2020 measures:

Below is a list of measures that were referred to the 2020 ballot by the legislature.

See also: South Dakota 2020 ballot measures

Certified:

The following measures were certified for the ballot.

• South Dakota Constitutional Amendment B, Deadwood Sports Betting Legalization Amendment (2020)

Historical partisan control[edit]

The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of South Dakota.

See also[edit]

Elections	South Dakota State Government	State Legislatures	State Politics
South Dakota State Senate elections, 2020 South Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2020	South Dakota State Legislature South Dakota House of Representatives South Dakota State Senate Governor of South Dakota South Dakota Supreme Court	State legislative elections, 2020 State legislative special elections, 2020 State legislative elections, 2018 State legislative elections, 2016	State government trifectas State government triplexes Veto overrides in state legislatures State executives State courts Ballot measures

External links[edit]

• Search Google News for this topic
• South Dakota State Legislature homepage

Footnotes[edit]

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