Simplified: South Dakota's 101st legislative session kicks off next week, and there's a lot of ground to cover in 40 days. From property taxes to airport funding to whether lawmakers will uphold a 0% funding increase for schools, here's a high-level look at what we know so far about how Sioux Falls-area lawmakers will be spending their time in Pierre.

Why it matters

  • The Sioux Falls metro area makes up about one-third of the state's population, and with 10 legislative districts in the area, it's about one-third of the legislature, too. Several of those lawmakers attended an event Thursday morning hosted by the chamber of commerce in which each person had a few minutes to highlight priorities in Pierre.
  • Much of the legislative session will focus on the state's budget, which is facing lagging sales tax revenues. That's led Gov. Larry Rhoden to propose a 0% increase to the so-called "big three": education, state workers and medicaid/healthcare providers.
  • It's ultimately up to the legislature to decide how money gets allocated, but lawmakers are also facing some pressure from constituents to lower property taxes. That's something that could have significant impacts on local governments because city, county and school district budgets rely heavily on property tax revenue.
  • Another common theme Thursday morning was an emphasis on collaboration both within and across party lines, as well as a focus on making sure the legislative process goes as it should.
"We've got to get back to some common-sense civility," District 11 Sen. Chris Karr said.

Tell me more about expected legislation

It's not uncommon to see upwards of 300 or 400 bills proposed during a legislative session, so this is a pretty high-level look. That said, here's a run-down of some topics local lawmakers are focusing on.

Criminal justice and rehabilitation

Sioux Falls will be home to a new $650 million state men's prison. With that, local lawmakers are going to push to ensure the state is offering supports so when people are ready to re-enter society, they have the supports they need.

  • To that end, District 11 Rep. Brian Mulder said he plans to bring legislation to offer supports for children whose parents are incarcerated on drug charges with the goal of breaking the cycle of addiction. Mulder also hopes to implement retail licensing for nicotine similar to the state's existing process for selling alcohol.
  • District 15 Sen. Jamie Smith said he hopes to hold the state accountable for additional costs associated with housing a prison in Sioux Falls.

Property taxes

District 10 Rep. Erin Healy said she's looking at ways to address rising property taxes in specific counties that are seeing the highest increases rather than a "one size fits all" approach.

  • She noted a desire to make sure the state isn't shifting too much burden onto city, county and school districts who stand to lose revenue if property tax cuts occur.

Sioux Falls airport expansion

Gov. Rhoden last year announced plans to free up some state funds to loan to both Sioux Falls and Rapid City for airport expansion, and seeing that plan through is a priority of District 13 Rep. Jack Kolbeck.

Regulating data centers

District 2 Sen. Steve Kolbeck said there's "a lot of misinformation" about data centers, a sentiment echoed by Healy.

  • It's unclear exactly what the state-level conversations on data centers will be, but the vibe as of now is that there's a lot to learn.

Balancing local control

District 12 Rep. Greg Jamison said in his work on the local government committee he'll be focusing on threading the needle of balancing local control with the goals (and constraints) of the state as a whole.

Workforce

The good news, as District 12 Rep. Amber Arlint sees it, is that South Dakota already has a lot of programs that are working to improve and expand the state's workforce. Her plan is to urge continued investment in what's already working, including the Build Dakota scholarship.

School lunch

District 15 Rep. Kadyn Wittman is planning to again bring a bill that would expand the state's free lunch program to students who currently qualify for reduced-price lunches – a measure she estimates will cost the state a little over $600,000 total. She said she's already got bipartisan support and hopes to have more lawmakers sign on.

What happens next?

Session kicks off Tuesday with Rhoden's State of the State address. You can keep up with bills filed and the session schedule at sdlegislature.gov.