South Dakota Legislature | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Senate House of Representatives |
| Leadership | |
Senate President pro tempore | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 105 voting members: 35 Senators 70 Representatives |
 | |
Senate political groups | Republican (32) Democratic (3) Vacant (0) |
 | |
House political groups | Republican (64) Democratic (6) Vacant (0) |
| Elections | |
LastSenate election | November 5, 2024 |
LastHouse election | November 5, 2024 |
NextSenate election | November 3, 2026 |
NextHouse election | November 3, 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| South Dakota State Capitol Pierre | |
| Website | |
| http://sdlegislature.gov/ | |
TheSouth Dakota Legislature is the legislative branch of thegovernment ofSouth Dakota. It is abicameral legislative body, consisting of theSouth Dakota Senate, which has 35 members, and theSouth Dakota House of Representatives, which has 70 members.[1] The two houses are similar in most respects; the Senate and House hold the right to confirmgubernatorial appointments to certain offices. In addition, the Senate votes byroll call vote, whereas the larger house uses anelectronic voting system.
The legislature meets at theSouth Dakota State Capitol inPierre. It begins its annual session of the second Tuesday of January each year. The legislative session lasts 40 working days in odd-numbered years, and 35 days working days in even numbered years. Though, in recent years, the legislature has completed its work in 38 working days in both even numbered years as well as odd numbered years. Generally, the legislature meets for four out of every five business days each week until the session ends, excepting on the last day which is delayed to allow for consideration ofgubernatorialvetoes. This schedule enables legislators to have one working day each week at home in their districts to meet with constituents as well as to tend to other personal matters. In addition, the legislature occasionally meets on Saturdays to make-up for recesses on holidays such asPresidents' Day andMartin Luther King, Jr. Day.
The legislature selects, from its membership, an executive board to tend to administrative matters during the time when the legislature is not in session. The administrative support for the legislature is provided by theSouth Dakota Legislative Research Council.
TheRepublican Party of South Dakota has held asupermajority in the state senate since the 1996 election, and in the state house since the 1976 election.[2]
Members of both houses of the state legislature are elected in November of every even-numbered year to serve a two-year term. Since 1993,[3] legislators have been limited to serving four consecutive 2-year terms in a single house, but there is no limit on the number of non-consecutive terms a legislator may serve. A legislator who serves the limit is eligible for election again after 2 years. Vacancies in the legislature are filled bygubernatorial appointment.
State legislators are elected from 35 legislative districts; eachmulti-member district elects one senator and two representatives. In 33 districts, representatives are elected at-large from the entire district. District 26 and 28, however, are divided into two house districts, each of which elects one representative. This is intended to ensure thatNative Americans can elect representatives of their choice.
Legislative districts areredrawn every ten years, following theUnited States census. In 2021, South Dakota enacted new state legislative and congressional districts after the legislature approved a compromise between two competing proposals. Both chambers voted to approve the final proposal, known as the Sparrow map, on November 10, 2021. The House approved the new districts in a 37-31 vote and the Senate by a vote of 30-2.Gov. Kristi Noem (R) later signed the proposal into law.[4]
List of South Dakota legislative districts Each district electsone Senator andtwo members of the House. 33 districts elect their House members at-large, and districts 26 and 28 are split into 2 sub-districts. | |
Statewide political officials ofSouth Dakota | ||
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| U.S. representative |
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| State government | ||
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| Supreme Court (appointed) |
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| International | |
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