Tuesday marks the start of the 101st South Dakota Legislative Session. Part-time legislators from around the state are convening to draft and discuss potential laws through March.
SDPB spoke with one legislative leader about what’s ahead.
While South Dakota lawmakers will tackle many topics this legislative session, Senate leadership points to two specific ones South Dakotans may want to keep their eye on. Sen. Pro Tempore Chris Karr identified property taxes and data centers as two key issues.
Karr said testimony he heard on a property tax task force this summer about rising property taxes was “alarming.”
“We want young people to build and start families here, we want our older, elderly and disabled, if they’re still able to be independent, to be able to stay in their homes," Karr said. "We don’t want to kick them out of their homes due to those increasing property tax prices.”
However, Karr said he feels the task force’s discussion could yield positive results.
“We came up with several recommendations, and a lot of them are guard rails to look at what’s happening and how we’re using our dollars, how we’re spending our dollars, what’s causing this growth,” Karr said. “And I think there’s going to be some really good discussions there.”
Some believe politics could creep into the session. This year, all seats are up for grabs in the November election. Many lawmakers are opting for other positions in November at the local, state and federal levels of government. Along with that, many lawmakers have hitched their horse to candidates through endorsements for various elections like the gubernatorial race.
Some have said that might make this session a tough year to bring meaningful change. Karr said he has a message and plan to encourage legislators against getting lost in the politics of the coming year.
“Don’t think about these camps. Think about the people that elected you, and what’s the right thing to do on these issues. Instead of positioning and politics and personalities, let’s focus on good policy,” Karr said. “And that’s what I keep trying to remind everybody, and I will continue to do that because if it starts becoming about something more than the policies and the taxpayer, then I think it raises some concerns. And there should be. If I were just a member of the voting public, I’d be going, ‘What are we doing guys?’ And I think South Dakota’s better than that.”
