2024 SD Legislative Scorecard

HB1186 establishes that a carbon pipeline easement is a right granted by a landowner for transmitting carbon dioxide by pipeline. The easement must be in writing, recorded, and filed with the county's register of deeds. The easement is valid for up to ninety-nine years and becomes void if business operations do not start within five years of recording. Any mortgages or encumbrances on the easement are the easement holder's responsibility and do not affect the landowner.

The South Dakota State Senate passed HB1186 on March 6, 2024 by a vote of 24 to 10. We have assigned pluses to the nays because, while this bill may appear as if it protects property owners, it still allows eminent domain for carbon-capture pipelines where easements will be in place for 99 years or more. Additionally, these carbon-capture pipelines have direct ties to the United Nations' Agenda 2030 and the disingenuous environmental movement, and states should reject these unconstitutional acts at all costs.

HB1131 mandates the South Dakota Department of Public Safety to waive the fee for an original or duplicate nondriver identification card one time for applicants who are homeless.

The South Dakota State Senate passed HB1131 on February 27, 2024 by a vote of 27 to 6. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this bill expands government intervention and imposes additional financial burdens on taxpayers, essentially picking winners and losers. This bill is another step toward socialism as it undermines the principles of fiscal responsibility and personal accountability.

HB1161 prohibits the state of South Dakota and its agencies from accepting central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) for any payments, including taxes, fees, and debts. Additionally, it mandates that businesses accepting CBDCs must also accept another form of legal tender.

The South Dakota State Senate passed HB1161 on February 15, 2024 by a vote of 32 to 1. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because Article I, Sections 8 and 10 of the U.S. Constitution state that only Congress has the power to coin money. States should take steps to return to the gold standard and embrace the use of real money. Digital currency can be easily tracked, allowing the government to monitor all financial transactions. This could lead to unconstitutional and extensive surveillance of individuals' financial activities, eroding personal privacy and potentially freezing assets, which is already happening in other countries.

SB115 prohibits counties, townships, and municipalities in South Dakota from establishing ordinances, orders, or rules that implement a guaranteed income program.

The South Dakota State Senate passed SB115 on February 7, 2024 by a vote of 64 to 5. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because the concept of a “guaranteed income” (i.e., ‘universal basic income’) relies on the immoral and anti-constitutional act of government-imposed theft disguised as taxation, which takes from citizens the wages they have rightfully earned. This manifestly socialist wealth-redistribution scheme violates both the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment, which were intended to protect against undue deprivation or disparagement of a person’s “property” and provide “equal protection of the laws” for all Americans.

SB201 facilitates the construction of carbon-capture pipelines that threaten property rights, permits state authorities to override local ordinances regulating the pipelines for safety or economic reasons, and fails to impose restrictions on eminent domain.

The South Dakota State Senate passed SB201 on March 6, 2024 by a vote of 24 to 10. We have assigned pluses to the nays because state governments should not implement any aspect of the UN’s Agenda 2030, as it is unconstitutional and undermines state sovereignty. Additionally, this legislation advances the Marxist climate-change agenda and threatens property rights.