Government Outreach Update January 28, 2026

There is an old saying in the Legislature that “it ain’t over until it’s over.” The corollary is that, with enough votes, the Legislature can do anything except repeal or amend the laws of physics.

South Dakota has a unique procedural rule known as the “hoghouse” amendment. This involves amending a bill by striking everything after the enacting clause and putting in entirely new language. Since it’s an amendment, it can happen at any time until the legislature is officially adjourned. (The hoghouse amendment dates back more than100 years, when the Legislature gutted a bill dealing with legislators’ living expenses and replaced it with an appropriation to rebuild the hog barn at South Dakota State University that had burned down.)

While the deadline for introducing bills is next week, because of the possibility of hoghouse amendments or suspending the rules, there may be new ideas occurring until the Legislature officially adjourns on March 30.

• Last week we reported that the Senate bill to license fishing and hunting guides was withdrawn at the request of the prime sponsor. The idea reappeared as HB 1122. It has been assigned to the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources.
• The House Commerce Committee rejected a bill to require cash to be accepted for most in-person transactions. Opponents testified that business owners should be able to decide which forms of payment are appropriate for their business. A resolution “encouraging” the use of physical cash passed the House.
• Contentious issues this year include school funding and property taxes, eminent domain, and data centers.

The first on-air legislative forum will be this Saturday, January 31, on KCCR Radio. The forum will start at 9:30 a.m. and last for 30 minutes.

For comprehensive legislative information please visit the Legislative Research Council Website at https://sdlegislature.gov  

If you would like to contact our area legislators:

Senator Jim Mehlhaff -  Jim.Mehlhaff@sdlegislature.gov

Representative Will Mortenson - Will.Mortenson@sdlegislature.gov

Representative Mike Weisgram - Mike.Weisgram@sdlegislature.gov