Simplified: About 30% of bills Sioux Falls-area lawmakers proposed this year's state legislative session ultimately made it to Gov. Larry Rhoden's desk, according to analysis from Sioux Falls Simplified. Here's a closer look at what your lawmakers did, specifically.
Why it matters
- Since state lawmakers are elected to represent you, it makes sense that after the session, you'd want to know how they did, what they focused on and how effective they were in passing legislation.
- About 500 bills were proposed in total during South Dakota's 100th annual legislative session, and of those about 213 were from Sioux Falls-area lawmakers.
- Of the just over 200 bills that made it through both chambers and to the governor for final approval, 64 – or, about 30% – had prime sponsors from the Sioux Falls area.
- But not all local lawmakers were equally effective. District 12 Sen. Arch Beal, for example, was not the prime sponsor on any legislation. On the other end of the spectrum, District 25 Sen. Tom Pischke filed 23 pieces of legislation – six of which passed. The median number of bills filed was five.
What about my lawmakers, specifically?
A quick note: Because many bills have a prime sponsor from both the House and Senate, there are some duplicates in this.
What happens next?
Have thoughts or feelings about how your lawmakers did? Reminder that you can reach out to them after finding their contact information here:
How to contact your state lawmakers
Your state senators and representatives directly represent you in the decisions they make that affect all of South Dakota. But they only know what you care about if you tell them.
Megan Raposa
