With just four days remaining in this year’s legislative session in Pierre, South Dakota lawmakers are gearing up for Veto Day and finalizing the state budget for the fiscal year 2025
About 20 bills are still waiting for final votes, with some needing appropriations after being reduced to a dollar amount in previous weeks. Funding for SB 134, the Healthy Forest Critical Infrastructure grant fund bill, has been cut from $20-million to $6-million.
Several bills of importance to West River got final approval last week, including more funding for the new women’s prison in Rapid City, support for a new center for Quantum Information Science and Technology at South Dakota School of Mines, and increased funding for wildland fire stations.