Week 8 – Session 2026

I was honored to be the House Prime Sponsor for HB 1035. This bill opens doors for aspiring CPAs by creating new licensure pathways.

Week 8 of Session 2026 concluded on Thursday, March 5th—the 33rd day of this session—and I am writing this on Friday morning, March 6th. I note the timeframe to recall that while 33 days may not seem long, from my perspective, there are so many moving parts to legislative work that the time can become a blur. This week, I voted on 66 pieces of legislation covering a wide range of topics relevant to the citizens of District 24 and the State; all were important enough to make it this far in the legislative calendar. Let me give you some details and results regarding the more significant bills we voted on this week.

As mentioned in a previous legislative update article, a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District is an economic development tool used by county and city governments. This year, there has been elevated notoriety and importance brought to them, as several legislators in the House and Senate introduced legislation to reform the rules around their proper use. SB 228, combined with an amendment to include HB 1319, was the work of legislators and involved stakeholders to bring reforms to this important tool while preserving the opportunities the program offers to local governing bodies and their communities. After months of work and weeks of negotiations, House members easily passed SB 228, respecting the work that went into the legislation and recognizing the value of TIFs for economic development.

SB 98 also passed easily this week. This consumer protection bill deals with purchases of cryptocurrency through an internet-connected terminal (most similar in size and appearance to a bank ATM). Users of these machines—which are usually located in convenience stores, bars, restaurants, and gas stations—deposit cash or funds from credit/debit cards to purchase cryptocurrency. Although this is a legitimate way to buy digital currency, these kiosks are heavily used in scams where criminals impersonate authorities or love interests to coerce victims into sending funds to unscrupulous actors. With research showing that over 50% of the transactions occurring at these kiosks are from people who are under stress, it was important to regulate kiosk operators with strong regulations demanding transparency, responsibility, and refund policies for customers who have been deceived. House members saw the necessity of this legislation, and it passed on Tuesday.

The Sioux Falls and Rapid City airports will receive low-interest loans ($15 million each) from the passage of SB 76. Both airport authorities have been lobbying for years to get state funds for the expansion of their facilities to improve and expand flight availability to popular destinations for incoming and outbound consumers. There is no doubt that active, modern, and efficient airports are economic drivers of any progressive city, so these low-interest loans should help them accomplish their goals.

This year, the Governor endorsed a plan to allocate money to these two airports by using unspent funds in the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF), which is administered by the SD Housing Authority and was established in 2023. This fund originally had $100 million in it and had a balance of $60 million as of January of this year. Many had concluded that since the money wasn’t going out of the HIF very fast, the funds would be better spent on the proposed airport expansions. Looking back several years, I had advocated consistently for the HIF to be established, as additional housing opportunities have been desperately needed in the state, and it was hard for me to see those funds go to other uses. SB 76 passed without my support, but hopefully, it will contribute to the economic benefits for South Dakota that the airport expansion advocates promise.

Undoubtedly, the most pondered legislation passed this week was SB 96—the Governor’s plan to let the people of each county decide if they want to raise their own sales tax rate by up to 0.5% to directly cut their owner-occupied property taxes. The funds raised from the optional sales tax would be placed into a Property Tax Reduction Fund at the county level and would be dedicated toward directly lowering the county property taxes for all homeowners within the county. The county commission could pass the homeowner tax relief option or refer it to a public vote.

If a county commission does not initiate the opportunity, voters could also have the right to bring an initiated ordinance to pass this plan. Opponents of this plan made a good argument that the plan favors larger cities and counties that have strong sales tax receipts, and the largest property tax relief will go to those with larger homes in larger towns. Also, lower-income households who often rent their dwellings will feel the burden of higher prices far more than property owners in more developed areas. It’s also fair to say that there is no perfect legislation, but this did get approval from House members on Thursday.

Well, there is one more week left in this session to consider further legislation and to vote on a balanced budget. I look forward to writing a concluding update for Session 2026 next week, and thanks again for the opportunity to serve in the House of Representatives from District 24.

– mw