South Dakota Legislature Reaches Midpoint of Session

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The South Dakota legislature is at the midpoint of its 38-day session on Thursday, with lawmakers considering a range of bills in Senate Judiciary, House Taxation, and House Health and Human Services committees. Key issues include revising the state's minimum marriage age, property tax caps and food sales tax changes to fund school construction, and banning COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Why it matters

As the legislative session reaches its halfway point, the debates and decisions made by South Dakota lawmakers will have significant impacts on the state's policies around marriage, taxation, public health, and more. These issues are closely watched by residents, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders.

The details

In the Senate Judiciary committee, lawmakers will take up a bill to revise the state's minimum marriage age. In the House Taxation committee, representatives will debate property tax caps and changes to the food sales tax to fund school construction projects. Meanwhile, the House Health and Human Services committee is considering bills to ban COVID-19 vaccine mandates and repeal the state's medical marijuana oversight committee.

• The South Dakota legislative session is 38 days long.
• Thursday, February 19, 2026 marks Day 24 of the 38-day session.

What’s next

Over the next two weeks, the South Dakota Legislature will continue debating and voting on bills as they work towards the end of the 38-day session.