Sen. Minority Leader Larson: South Dakota Democratic legislators focused on what mattered most during session
As the 2026 South Dakota legislative session comes to a close, I am taking stock of what the Democratic Caucus accomplished and where work still remains.
Across South Dakota, the concerns we hear are remarkably consistent. Whether the conversation happens in Sioux Falls, Aberdeen, Rapid City, or a small-town coffee shop, people are talking about the same pressures. That is why our caucus focused on three priorities this session: affordability, strong public education, and protecting health care.
The final state budget of nearly $7.5 billion included several important outcomes.
Modest increases for the Big Three. The budget includes 1.4 percent increases for education, Medicaid providers, and state employees. While that does not keep pace with inflation or fully support mandated teacher pay increases, it is an improvement from no increases proposed earlier in the session.
Supporting rural health care. The budget increases Medicaid reimbursement for critical access hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers, leveraging federal matching funds to help relieve pressure on struggling rural facilities.
Key infrastructure investments. This includes funding for the women’s prison, airport improvements, rural water systems, and technical colleges.
Protection of South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Late attempts to significantly cut SDPB funding were ultimately defeated.
Like last year, this session revealed a troubling disconnect between debates at the Capitol and the challenges South Dakotans face at home. Despite rising costs across the board for working families, we saw little movement on policies that would ease financial pressure.
Instead, a significant share of legislative attention went to national political debates and cultural flashpoints that do little to help families stay employed, keep communities strong, or move our state forward.
Even in a challenging legislative environment, there were still some wins.
Stopping burdensome requirements. Democrats helped defeat legislation that would have imposed burdensome hiring rules on South Dakota employers just to check potential employees’ citizenship.
Expanding access to school meals. After years of hard work, legislation expanding school lunch eligibility was sent to the Governor’s desk, helping more South Dakota children receive the nutrition they need to learn and succeed.
TANF assistance. We were able to partially retore TANF benefits that were suddenly reduced last summer by DSS.
Protecting SDPB. Democrats and moderate Republican colleagues twice defeated last-minute attempts to cut SDPB funding during the budget debate.
Fair tax policy. Democrats introduced three proposals to eliminate the grocery tax while strengthening long-term revenue stability.
Childcare crisis. SB 213 sought to expand out-of-school care so parents can remain in the workforce while students have safe, structured environments after school.
Reentry after incarceration. SB 139 allows individuals leaving prison to return to their home communities rather than limiting transportation only to Sioux Falls.
Some of these policies passed and some failed, but as we know, policy change rarely happens overnight. Often the first step is building awareness and momentum for better solutions, and we look forward to continuing the push in these areas.
There is still a lot of work ahead. We must not look away from equitable solutions to the affordability crisis. We must continue to strengthen public education and address the childcare shortage that is keeping parents out of the workforce. We must protect access to health care, including the Medicaid expansion South Dakota voters approved. And we must continue building an economy where working families and small businesses can thrive.
Leading from the minority is not easy, but it matters. It means asking hard questions, speaking plainly about the challenges our state faces, and standing up for the people who sent us to Pierre.
To everyone who called, wrote, organized, or stayed engaged this session, thank you.
The work continues.
State Senate Minority Leader Liz Larson of Sioux Falls represents District 10. She sits on the Senate Commerce & Energy, State Affairs and Transportation committees.
Photo: South Dakota Democrats logo
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