Appropriations bills advance
This story was originally posted on Feb. 18. It was last updated with the current bill status on March 11, 2022.
During the 2022 South Dakota Legislative Session, the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce has spent a significant amount of time in the appropriation committee meeting advocating for projects to help advance and promote our community.
Several of these bills we lobbied in support of were related to higher education projects. These include HB 1210, SB 54, SB130 and SB 61. All of these bills were passed by both legislative chambers and have been sent to the Governor’s desk for her consideration and signature.
HB 1210 would appropriate $15 million from the general fund to construct a new biomedical innovation facility on the grounds of the USD Discovery District in Sioux Falls. An additional $10 million would come from the private sector and the City of Sioux Falls for a total of $25 million. If approved, this would allow USD to move on to Phase III of the project, which is to construct the first innovation-driven commercialization and production facility in the district (approximately 50,000 GSF).
This bill passed House Committee on Appropriations with a 12-0 vote. It passed the full House and then passed the Senate Appropriations Committee during the week of Feb. 28 and was later approved by the full Senate.
As of March 11, this bill is waiting for the Governor’s signature.
Dakota State University is proposing a comprehensive $90 million project to expand cyber-research in South Dakota. Two bills seek funding and authority for key pieces of this initiative.
SB 54 would appropriate $30 million from the general fund to be used for assisting Dakota State University with their cyber program expansion, which includes launching the Governor’s Cyber Academy in every South Dakota high school. SB 130 gives the Board of Regents the ability to acquire land donated by Sanford Health for the construction of the DSU Applied Research Laboratory in Sioux Falls. It also appropriates $50 million of privately donated funds to the project.
The DSU Cyber-research project is expected to bring hundreds of well-paying jobs to the community and positions South Dakota to be a leader in the growing field of cyber-research. It is a true gamer-changer for the state.
As of March 11, these bills are waiting for the Governor’s signature.
SB 61 would appropriate $4.5 million for the purpose of purchasing equipment for a health sciences clinical simulation center on the campus of Southeast Technical College. Once completed, the Health Science Simulation Center would allow for approximately 150 new students annually at Southeast Tech to help meet the increasing demand within critical health care career fields.
Private funds for the project are $6.5 million. As of March 11, this bill has passed both chambers and is waiting for the Governor’s signature.