Appropriations committee advances multiple funding measures, preserves state library budget

The Joint Committee on Appropriations on the morning of its public hearing advanced several bills to the floor, including an amended motor vehicle technology fee, an appropriation for airport terminal improvements and a revised plan that preserves much of the State Library’s services, while tabling two grant requests.

Why it matters: The committee’s decisions move several funding measures toward final consideration by the full Legislature and resolve questions about where fee and grant dollars would be held and how ongoing costs will be covered. Lawmakers pressed agency officials for details on long-term funding and operational oversight before voting.

The committee opened consideration of a proposal to impose a motor vehicle technology fee, Senate Bill 45. Representative Ryan Moore moved to advance SB 45 with Amendment 45B, which removes a proposed separate “motor vehicle technology fund” and instead directs the $2-per-transaction fee into the existing motor vehicle fund. Mike Howdieshell, Cabinet Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Revenue, told the committee the fee is intended to support operations and ongoing maintenance for the state’s new motor vehicle system and to help fund e-title implementation that Senate Bill 131 would require. Howdieshell said the motor vehicle fund is appropriated annually through the general appropriations act and that placing the fee into that fund would allow the department to manage those ongoing costs. The committee approved the amendment and later recorded a due-pass recommendation on SB 45B (15 yeas, 3 nays).

The committee then took up Senate Bill 56, which would authorize the Bureau of Finance and Management to pay leased rental obligations to the South Dakota…