Senate roundup: marriage age, Oceti Sakowin education, lottery and school cash rules see mixed results

The South Dakota Senate took final action or votes on several bills during the floor session. Outcomes included one high-profile passage and multiple defeats or procedural actions:

- Senate Bill 156 (raise minimum marriage age to 18): Failed (16 yeas, 19 nays). Sponsor Senator Davis argued the measure would protect minors from forced or coerced marriages, citing advocacy groups and multi-state data. Opponents said the bill would criminalize marriage or remove protections for some families and suggested alternatives such as requiring both parents’ consent, counseling, or judicial review.

- Senate Bill 196 (incorporate Oceti Sakowin essential understandings into public school curriculum): Failed (7 yeas, 28 nays). Sponsor Senator Grove proposed an amendment to address education committee concerns and argued the bill would standardize tribal history and cultural material across schools; opponents said the material is already integrated into the state’s social studies standards and raised teacher-training and accreditation concerns.

- Senate Bill 203 (increase minimum age to purchase a lottery ticket to 21): Failed (12 yeas, 23 nays). Sponsor Senator Roll sought uniformity across gaming formats, proposing a one-year delayed effective date in amendment A. Officials from the lottery department opposed the change citing implementation concerns and inventory of tickets.

- Senate Bill 205 (increase the maximum number of video lottery machines a licensed establishment may host from 10 to 15): Failed (15 yeas, 20 nays). Sponsors framed the measure as providing business flexibility and modernizing a 1989 limit; opponents warned the change would expand gambling opportunity and potentially harm vulnerable people.

- Senate Bill 218 (revise residency provisions for voting): Tabled by roll call (motion carried 35-0). The motion to table is a final disposition in this session, effectively killing the bill for this year’s calendar.

- Senate Bill 219 (require schools to accept cash payment for admission to school-affiliated events): Passed (19 yeas, 16 nays). Sponsor Senator Blanc said the bill prevents exclusion of people who prefer or must use cash; supporters cited fairness and reduced digital-transaction fees as rationales. Opponents, including several senators and some local-school representatives, invoked local control and operational or theft risks for cash handling; the Senate passed the bill by a narrow margin.

The session also recorded the consent calendar passing earlier in the day and the signing of a separate bill (Senate Bill 47) by the presiding officer, per the journal. Several bills saw extensive floor debate about local control, implementation logistics, and balancing public protections with administrative burden.

Votes and final tallies for the bills above are recorded in the Senate journal and the session transcript.