Senate adopts pages resolution, passes consent calendar and defers two bills

The South Dakota Senate adopted a resolution honoring the chamber’s pages, approved several items from the consent calendar on final passage, and deferred two bills to a later date during floor proceedings.

Senate Page Resolution 1, commending the pages who served during the session, was adopted after brief remarks. The roll call recorded 35 ayes and the resolution was declared passed.

Under the consent calendar, senators voted collectively on several bills certified as uncontested by committees. The following bills were taken up and passed on final passage: Senate Bill 7 (prohibiting certain immigration‑related policies), Senate Bill 15 (expanding the policy advisory committee for animal damage control), Senate Bill 41 (clarifying minimum age requirements for hunting licenses), and Senate Bill 74 (requiring publication and review of an explanation of the state open meetings law). The record shows the consent calendar measures passed with 35 ayes.

Senator Melhoff moved to defer Senate Bill 51 to Monday, Jan. 27 (the 9th legislative day). Senator Melhoff also moved that Senate Bill 11 be deferred to Monday, Jan. 27; the motions were entered on the record and carried. The Senate also received transmitted House bills 1011, 1022, 1023 and 1049 for consideration; none had been assigned to committees at the time of the floor remarks.

Several first‑reading measures were introduced on the floor without debate, including Senate Bills 91–98 and House Bills 1011, 1022, 1023 and 1049. Senator Carley requested that Senate Bill 20 be removed from the consent calendar before the collective vote.

These items were taken up during routine floor action; votes and motions are recorded in the Senate journal.