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House passes bill to revise state library operations, preserves interlibrary loan
Summary
The South Dakota House passed House Bill 1041 on final reading after amendments that its sponsor said would preserve key services including interlibrary loan and summer reading programs while implementing administrative changes to the State Library and State Library Board.
The South Dakota House of Representatives on March 3 passed House Bill 1041, a measure to “revise and repeal certain provisions pertaining to the state library and state library board, and to provide an appropriation,” after adoption of an amendment and floor debate.
Representative Jorgensen, sponsor of the amendment and the bill, said the legislation is largely a cleanup measure intended to preserve library services while addressing administrative structure and funding changes. She said the bill will continue online databases and services used by libraries and patrons, and will preserve interlibrary loan contracts and courier services.
"This motion simply takes off the hundred dollars so that we can, just address the rest of the bill," Representative Jorgensen said while moving amendment 1041C. She later described the bill as a ‘‘cleanup bill’’ that will continue databases such as World Book Online, ProQuest and US Newsstream, and will preserve summer reading manuals, braille and talking books, and interlibrary loan and associated contracts.
Representative Muckey, speaking in support, said she appreciated the sponsor’s work and noted the bill, as presented on the floor, carried no immediate fiscal impact that the members could identify. "What I'm grateful for about House Bill 10 41 today is that it doesn't have a fiscal impact that we can speak to," Muckey said.
Representative from Minnehaha County (identified in the transcript as opposing the bill) said his opposition stemmed from concerns about eliminating or weakening the State Library Board and its advisory role. He said the library board provides an advisory function and offered transparency into the State Library's operations; he urged strengthening rather than eliminating that function.
The House adopted amendment 10 41C by voice vote and later passed the bill on final reading; the clerk reported 61 ayes, 8 nays, 1 excused on the final tally.
Supporters emphasized continuity of core services—databases, summer reading, braille and talking books, and interlibrary loan—while acknowledging potential reductions in some digital subscriptions and the loss of public library space in the McGovern (McCain) Building. Sponsor Jorgensen said some digital services paid with one-time COVID funds (for example, a streaming license called Swank) were already scheduled to end.
The bill, as discussed on the floor, also included discussion of prior executive recommendations and staff restructuring at the Department of Education that affected federal and state funding lines; Representative Jorgensen said the department retained some positions originally recommended for reduction and that a restructured budget preserved many services. She characterized the net savings figure discussed on the floor as approximately $829,000 as the reorganization’s identified savings.
The House approved final passage of House Bill 1041 following floor remarks and roll-call voting.
The bill will proceed according to the legislature's normal enrollment and delivery process.
