South Dakota lawmakers reject reform for economic board but advance change for governor-controlled fund

South Dakota lawmakers reject reform for economic board but advance change for governor-controlled fund

PIERRE — A lawmaker got split results Thursday with two attempts to reform aspects of state-funded economic development in South Dakota. A bill from Canton Republican Rep. Karla Lems to tighten conflict-of-interest restrictions on members of the state Board of Economic Development failed in the state House, but she won a committee’s endorsement of her bill that would relieve employers of their obligation to pay into the governor-controlled Futur…

Lawmakers reject reform for economic board but advance change for governor-controlled fund

Rep. Karla Lems, R-Canton, speaks on the floor of the South Dakota House of Representatives on Feb. 19, 2026, at the Capitol in Pierre. She is the sponsor of bills that would reform aspects of state-funded economic development. (Photo by John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)A lawmaker got split results Thursday with two attempts to reform aspects of state-funded economic development in South Dakota. A bill from Canton Republican Rep. Karla Lems to…