Legislative Scorecard Based on the U.S. Constitution
The Legislative Scorecard is a nationwide educational program of The John Birch Society. Its purpose is to create an informed electorate on how state legislators are voting. The Scorecard is nonpartisan; it does not promote any candidate or political party. Bills are selected for their constitutional implications and cost to the taxpayers.
Please share this Scorecard in your district to inform people about your legislator's record on key votes.
U.S. Constitution, Amendment I --- 11 C.F.R. §114(4)(c)(4) --- 616 F.2d 45 (2d Cir. 1980)
Legislative Scorecard
Based on the U.S. Constitution
SD Scorecard 2021-2022
The Legislative Scorecard is a nationwide educational program of The John Birch Society. Its purpose is to create an informed electorate on how state legislators are voting. The Scorecard is nonpartisan; it does not promote any candidate or political party. Bills are selected for their constitutional implications and cost to the taxpayers.
Please share this Scorecard in your district to inform people about your legislator's record on key votes.
U.S. Constitution, Amendment I --- 11 C.F.R. §114(4)(c)(4) --- 616 F.2d 45 (2d Cir. 1980)
The following scorecard lists several key votes in the South Dakota Legislature in 2021 and 2022 and ranks state representatives and senators based on their fidelity to (U.S.) constitutional and limited-government principles.
This is our first state-level Scorecard; the selected votes may not be reflective of legislators’ overall records. Their cumulative scores will change as we add more votes. Please check regularly for updates.
Senate
1. Budget
HB1340 Budget (passed 31 to 1 on 3/10/2022). Provides approximately $5.9 billion in funding for the operations of the state's government for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2022, and ending June 30, 2023.
2. Informed Consent by Pregnant Minors
HB1223 Informed Consent by Pregnant Minors (passed 30 to 5 on 3/2/2022). Would authorize the informed consent by a pregnant minor for any medical or dental procedure or service related to the minor’s prenatal care, the delivery process, or postnatal care if the minor’s parent or guardian is either “unavailable or withholds consent."
3. Exemption from COVID-19 Vaccination
SB211 Exemption from COVID-19 Vaccination (passed 31 to 4 on 2/14/2022). Would provide that employers must allow medical, religious, and natural immunity-based exemptions from COVID-19 vaccination requirements, but not apply to certain health care facilities and the South Dakota National Guard.
4. Article V Convention: Constitutional Amendments
HJR5001 Article V Convention: Constitutional Amendments (failed 16 to 19 on 2/9/2022). Would apply to Congress, under the provisions of Article V of the U.S. Constitution, to call for a "convention of states" for the purpose of proposing constitutional amendments.
5. Educational Freedom
SB177 Educational Freedom (passed 21 to 14 on 2/17/2021). Revises the provisions of parental choice regarding compulsory school attendance by expanding “alternative instruction” (e.g., home education) options.
6. Rescinding the Call for an Article V Convention: Balanced Budget Amendment
SJR501 Rescinding the Call for an Article V Convention: Balanced Budget Amendment (failed 17 to 18 on 2/9/2021). Would rescind HJR1001, adopted by the Legislature in 2015, which applied to Congress to “call an Article V convention of the states for the sole purpose of proposing a federal balanced budget amendment.”
| Name | Party | District | Score | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
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Average Constitutional Score by Party
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