Clarify the status of the Statewide One-Call Notification Board as an agency administered by the Department of Public Safety and the duties of the Board.
Summary
HB 1012 clarifies the legal status and administrative structure of the Statewide One-Call Notification Board in South Dakota. The bill states that the board is administered by the Department of Public Safety, which must assist the board and help coordinate the statewide one-call notification system. It also confirms that the board may hire employees and contractors within the department to support the system, and that the board remains responsible for its duties, functions, and funds.
The bill also restates and organizes the financing and operational framework for the one-call notification system. It creates and continues the state one-call fund in the state treasury, directs that interest earned on the fund stays in the fund, and provides that money in the fund is continuously appropriated to the board to administer the chapter. The bill further describes the one-call notification center’s role in helping excavators notify underground facility operators and request marking of facilities, and it reiterates that operators must comply with membership, reporting, penalty, and liability requirements under existing law.
Impact
HB 1012 does not create a new regulatory program so much as it clarifies and reinforces the existing one-call excavation notification structure in state law. It confirms the Department of Public Safety’s administrative role over the Statewide One-Call Notification Board, preserves the board’s authority over its duties and funds, and maintains the state one-call fund and continuous appropriation mechanism. The bill also leaves in place the compliance obligations and penalties for underground facility operators who fail to participate in or report to the one-call system.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly noncontroversial and received strong support in both chambers. It passed committee and floor votes overwhelmingly, including unanimous or near-unanimous votes in later stages, suggesting general agreement that the measure was a technical or clarifying update rather than a major policy change. The voting history indicates little organized opposition.
Contention
There is little evidence of substantive contention around HB 1012. The main issue addressed is administrative clarity: whether the Statewide One-Call Notification Board is properly understood as an agency administered by the Department of Public Safety and how its duties and funds are handled. Any potential concern would likely center on agency oversight, fund administration, or the board’s authority to hire staff and contractors within the department, but the available record shows no significant disagreement on those points.