Proposing and submitting to the voters at the next general election an amendment to the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, limiting the number of terms an individual may serve as a member of the Legislature.
Summary
Senate Joint Resolution 501 proposes a constitutional amendment to be submitted to South Dakota voters at the next general election. The amendment would change Article III, Section 6 to impose legislative term limits, replacing the current language with a rule that an individual may not be elected to more than four consecutive terms, or eight consecutive years, in either the Senate or the House of Representatives. It also states that an individual may not be elected to more than eight consecutive terms, or sixteen consecutive years, as a member of the Legislature overall.
The resolution further clarifies that partial terms filled by appointment under Article IV, Section 3 would not count toward the election limits. In effect, the measure would amend the state constitution rather than ordinary statute, meaning the change would govern future legislative service only if approved by voters. It would directly affect current and prospective legislators by limiting how long they may continuously serve in one chamber and in the Legislature as a whole.
Impact
If adopted by voters, SJR501 would amend the South Dakota Constitution and create enforceable term limits for state legislators. It would not change ordinary statutory law, but would alter the eligibility rules for election to the House and Senate and require election officials and parties to account for consecutive service when determining candidacy. The measure would also preserve appointed partial terms from counting against the limits, reducing the impact on members who first enter office through appointment.
Sentiment
The recorded committee votes suggest the resolution has received meaningful support, though not unanimous backing. It passed one committee 6-3 and another 20-14, indicating a generally favorable but divided view among legislators. A later 9-3 vote to defer the bill to the 41st legislative day suggests continued procedural movement but also that the proposal remained under consideration rather than advancing without resistance.
Contention
The main point of contention is the policy of legislative term limits itself: supporters appear to favor limiting long-term incumbency and encouraging turnover, while opponents likely object to restricting voter choice and removing experienced lawmakers from office. The vote margins show that the issue divides legislators, with a substantial minority opposed in committee. The specific structure of the limits—four consecutive terms per chamber and eight consecutive terms overall, plus the treatment of appointed partial terms—may also be a point of debate because it determines how strictly the amendment would constrain service.
Proposing and submitting to the voters at the next general election an amendment to the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, limiting to a flat rate the real property taxes.
Proposing and submitting to the voters at the next general election an amendment to the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, limiting the assessed value of real property and limiting real property taxes.
Proposing and submitting to the voters at the next general election an amendment to the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, clarifying that an individual must be a citizen of the United States to be eligible to vote.
Proposing and submitting to the voters at the next general election an amendment to the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, requiring a number of signatures on a petition to initiate a constitutional amendment be obtained from each county.
Proposing and submitting to the voters at the next general election amendments to the Constitution to the State of South Dakota, increasing the number of required signatures on a petition to initiate an amendment or measure.
Proposing and submitting to the voters at the next general election an amendment to the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, requiring that a constitutional amendment receive an affirmative vote of sixty percent of the votes cast before the measure is enacted.
Proposing and submitting to the voters at the next general election an amendment to the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, providing for wagering on sporting events via mobile or electronic platform.
Proposing and submitting to the voters at the next general election an amendment to the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, establishing the trust for unclaimed property fund.
Proposing and submitting to the voters at the next general election an amendment to the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, conditioning the requirement of expanded Medicaid on the level of federal medical assistance.
Proposing and submitting to the voters at the next general election amendments to the Constitution of the State of South Dakota, requiring an intervening general election before consideration of an initiated constitutional amendment or initiated measure having the same subject as a previously rejected initiated amendment or measure.