The Joint Committee on Appropriations advanced four letters of intent Monday—Veto Day and the final day of the 2026 legislative session—outlining lawmakers’ expectations for state agencies on food assistance, welfare benefits, school finance, and road construction near Ellsworth Air Force Base.
Three of the letters passed unanimously. One, addressing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), drew dissent amid concerns about pressuring the state to spend federal carryover funds.
The first letter requests a joint report from the Department of Education and Feeding South Dakota at the committee’s December 2026 meeting. The report must include three years of data on the Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, along with a plan to maximize food distribution.
The committee approved the letter 16–0.
The second letter directs the Department of Social Services to present five years of TANF spending data at the committee’s July 2026 meeting. It also references a 5 percent partial restoration of TANF cash benefits approved this session, funded with $427,000 in general funds and $427,000 in federal expenditure authority.
The letter passed 15–2, with Carley and Sen. Casey Voita, R‑Bonesteel, voting no.
The third letter, sponsored by Rep. Terry Jorgenson, R‑District 29, calls on the Department of Education to work with school districts that do not receive state aid but hold large cash balances, with the goal of developing plans to reduce those balances.
The committee approved the letter 16–0.
The fourth letter addresses the $8 million SB 130 appropriation for road improvements near Ellsworth Air Force Base. Sponsored by Rep. Jack Kolbeck, R‑Sioux Falls, the letter states the appropriation is intended to be the state’s final contribution and assigns responsibility for future maintenance and cost overruns to Rapid City, Box Elder, Pennington County, and Meade County.
The letter passed unanimously 17–0.
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